Micah Neal

Micah S. Neal (born 1974) is a businessman in Springdale in northwestern Arkansas, who is a Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives. His District 89, which he has represented since 2013, includes part of Washington County. From 2003 to 2011, he was a county justice of the peace in Springdale.^[1]

Background

Neal graduated from Fayetteville Christian School in Fayetteville in Washington County. He holds a bachelor's degree in Marketing Management from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Since 1997, he has operated Neal's Café in a landmark pink building in Springdale, a company launched in 1944 by his great-grandparents, Toy and Bertha Neal and later run by his father, Don Neal.^[2] He has two sons, Reagan and Bodie Neal. He is a member of Cross Church, a Baptist congregation in Springdale.^[3]

Political life

In 2012, Neal won his House seat by defeating the Springdale Democrat Inez Yesenia "Yessie" Hernandez (born 1977), 2,704 votes (63.5 percent) to 1,551 (36.5 percent). The seat was vacated by Republican Charlie Collins, who was switched to District 84 and in 2014 is a candidate for Arkansas lieutenant governor.^[4]

Neal serves as the appointed assistant Speaker Pro Tempore to Speaker Davy Carter. He is vice chairman of the Management Committee and a member of the Arkansas Legislative Council. He also sits on these House committees: (1) Budget, (2) City, County and Local Affairs, (3) Energy, and (4) Judiciary.^[3][1]

Representative Neal in 2013 co-sponsored the proposed spending cap on the state budget, but the bill failed by a two-vote margin in the House. 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 had co-sponsored both measures. He also supported related pro-life legislation to ban abortion whenever fetal heartbeat is detected, to forbid the inclusion of abortion in the state insurance exchange, and to make the death of an unborn child a felony in certain cases. He co-sponsored legislation to empower leaders of universities and religious institutions to engage in the concealed carry of firearms in the name of safety. He voted to reduce the application fee for obtaining a concealed carry permit. Neal voted to prohibit the governor from regulating firearms during an emergency. He voted to prohibit the closing of schools based on a two-year pupil enrollment analysis, but the measure failed in the House. Neal 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 make the office of prosecuting attorney in Arkansas nonpartisan.^[5]

References