John K. Hutchison

John Keith Hutchison
Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives
from the 52nd district
In office
January 2013  January 2015
Preceded by Reginald Murdock
Succeeded by Dwight Tosh
Personal details
Born 1959
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Karen Hutchison
Children Three daughters, Alissa, Andria, and Emaly
Residence Harrisburg, Poinsett County
Arkansas, USA
Alma mater Arkansas State University
Profession Farmer
Religion Lutheran Church

John Keith Hutchison (born 1959) is a Republican former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives. He was first elected in 2012 from District 52, which includes parts of Poinsett, Craighead, Jackson, and Independence counties in a farming area of eastern Arkansas.[1]After less than a year and a half in the office, Hutchison was unseated in the Republican primary held on May 20, 2014, by his intraparty rival, Dwight Tosh.

Hutchison himself is a farmer in Harrisburg in Poinsett County. He graduated from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.[2]

Political life

To win his state House seat, Hutchison defeated by 45 votes the Democrat L. J. Bryant, 5,059 to 5,014. The incumbent Democrat Reginald Murdock was switched to District 48.[3]

Hutchison serves on the Arkansas Legislative Council and these House committees: (1) Energy, (2) Revenue and Taxation, and (3) State Agencies and Governmental Affairs. He is the vice chairman of the Subcommittee on House Elections.[2]

Representative Hutchison in 2013 co-sponsored a proposed spending cap on the state budget, but the measure failed by two votes on the House floor. He voted to override the vetoes of Democratic Governor Mike Beebe to enact legislation to require photo identification for casting a ballot in Arkansas and to ban abortion after twenty weeks of gestation. He further supported related pro-life legislation to forbid the inclusion of abortion in the state insurance exchange, to make the death of an unborn child a felony in certain cases, and to forbid abortion whenever fetal heartbreat is detected.[4]

Hutchison voted to empower university officials to engage in concealed carry of firearms for campus safety. He supported the bill to reduce the fees for obtaining a concealed-carry permit, but the measure failed to pass in the House. He supported the House-passed measure to prohibit the governor from regulating firearms during an emergency. He voted against approved legislation to make the office of prosecuting attorney in Arkansas nonpartisan. He supported failed legislation to prohibit the closure of public schools after a two-year period of declining enrollment. He voted for legislation to establish a tiered system for lottery scholarships. Hutchinson supported the bill, signed by Governor Beebe, to permit the sale of up to five hundred gallons per month of unpasteurized whole milk directly from the farm to consumers. He voted to establish a tiered system for lottery scholarships.[4]

Hutchison was succeeded in the House after one term by fellow Republican Dwight Tosh.

References

  1. "John K. Hutchison". Arkansas House of Representatives.
  2. 1 2 "John K. Hutchison's Biography". votesmart.org. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  3. "Arkansas House of Representatives elections, 2012". ballotpedia. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "John K. Hutchison's Voting Records". votesmart.org. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
Preceded by
Reginald Murdock (Transferred to District 48)
Arkansas State Representative from District 52 (Poinsett, Craighead, Jackson, and Independence counties)

John Keith Hutchison
20132015

Succeeded by
Dwight Tosh


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