Mark Biviano

Mark Lancing Biviano (born 1960),[1] is a real estate businessman from Searcy in White County in central Arkansas, who is a Republican former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives. His District 46, which he represented from 2013 to 2015, includes part of White County. From 2011 to 2013, he represented House District 50.[2]

Mark Lancing Biviano
Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 50th district
In office 2011–2013
Preceded by	Monty Betts
Succeeded by	Fred Smith
Arkansas State Representative from District 50 (White County)
In office 2013 – January 2015
Preceded by	David Meeks (transferred to District 70)
Succeeded by	Les Eaves
Personal details
Born	1960 Blytheville, ,Arkansas, USA
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Barbara Ellen Biviano
Children	3
Residence	Searcy, Arkansas
Alma mater	University of Arkansas
Occupation	Real estate businessman

He did not seek a third term in 2014 and was succeeded by his fellow Republican Les Eaves, also of Searcy.

Background

A native of Blytheville in Mississippi County in eastern Arkansas, Biviano graduated from high school in the U.S. state of Ohio.[2] He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.[3] He and his ex-wife, Barbara Ellen, have three children, Joshua Mark (born 1983), Sarah, and Zach Biviano.[3]

Political life

In 2010, Biviano was elected in House District 50, having narrowly unseated the incumbent Democrat Monty Betts, 4,350 (50.6 percent) to 4,242 (49.4 percent).[4] In 2012, District 50 was reconfigured to include Crittenden and Cross counties. Biviano won his second term in revised District 46 by defeating the Democrat Kyle Osborne, 6,305 (60.8 percent) to 4,073 (39.2 percent).[5]

Biviano served as the vice chair of the Advanced Communications and Information Technology Committee and was a member of these panels: (1) Budget, (2) Education, and (3) Insurance and Commerce.[3]

Representative Biviano in 2013 in District 46 supported a spending cap on the state budget. 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, a measure which Biviano co-sponsored. He also supported 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 a fetus a felony in certain cases. He voted to allow university officials to carry concealed weapons on campus. He opposed legislation to make the office of prosecuting attorney in Arkansas nonpartisan. He 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.[6]

In 2011, Biviano in District 50 co-sponsored legislation to permit weapons in places of worship. He supported a dress code for public schools. He backed curriculum standards for biblical instruction in public schools. He voted for the Capital Gains Reduction Act. He voted to permit driver's license tests only in the English language. Biviano voted against legislation to prohibit cell phone use in school zones.[6]

Biviano did not seek a third term in the House in 2014. In the Republican primary, Les Eaves, with 2,158 votes (63 percent), defeated Kyle Reeves, who polled 1,260 votes (37 percent), to obtain the Republican nomination to succeed Biviano.[7]

References

1. "Mark Biviano in Searcy, AR". usa-people-search.com. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
2. "Mark Biviano, R-46". arkansashouse.org. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
3. "Mark Biviano's Biography". votesmart.org. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
4. "District 50". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
5. "District 46". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
6. "Mark Biviano's Voting Records". votesmart.org. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
7. "Arkansas Primary Election Results, May 20, 2014". KATV. Retrieved May 21, 2014.

Preceded by Monty Betts	Arkansas State Representative for District 50 (now Crittenden and Cross counties) Mark Lancing Biviano 2011–2013	Succeeded by Fred Smith
Preceded by David Meeks (transferred to District 70)	Arkansas State Representative for District 46 (White County) Mark Lancing Biviano 2013–2015	Succeeded by Les Eaves