By Trey Steimel, State Representative

The 94th General Assembly will convene at noon on Monday, January 9.The House will have 26 new members taking the oath of office and 74 returning members. The longest-serving members will be serving their 7th term in the House. This body will range in age from 27 to 81. There will be 26 women serving in the House. Occupations of members vary widely. There will be 9 farmers, 9attorneys, and 10 members who are either currently teaching or are former educators. The House will have 11 members who work in either real estate or property management. In addition, there will be 4 medical professionals, 6 business owners, and 2 pastors. Other professions of members include engineering, contracting, communications, and information technology. The partisan composition of the House will be 82 Republicans and18 Democrats. The one thing every member has in common is the number of Arkansans they represent. Each House member represents approximately 30,000 Arkansans. Due to redistricting, every district has anew number this year. Changes in boundaries could also mean you have a different representative this year. You can find your representative and his or her contact information by using the “Find My Rep” tool at arkansashouse.org. On Tuesday at 10:30 am, the House and Senate will convene for a Joint Session. On this day, all constitutional officers will be sworn into office and the newly elected Governor will make an address. On Wednesday, committees will begin meeting. More than 80 bills have been pre-filed in the House so far. As the session progresses, we will continue to update you on the legislation moving forward. The House streams all committee meetings and House floor proceedings at arkansashouse.org