Jon Eubanks

Jon Scott Eubanks (born October 1, 1951)[1] is a farmer and a certified public accountant in Paris in Logan County in western Arkansas, who is a Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives. His District 74, which he has represented since 2013, includes parts of Logan, Franklin, Scott, and Sebastian counties. He represented House District 84 from 2011 to 2013, prior to decennial redistricting. Since 2015, Eubanks has been the House Speaker Pro Tempore.

Jon Eubanks
Speaker pro tempore of the Arkansas House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2015
Preceded by	Darrin Williams
Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 74th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2013
Preceded by	Butch Wilkins
Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 84th district
In office January 2011 – January 2013
Preceded by	John Wells
Succeeded by	Charlie Collins
Personal details
Born	Jon Scott Eubanks (1951-10-01) October 1, 1951 Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Janet Eubanks
Children	4
Education	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Arkansas Tech University, Russellville (BS)

Background

Eubanks graduated from high school in the capital city of Annapolis, Maryland. He attended Virginia Tech at Blacksburg, Virginia, and in 1990 received a degree in accounting from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville in Pope County. He is a past president of his local Farm Bureau and of the Paris division of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. He is a former president of the Paris Rotary International. He and his wife, Janet, have four children, Chris, Nick, Stacy, and Andrew. The couple attends The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[2]

He is a former volunteer for the Boy Scouts of America.[3]

Political life

Prior to his legislative service, Eubanks served on the Paris School Board.[3]

In 2010, he was elected in House District 84, defeating Democrat David L. Rush, 3,990 (56.4 percent) to 3,085 (43.6 percent). The seat was vacated by the term-limited Democrat John Wells.[4] Switched to House District 74, Eubanks in 2012 defeated another Democrat, Daniel Wall, 7,257 (72.2 percent) to 2,788 (27.8 percent). The incumbent Democrat in the district, Butch Wilkins, was transferred to District 59 via redistricting.[5]

Eubanks is a member of the Arkansas Legislative Council and the House committees on (1) Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development, (2) Education, (3) Energy, and (4) Performance Review.[3] He is a member of the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

In 2013 Eubanks joined the required majority 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. Eubanks supported related 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 co-sponsored a spending cap in the state budget, but the measure failed to gain approval by two votes in the House. Eubanks co-sponsored legislation to allow officials of higher education and religious institutions carry concealed weapons. He voted to prohibit the governor from regulating firearms in an emergency. Eubanks supported 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. He did not vote on a failed proposal to prohibit the closure of public schools based on declining enrollments over a two-year period.[6]

In 2011, Eubanks 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 and for a tax reduction on manufacturers' utilities. He voted to forbid driver's license tests in languages other than English, but the measure failed in the House. He voted against cell phone use in school zones. He voted against the 2011 congressional redistricting bill.[6]

References

1. 91st Arkansas General Assembly Legislative Directory
2. "Jon Eubanks, R-74". arkansashouse.org. Archived from the original on January 5, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
3. "Jon Scott Eubanks' Biography". votesmart.org. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
4. "District 84". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
5. "District 74". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
6. "Jon Scott Eubanks' Voting Records". votesmart.org. Retrieved January 4, 2014.

Arkansas House of Representatives
Preceded by John Wells	Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 84th district 2011–2013	Succeeded by Charlie Collins
Preceded by Butch Wilkins	Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 74th district 2013–present	Incumbent
Preceded by Darrin Williams	Speaker pro tempore of the Arkansas House of Representatives 2015–present