State Rep. Matthew Shepherd (R-El Dorado) won't seek a fourth term as speaker of the Arkansas House, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. Shepherd is the longest serving leader of the chamber. He told the D-G that he plans on seeking reelection for his House seat.
When state lawmakers declined in this summer's special legislative session to rally around Governor Hutchinson's proposal to raise Arkansas teachers' minimum starting salary and give them a bonus, they used the adequacy study as an excuse. Now's the time when they lay their cards out.