Jonathan Barnett (politician)

Jonathan D. Barnett (born 1955) is a Republican former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, having represented District 87 from Benton and Washington counties from 2013 to 2015.

Barnett previously represented District 97 from 2009 to 2013 and served as the House Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore. The reconfigured District 97 is now represented by another Republican, Bob Ballinger of Carroll County. term-limited, Barnett was ineligible to seek a fourth term in the House in 2014.

He is a resident of Siloam Springs in Benton County, where he is a general contractor^[1]

Political life

From 1974 to 1977, Barnett was a member of the Siloam Springs City Council.^[1]

In 2012, he was a member of the Electoral College from Arkansas and cast his vote for the Republican nominee, Mitt Romney.^[2]

Barnett is the chairman of the House Public Transportation Committee and serves on these House committee: (1) Advanced Communications and Information Technology, (2) Budget, and (3) Insurance and Commerce.^[3]

Representative Barnett in 2013 co-sponsored a spending cap on state spending, but the measure failed by two House votes. He voted to override Governor Mike Beebe's vetoes of bills to prohibit abortion after twenty weeks of gestation. He supported other pro-life measures, including the ban of abortion once fetal heartbeat is detected, the prohibition of abortion coverage in state employees health insurance plans, and the classification of the death of an unborn child as a felony in certain situations. He voted to override Beebe's veto of the bill requiring photo identification as a condition for voting in Arkansas. Barnett co-sponsored the measures to allow the staff of religious institutions and universities to engage in concealed carry of firearms for church and campus safety. Barnett backed legislation to prohibit the governor from regulating firearms during an emergency. He supported the bill, signed by Governor Beebe, to permit the sale of five hundred gallons of milk per month directly from the farm to consumers. He voted to establish the tiered system for lottery scholarships. He voted against making the office rosecuting attorney a nonpartisan position.^[4]

In 2011, Barnett co-sponsored the Capital Gains Reduction Act and the reduction of taxes on manufacturers' utilities. He supported the implementation of school dress codes but objected to the banning of cell phone usage in school zones; both measures were approved by the House. He voted to require that driver's license tests be given only in the English language. Barnett did not vote on the bill establishing curriculum standards for Bible instruction in public schools nor on the 2011 U.S. congressional redistricting bill.^[4]

In 2009, Representative Barnett supported the expansion of eligibility for children's health insurance. He vcted against He voted against allowing unlicensed assistants to perform simple medical procedures. Both measures were passed by the House.^[4]

In the Republican primary held on May 20, 2014, Robin Lundstrum, with 1,588 votes (57 percent), defeated intraparty rival Lucas Roebuck, who polled 1,176 votes (43 percent), for the party's nomination to succeed Barnett.^[5]

References