David James Sanders (born January 21, 1975) is a former member of the

Arkansas State Senate The Arkansas State Senate is the upper branch of the Arkansas General Assembly. The Senate consists of 35 members, each representing a district with about 83,000 people. Service in the state legislature is part-time, and many state senators have ...

for District 15, which encompasses Conway County and parts of

Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most of ...

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also mad ...

, Pulaski, and Van Buren counties. From 2011 to 2013, he served a term in the Arkansas House of Representatives for Pulaski County.

Background

A native of

West Memphis West Memphis is the largest city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 26,245 at the 2010 census, ranking it as the state's 18th largest city, behind Bella Vista. It is part of the Memphis metropolitan area, and is ...

in Crittenden County in easternmost Arkansas, Sanders graduated in 1993 from Walnut Ridge High School in Walnut Ridge in Lawrence County in the northeastern portion of his state. In 1997, he received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and Mass Communications from

Ouachita Baptist University Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The university's name is taken from the Ouachita (pronounced WAH-shi-tah) River, which forms the eastern campus boundary. It is affiliated with the Arka ...

Arkadelphia Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,714. The city is the county seat of Clark County. It is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Henderso ...

in Clark County, Arkansas. He and his wife, Rebecca, a high school choral director, have five children. In 2002, ''Arkansas Business'' named Sanders one its "40 Under 40" list. Sanders, who at the time was pursuing a career in both business and media claimed that he once wanted to run for office, but enjoyed business and "writing about politicians".

Political life

Arkansas House of Representatives

As a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, Sanders, wrote the Athlete Agent Reform Act of 2011, which has been recognized by the NCAA as the nation's strongest legislation targeting illegal activities of sports agents. He also sponsored the state's first ethics law targeting Arkansas’ banking, insurance, securities and utility, regulators.

Senate duties

In the 2013, Sanders passed legislation cracking down waste, fraud and abuse in the state's Medicaid program—including in the creation of the state's Office of Medicaid Inspector General (Acts 1436, 1499 and 1504). In addition, Sanders has to his credit sweeping laws that corrected years of structural problems with Arkansas’ parole system (Acts 435, 1029 and 1030). He passed the first reduction in the state's income tax rates (Act 1459) and reformed the state's worker's compensation laws for motor carriers (Act 1166). Sanders is one of the architects of Arkansas’ Private Option, the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

alternative to President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

’s

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and per ...

expansion contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Poorer Arkansans under the plan can purchase private insurance with the help of premium assistance, instead of being relegated to the Medicaid rolls. Republican governors in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, and

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

have proposed plans similar to Arkansas’ innovative model. Sanders worked during his term with members of a bipartisan task force to reform the Arkansas’ State Employees and School Employees Health Insurance Plan.

Committee work

Committee chairmanships: * Arkansas Legislative (ALC) Rules and Regulations Sub-Committee * Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace Legislative Oversight Committee * Legislative Joint Auditing Medicaid Subcommittee. Committee Membership: * Joint Budget * Legislative Joint Audit * Senate Public Health, Labor and Welfare * Senate Insurance and Commerce * Senate Efficiency * Joint Performance Review Committee * Arkansas Legislative Council (ALC) * ALC-Charitable, Penal and Correctional Institutions * ALC Peer Review Committee

Awards and Recognitions in the 89th General Assembly

* "Legislator of the Year," Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police * “Business Matters Legislative Leadership Award," Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Arkansas Associated Industries * "Advocate for Justice," Arkansas Prosecuting Attorneys Association * "Legislative Leader for Children," Arkansas Kids Count Coalition * "ACU Conservative," American Conservative Union *

Other honors

* Top 10 Lawmakers, ''Talk Business Arkansas'' * Visionary Arkansan, ''Arkansas Times''' List of 25 of the Arkansas’ Creative Thinkers

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, David J. 1975 births Living people Republican Party Arkansas state senators Republican Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives People from Walnut Ridge, Arkansas Politicians from Little Rock, Arkansas Ouachita Baptist University alumni American educators American male journalists Baptists from Arkansas 21st-century American politicians