Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas House Bill HMR1004 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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3	3	State of Arkansas 1
4	4	95th General Assembly 2
5	5	Regular Session, 2025 HMR 1004 3
6	6	4
7	7	By: Representatives Steele, F. Allen, Barnes, Joey Carr, Clowney, A. Collins, Dalby, Ennett, D. Garner, 5
8	8	Gonzales Worthen, Henley, Holcomb, Hudson, McCullough, McGruder, J. Richardson, T. Shephard, M. 6
9	9	Shepherd, Steimel, Warren, Wing 7
10	10	8
11	11	9
12	12	HOUSE MEMORIAL RESOLUTION 10
13	13	IN RESPECTFUL MEMORY OF FORMER ARKANSAS ATTORNEY 11
14	14	GENERAL, UNITED STATES CONGRESSMAN, AND FORTY -THIRD 12
15	15	GOVERNOR OF ARKANSAS JAMES "JIM" GUY TUCKER FOR HIS 13
16	16	SERVICE TO THE NATION AND TO THE STATE OF ARKANSAS. 14
17	17	15
18	18	16
19	19	Subtitle 17
20	20	IN RESPECTFUL MEMORY OF FORMER ARKANSAS 18
21	21	ATTORNEY GENERAL, UNITED STATES 19
22	22	CONGRESSMAN, AND FORTY -THIRD GOVERNOR OF 20
23	23	ARKANSAS JAMES "JIM" GUY TUCKER FOR HIS 21
24	24	SERVICE TO THE NATION AND TO THE STATE 22
25	25	OF ARKANSAS. 23
26	26	24
27	27	WHEREAS, former Arkansas Attorney General, United States Congressman, 25
28	28	and forty-third Governor of Arkansas James "Jim" Guy Tucker, formerly of 26
29	29	Little Rock, passed away Thursday, February 13, 2025, at the age of eighty -27
30	30	one (81); and 28
31	31	29
32	32	WHEREAS, former Governor Tucker was born June 13, 1943, in Oklahoma 30
33	33	City, Oklahoma, as one (1) of three (3) children, and in 1945 the family 31
34	34	moved back to Arkansas where his parents had been born; and 32
35	35	33
36	36	WHEREAS, former Governor Tucker was raised in a modest brick home on 34
37	37	Stonewall Road in Little Rock in a neighborhood today known as the Heights, 35
38	38	and where Tucker once recalled having seen horses and buggies tethered to a 36 HMR1004
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41	41	"hitchin' rail" in front of the local hardware store; and 1
42	42	2
43	43	WHEREAS, former Governor Tucker's paternal grandfather was the city 3
44	44	marshal in El Dorado, his maternal grandfather was the White County Judge, 4
45	45	and his father was a World War I veteran and an Arkansas state auditor and 5
46	46	later manager of the state's Social Security system, and his mother was a 6
47	47	college graduate who owned Merle Norman Cosmetics studios in central Arkansas 7
48	48	in order to pay for her son's college education; and 8
49	49	9
50	50	WHEREAS, other formative experiences for former Governor Tucker 10
51	51	included becoming an Eagle Scout, learning to play guitar, being a pole 11
52	52	vaulter and a football player, and becoming involved in student affairs; and 12
53	53	13
54	54	WHEREAS, former Governor Tucker was awoken from sleep on the night of 14
55	55	March 31, 1960, when a B -47 bomber exploded in the air over Little Rock, 15
56	56	killing three (3) crew members in addition to two (2) fatalities on the 16
57	57	ground as the wreckage landed in the Hillcrest neighborhood, and this made a 17
58	58	deep impression on the teenaged Tucker; and 18
59	59	19
60	60	WHEREAS, former Governor Tucker attended Harvard University in Boston, 20
61	61	Massachusetts, beginning in the autumn of 1961, a time during which Tucker 21
62	62	was also diagnosed with the ulcerative colitis that would, years later, lead 22
63	63	to colon cancer and the need for a liver transplant; and 23
64	64	24
65	65	WHEREAS, during the summer of 1963, former Governor Tucker worked for 25
66	66	United States Senator John McClellan in Washington, D.C., and that summer 26
67	67	Tucker met United States Attorney General Robert Kennedy and watched the 27
68	68	Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., give his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on 28
69	69	the steps of the Lincoln Memorial; and 29
70	70	30
71	71	WHEREAS, former Governor Tucker graduated in the spring of 1964 from 31
72	72	Harvard University with a bachelor's degree in government, then immediately 32
73	73	joined the United States Marines, but he was discharged within three (3) 33
74	74	months because of his increasingly serious health issues, so Tucker turned 34
75	75	his focus to helping former Governor Winthrop "Win" Rockefeller during 35
76	76	Rockefeller's campaign for governor; and 36 HMR1004
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79	79	1
80	80	WHEREAS, in 1965 and 1967, former Governor Tucker went to Vietnam to 2
81	81	cover the war as a journalist, corresponding with ABC News and several 3
82	82	Arkansas newspapers, including the Arkansas Democrat; and 4
83	83	5
84	84	WHEREAS, in 1968, former Governor Tucker graduated from the University 6
85	85	of Arkansas at Fayetteville School of Law, having earned his Juris Doctorate 7
86	86	while taking some time to teach at American University in Beirut, and he then 8
87	87	went to work for the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock; and 9
88	88	10
89	89	WHEREAS, in March 1970, former Governor Tucker went undercover for 11
90	90	thirty-six (36) hours as a prisoner at the Cummins Unit at the request of the 12
91	91	Chair of the Board of Corrections and successfully uncovered elements of the 13
92	92	corruption that was rumored to exist there at that time; and 14
93	93	15
94	94	WHEREAS, later in 1970, former Governor Tucker won the office of 16
95	95	prosecuting attorney for Pulaski and Perry counties; and 17
96	96	18
97	97	WHEREAS, in 1972, former Governor Tucker was elected to the office of 19
98	98	Attorney General of Arkansas, where he formed a commission to create 20
99	99	Arkansas's criminal law; and 21
100	100	22
101	101	WHEREAS, in 1972, former Governor Tucker met teacher Betty Allen 23
102	102	Alworth, married her in 1975, and treated her two (2) children "as his own 24
103	103	children right from the get -go" according to his stepson, and he had two (2) 25
104	104	more children with Alworth; and 26
105	105	27
106	106	WHEREAS, in 1976, former Governor Tucker was elected to the United 28
107	107	States Congress and was appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee, the 29
108	108	Social Security Subcommittee, and a special task force on welfare reform; and 30
109	109	31
110	110	WHEREAS, former Governor Tucker returned to private practice in 1979 32
111	111	before running for Governor of Arkansas in 1982, losing to his personal 33
112	112	friend and political rival William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton; and 34
113	113	35
114	114	WHEREAS, in 1990, former Governor Tucker was elected Lieutenant 36 HMR1004
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117	117	Governor, and then became acting Governor in 1991 as then -Governor William 1
118	118	Jefferson "Bill" Clinton began his ultimately successful campaign to become 2
119	119	President of the United States; and 3
120	120	4
121	121	WHEREAS, while former Governor Tucker was in office as Governor of the 5
122	122	State of Arkansas, he worked diligently to improve Arkansas's prison system, 6
123	123	signed into law the Arkansas Civil Rights Act of 1993, and sought to increase 7
124	124	money for education without raising taxes; and 8
125	125	9
126	126	WHEREAS, former Governor Tucker was reelected as Governor in 1994, and 10
127	127	Tucker eventually stepped down as Governor; and 11
128	128	12
129	129	WHEREAS, former Governor Michael Dale "Mike" Huckabee became Governor 13
130	130	after former Governor Tucker stepped down, and Huckabee said of Tucker, "I 14
131	131	will remember that we worked together when it was best for the state. . . I 15
132	132	had great respect for his overcoming many health challenges so he could 16
133	133	continue to serve the state he truly loved"; and 17
134	134	18
135	135	WHEREAS, former President of the United States William Jefferson "Bill" 19
136	136	Clinton said of former Governor Tucker, "Jim Guy was a good and honorable man 20
137	137	and a good citizen who bore life's setbacks, including his health challenges, 21
138	138	with dignity and determination"; and 22
139	139	23
140	140	WHEREAS, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said of former Governor 24
141	141	Tucker, "Jim Guy was part of a generation of larger -than-life Arkansans who 25
142	142	dominated Arkansas's political life when I was growing up and had an 26
143	143	immeasurable impact on our state"; and 27
144	144	28
145	145	WHEREAS, Representative Tracy Steele worked on former Governor Tucker's 29
146	146	staff, and Representative Steele described former Governor Tucker as "a good 30
147	147	man to work for"; and 31
148	148	32
149	149	WHEREAS, former Governor Tucker was known for his charisma and 33
150	150	intelligence, both of which enabled him to work well with both parties during 34
151	151	his many years of service as a political leader; and 35
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155	155	WHEREAS, while former Governor Tucker was committed to improving the 1
156	156	lives of all Arkansans, he was also well -known for being a devoted father, 2
157	157	grandfather, mentor, and friend; and 3
158	158	4
159	159	WHEREAS, former Governor Tucker is survived by his wife, Betty Allen 5
160	160	Tucker, stepson Lance Alworth, Jr., stepdaughter Kelly Driscoll, and 6
161	161	daughters Anna Ashton and Sarah Tucker, 7
162	162	8
163	163	NOW THEREFORE, 9
164	164	BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY -FIFTH GENERAL 10
165	165	ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 11
166	166	12
167	167	THAT the House of Representatives remember former Arkansas Attorney 13
168	168	General, United States Congressman, and forty -third Governor of Arkansas 14
169	169	James "Jim" Guy Tucker for his service to the nation and to the State of 15
170	170	Arkansas. 16
171	171	17
172	172	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT upon adoption, a copy of this resolution be 18
173	173	presented to the family of former Governor James "Jim" Guy Tucker by the 19
174	174	Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives. 20
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