State Legislators of the Month, June 2023: Arkansas Representative Mindy McAlindon and Senator Joshua Bryant
We are excited to announce an award for June that acknowledges the remarkable work of two legislators who collaborated to make a substantial impact on Arkansas. The legislators who we want to recognize are Representative Mindy McAlindon and Senator Joshua Bryant.
The State Legislator of the Month award highlights substantive state policy success and acknowledges those who care about the principles at ALEC’s core – limited government, federalism, and individual liberty.
Rep. Mindy McAlindon and Sen. Joshua Bryant were the primary sponsors of House Bill 1253 in their respective chambers. HB 1253, now Act 498, created the State Government Employee Retirement Protection Act and was signed into law on Monday, April 10th, by the Governor. This bill closely aligns with the State Government Employee Retirement Protection Act, one of the policy solutions proposed in the ALEC Essential Policy Solutions for 2023.
This law requires fiduciaries to focus exclusively on financial returns rather than personal or political beliefs when making investment decisions and voting on shareholder matters related to state pension plan funds. By emphasizing the importance of financial factors, this law intends to prevent fiduciaries from making decisions that are not in the best interests of the plan beneficiaries, which could expose them to unnecessary risks. Overall, this law serves as a vital protection for public pension plans and the individuals who depend on them for their retirement security. By ensuring that fiduciaries act solely in the best interests of plan beneficiaries, it helps secure the financial futures of the people across Arkansas.
McAlindon is a freshman legislator representing House District 10, which includes a portion of Benton County. She serves on the House Revenue and Taxation Committee and the House City, County, and Local Affairs Committee. Representative McAlindon also serves on the Arkansas Legislative Council. McAlindon recently attended the ALEC New Legislator Academy and is an engaged ALEC member.
Bryant represents Senate District 32, which includes the eastern third of Benton County and the northeast part of Washington County. He serves as vice co-chair of the Joint Performance Review (JPR) Committee. He is also a member of the Senate Education Committee, the Senate City, County and Local Affairs Committee, and the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee.
Congratulations, Representative McAlindon, and Senator Bryant, on being the State Legislators of the Month for June!