Mary Bentley (Arkansas politician)
| Mary Elizabeth Bentley | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 73rd district | |
|
Assumed office January 2015 | |
| Preceded by | John Catlett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 26, 1961 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Ted Alan Bentley |
| Children | Three children |
| Residence |
Perryville, Perry County Arkansas, USA |
| Alma mater | Harding University |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
Mary Elizabeth Bentley (born December 26, 1961),[1] is a businesswoman from Perryville, Arkansas, who is a Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for District 73, which encompasses parts of Yell, Pope, Perry, and Conway counties in the central portion of her state.[2]
Bentley's place of birth, names of parents, and high school are missing. She holds a nursing degree from the Church of Christ-affiliated Harding College in Searcy in White County, Arkansas. A former registered nurse at Arkansas Children's Hospital in the capital city of Little Rock, Bentley has been since 1983 the owner with her husband of Bentley Plastics in Perryville. She is a member of New Life Fellowship Church, a contemporary Southern Baptist rural congregation near Perryville. She and her husband, Ted Alan Bentley (born c. 1956), have three children.[1]
She ran without opposition in the Republican primary held on May 20, 2014, for the District 73 nomination to the state House. In the November 4 general election she unseated the two-term Democrat John Catlett by 196 votes, 3,588 (51.4 percent) to 3,392 (48.6 percent), in an election year highly favorable in Arkansas to her party.[3] In the 2012 general election, Catlett had defeated Bentley to gain his second term in the office.[1]
Representative Bentley holds these committee assignments: (1) Public Health, Welfare, and Labor, (2) City, County, and Local Affairs, and (3) Legislative Joint Audit.[2] In February 2015, Bentley 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.[4]
That same month Bentley 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.[5] The measure passed the House, seventy-two to twenty.[6] One of the opponents, Democratic Representative Camille Bennett, a former city attorney for Lonoke, Arkansas, called for a reworking of the legislation.[7] Bennett claimed the Ballinger bill would establish a "type of religious litmus test" which could impact nearly any law under consideration by the legislature.[8] The measure was subsequently passed by a large margin in the House and signed into law in revised form, SB 975, by Governor Hutchinson.[9]
References
- 1 2 3 "Mary Bentley's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- 1 2 "Mary Bentley". arkansashouse.org. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- ↑ "District 73". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- ↑ "HB 1489 - Reduces Unemployment Benefits - Key Vote". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- ↑ "HB 1228". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
- ↑ "HB 1228". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Indiana, Arkansas try to stem religious objections uproar". Atlantic Broadband. April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Gov. Hutchinson signs revised religious freedom bill; HB 1228 recalled". Little Rock: KTHV-TV. April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
| Preceded by John Catlett |
Arkansas State Representative for District 73 (Yell, Pope, Perry, and Conway counties) Mary Elizabeth Bentley |
Succeeded by Incumbent |