Mary Lou Spradling Slinkard (born August 1943) is a Republican former member of the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the ...

. From 2013 to 2015, she represented District 92 in Benton County in far northwestern

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

. From 2009 to 2013, she was the representative for District 100. A native and a resident of Gravette, she is the former county clerk of Benton County, a position in which she served for twenty-eight years. She assumed the representative's position in 2009 and was reelected without opposition in the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

s of 2010 and 2012. Slinkard had a primary opponent in 2012, Jim Parsons. Her district includes the city of Bella Vista, once represented by Republican

Donna Hutchinson Donna Jean King Hutchinson (born August 23, 1949) is a Republican Party (United States), Republican former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from District 98, which includes part of fast-growing Benton County, Arkansas, Benton County ...

, a former representative from District 98. A conservative lawmaker, Slinkard in 2013 voted to override Democratic

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Mike Beebe's

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...

es bills to restrict

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

access. She voted to prohibit abortion coverage in state employees health insurance plans. Slinkard also voted to override Beebe's veto of the law requiring photo identification as a condition for voting in Arkansas. She voted to place a spending cap on state spending, but the measure failed by two House votes. She voted to allow university staff to engage in concealed carry of a handgun for campus safety. Slinkard serves on three House committees: (1) City, County and Local Affairs, (2) Judiciary, and (3) Legislative Joint Audit Committee. She is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Slinkard was

term-limited A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of Term of office, terms an Incumbent, officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in Presidential system, presidential and semi-presidential system ...

under state law in 2014. Former

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Kim Hendren Kim Dexter Hendren (born February 6, 1938) is an American engineer and politician. He served as a Democratic and Republican member for the 6th and 9th districts of the Arkansas Senate. Hendren also served a member of the 1st and 92nd districts ...

, also of Gravette, was elected at the age of seventy-six, to succeed her in the state House. Henderen also served in the state House for the term from 2001 to 2003.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slinkard, Mary Lou 1943 births Living people Republican Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives Baptists from Arkansas People from Gravette, Arkansas County clerks in Arkansas Women state legislators in Arkansas