Vivian Flowers

For the African-American state senator from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, see Stephanie Flowers,

Vivian Laveda Flowers (born c. 1969)^[1] is a diversity officer at the UAMS Medical Center in the capital city of Little Rock, Arkansas. A resident of Pine Bluff, she is also a Democratic member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for District 17, which includes a portion of Jefferson County in the south central section of her state.^[2]

Flowers holds a degree in Political Science and Technical Writing from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She subsequently received a master's degree from the Clinton School of Public Service, also in Little Rock. She is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church.^[2]

In 2014, Flowers was nominated and elected without opposition in House District 17 to succeed her fellow African-American Democrat Hank Wilkins, who was term limited.^[3] Flowers sits on these committees: (1) Revenue and Taxation and (2) Aging, Children, and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs.^[2]

In February 2015, Flowers was among twenty legislators who opposed House Bill 1228, authored by Republican Bob Ballinger of Carroll County in northwestern Arkansas.^[4] The measure sought to prohibit government from imposing a burden on the free exercise of religion.^[5] Flowers's colleague, Representative Camille Bennett, a Democrat from Lonoke, called for a reworking of the legislation^[6] on the theory that the Ballinger bill would establish a "type of religious litmus test" which could impact nearly any law under consideration by the legislature.^[4] The legislation was subsequently passed by a large margin in the House and signed into law in revised form, SB 975, by Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson.^[7]

Flowers formerly resided in San Bernardino, California and Takoma Park, Maryland, in suburban Washington, D.C., dates unavailable.^[1]

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