Weekly Update 6-19-2015

The House has launched an improved feature on our website designed to help Arkansans locate their representative, find contact information and learn more about the House districts in our state.

     

Our website has always featured a “Find Your Rep” search tool at the top of the page.  Now we have improved that function significantly to show you your representative, his or her picture and contact information, and maps that allow you to explore the district using satellite imagery and street views.

Each of us represent roughly 30,000 constituents.  But have you ever wondered exactly where those boundary lines are drawn across the state?

Redistricting is required by law once every 10 years after the Federal Census. Census data typically shows some areas of the state gain in population density while others decline.  As a result districts that gain in population density shrink their geographic boundaries. The redistricting process was last completed in 2011.  New boundaries will be studied in 2020.

Our web developers took Arkansas’s current 100 districts and combined those borders with Google map technology.  The outcome is one that is not only can assist Arkansans in locating their representative, but one that can lead to better understanding of the geography of Arkansas.

     

The search tool allows you to put in an address or even a popular destination.  For example if you want to know which representative to contact about an issue at a state park or a university, simply enter the name of the facility in the search bar and the district and representative information will be brought up in just seconds.

The most important step in letting your voice be heard is knowing exactly who you should be speaking to.  That is why we devoted resources to ensure that finding your representative is convenient.  

       

We hope you make use of this new feature and look forward to hearing your feedback.

Arkansas is Still Missing Morgan

Morgan Nick at age 27 in an aged progressed image. 

Many gathered on the steps of the Capitol last week as a new campaign was announced to find more leads in the now 20 year kidnapping case of Morgan Nick.

     A new age progression photo created by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children shows what Morgan Nick might look like today, two decades after her abduction from a Little League baseball field in Alma, Arkansas.  And for the first time ever, the two children who were with Morgan that day speak out in a new video produced by NCMEC. 

Another new element in the search for Morgan includes a statewide billboard campaign in Arkansas.  The billboards feature the new age-progressed photo of Morgan and ask anyone who may have information to call NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

     Morgan’s case is not the only active missing person’s case in Arkansas.  The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has a list of 20 Arkansans who have disappeared.

The Arkansas State Police serves as the coordinating law enforcement agency in Arkansas to alert the public of missing or abducted children. Known as the Morgan Nick Amber Alert System, the Arkansas State Police was one of the first law enforcement agencies in the country to model a statewide notification system based on the local Amber Alerts used in many large U.S. cities.  You can sign up for email notifications on their website.  They will soon feature text notifications.

The dome of the Capitol will be lit pink throughout this month of June to remind Arkansans that the Morgan Nick case is still ongoing.  We have posted link to the age progression photo of Morgan and information about all missing persons cases in Arkansas on our website www.arkansashouse.org. 

Do you recognize this man? He was last known to be seen talking to Morgan Nick in Alma, Arkansas on June 9th, 1995.

If you see him call 911.