Michelle Gray

Michelle Gray is a Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for Independence, Izard, Sharp, and Stone counties in the northeastern portion of her state.[1]

For the scientist, see Michelle Gray (neuroscientist).

Background

Gray graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Arkansas State University at Jonesboro. She formerly worked in the accounting offices of both ASU and Ozarka College, a community college, in Melbourne.[2] She and her husband, Dr. Adam Christopher Gray (born c. 1971), have five children. She is a Baptist. She is a former secretary and treasurer for the Izard County Emergency Services Board. She has also been the treasurer of the Single Parent Scholarship Foundation in Izard County.[3][1]

She is the manager of her husband's medical practice office in Melbourne.[3]

Political life

Gray ran without opposition in the Republican primary held on May 20, 2014, for the District 62 nomination to the state House. In the November 4 general election she unseated the two-term Democrat Tommy Wren, 5,130 votes (54.3 percent) to 4,319 (45.7 percent).[4] Representative Gray holds these committee assignments: (1) Legislative Joint Audit (2) Judiciary Committee, and (3) State Agencies and Governmental Affairs.[1] In February 2015, Gray joined dozens of her fellow Republicans and two Democrats in co-sponsoring legislation submitted by Representative Lane Jean of Magnolia, to reduce unemployment compensation benefits. The measure was promptly signed into law by Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson.[5]

That same month Gray supported House Bill 1228, sponsored by Republican Bob Ballinger of Carroll County, which sought to prohibit government from imposing a burden on the free exercise of religion.[6] The measure passed the House, seventy-two to twenty.[7] One of the opponents, Democratic Representative Camille Bennett, a former city attorney for Lonoke, Arkansas, called for a reworking of the legislation.[8] Bennett claimed the Ballinger bill would establish a "type of religious litmus test" which could impact nearly any law under consideration by the legislature.[9] The measure was subsequently passed by a large margin in the House and signed into law in revised form, SB 975, by Governor Hutchinson.[10]

Gray is a particular admirer of former Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee. "We have a lot of respect for her and what she does – and just the fight that she's willing to take on. She's not scared of anything. Her viewpoints and our viewpoints are a lot alike. ... She's a mom, she's a wife. She's me. I can see myself in her a lot," said Gray.[11]

gollark: Mostly I just get away with duckduckgoing very fast.
gollark: I do also have some personal services running on the same infrastructure, but I barely have to tweak those.
gollark: So it appears that the comments system is down because I recompiled my website with the new domain so the status/images links would be right, and forgot to stick in configuration for proxying to the comments backend onto the new domain. I have to deal with bizarre issues like this *constantly* just to keep my stupid projects in existence and available.
gollark: I can't tell.
gollark: Creature says lots of things like that, maybe ironically.

References
  1. "Michelle Gray". arkansashouse.org. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  2. "Michelle Gray's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  3. "Michelle Gray Announces for State Rep". michellegray.us. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  4. "District 62". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  5. "HB 1489 - Reduces Unemployment Benefits - Key Vote". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  6. "HB 1228". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  7. "HB 1228". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  8. "Indiana, Arkansas try to stem religious objections uproar". Atlantic Broadband. April 3, 2015. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  9. "Opponents of Religious Freedom Bill Point Out Law Differences, Possible Unintended Consequences". Little Rock, Arkansas: Fox Channel 16. April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  10. "Gov. Hutchinson signs revised religious freedom bill; HB 1228 recalled". Little Rock: KTHV-TV. April 2, 2015. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  11. "We Love Gov. Palin". conservatives4palin.com. April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
Government offices
Preceded by
Tommy Wren		 Arkansas State Representative for
District 62 (Independence, Izard, Sharp, and Stone counties)

April Michelle Harvey Gray
2015–

Succeeded by
Incumbent
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