Melissa Thomas "Missy" Irvin is a Republican member of the Arkansas State Senate, representing District 18. She was first elected to the chamber in 2010. She served as Assistant President Pro Tempore for the 1st District from 2013 to 2014. Irvin is running for re-election in the primary on May 22, 2018. The general election will take place on November 6, 2018.
Irvin was born on February 12, 1971. She earned her High School Diploma from Mount Saint Mary Academy in 1989 and her B.A. in dance, political science, and communications from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in 1993. Her professional experience includes working in advertising and marketing for Tipton and Hurst, Inc., as marketing director for Stone County Ironworks, in sales and marketing for Calico Rock Ironworks, as director of dance/adjunct professor of dance at Hendrix College of Conway, Arkansas, and as director of marketing for Irvin-Dibrell Clinic from 2003 to 2010.
Irvin was a volunteer for Ronald Reagan for President in 1980. She also volunteered for Sheffield Nelson for Governor in 1989. In 1994, she was special events director/assistance finance director for Sheffield Nelson for Governor. She then served as primary campaign manager for Bob Thomas for Congress in 2000.
Former Member, Arkansas Lottery Commission Joint Legislative Oversight Committee, Arkansas State Senate
Former Member, Boys State Joint Committee, Arkansas State Senate
Former Member, Children and Youth Committee, Arkansas State Senate
Former Chair, City, County, and Local Affairs Committee, Arkansas State Senate
Former Member, Efficiency Committee, Arkansas State Senate
Former Member, Hospital and Medicaid Joint Study Subcommittee, Arkansas State Senate
Former Chair, Joint Performance Review Committee, Arkansas State Senate
Former Member, Joint Subcommittee on Electronic Filing Systems for Campaign and Finance Reports, Arkansas State Senate
Former Member, Joint Subcommittee on Policy Making, Arkansas State Senate
Former Member, State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee, Arkansas State Senate
Former Member, Subcommittee on Claims (Budget), Arkansas State Senate
Former Member, Subcommittee on PEER, Arkansas State Senate
Former Member, Subcommittee on Review, Arkansas State Senate
Member, Arkansas Legislative Council
Member, Efficiency Committee
Member, Insurance and Commerce Committee
Vice Chair, Joint Budget Committee
Member, Joint Committee on Performance Review
Member, Joint Subcommittee on Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace Oversight
Vice Chair, Joint Subcommittee on Claims Review
Co-Chair, Joint Subcommittee on Occupational Licensing Review
Member, Joint Subcommittee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) (Arkansas Legislative Council)
Member, Joint Subcommittee on Review
Chair, Joint Subcommittee on Special Language
Chair, Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee
Member, Subcommittee on Administrative Rules
Chair, Subcommittee on Health Services
1. Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life?
- Pro-life
2. Should abortion be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy?
- No
3. Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape?
- No
4. Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered?
- Yes
5. Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- Yes
6. Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- Yes
7. Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods?
- Yes
8. Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs?
- Yes
9. Other or expanded principles
- I believe God blesses each human life.
1. Education (higher)
- Maintain Status
2. Education (K-12)
- Maintain Status
3. Environment
- Slightly Decrease
4. Health care
- Slightly Increase
5. Law enforcement
- Maintain Status
6. Transportation and highway infrastructure
- Slightly Increase
7. Welfare
- Slightly Decrease
8. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status
2. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status
3. Corporate taxes
- Greatly Decrease
4. Gasoline taxes
- Slightly Decrease
5. Sales taxes
- Slightly Decrease
6. Sales taxes (grocery)
- Slightly Decrease
7. Income taxes (low-income families)
- Maintain Status
8. Income taxes (middle-income families)
- Slightly Decrease
9. Income taxes (high-income families)
- Slightly Decrease
10. Property taxes
- Slightly Decrease
11. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
1. Establishing a "rainy day" fund
- Yes
2. Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders
- No Answer
3. Increasing tuition rates at public universities
- No
4. Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees
- Yes
5. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
- No
6. Privatizing certain government services
- Yes
7. Other or expanded principles
- a) So long as it is to be set aside and used for reaching a balanced budget.
Create incentives for agencies to reduce costs and spending and for lowering their requested budgets.
1. Individual
- No
2. Political Action Committee
- No
3. Corporate
- No
4. Political Party
- No
5. Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?
- Yes
6. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes
7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- Yes
2. Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment?
- Yes
3. Do you support building more state prisons in Arkansas?
- No Answer
4. Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized?
- No
5. Should minors accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as adults?
- No
6. Should minors who send sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges?
- No
7. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- Yes
8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
- Yes
2. Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
- Yes
3. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- No
4. Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes
5. Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes
6. Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure?
- No
7. Other or expanded principles
- I support increased work requirements for able-bodied welfare recepients.
1. Do you support national education standards?
- Yes
2. Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams?
- Yes
3. Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers?
- Yes
4. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- No Answer
5. Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid?
- Yes
6. Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Arkansas high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- No
7. Other or expanded principles
- We must maintain high standards and reward good teachers who put in extra effort.
1. Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy?
- Yes
2. Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?
- Yes
3. Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops?
- No Answer
4. Do you support state funding for improvements to Arkansas' energy infrastructure?
- No Answer
5. Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
- No Answer
6. Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change?
- No
7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
- No
2. Do you support requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- No
3. Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns?
- Yes
4. Do you support requiring a license for gun possession?
- No
5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option?
- No
2. Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform?
- Yes
3. Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
- Yes
4. Should individuals be required to purchase health care insurance?
- No
5. Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
- Yes
6. Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Arkansas?
- No
7. Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
- No
8. Do you support increasing Arkansas' tax on alcohol to expand substance abuse programs?
- Yes
9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Should marriage only be between one man and one woman?
- Yes
2. Should Arkansas allow same-sex couples to form civil unions?
- No
3. Do you support state funding for stem cell research?
- Yes
4. Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research?
- No
5. Do you support the state's use of affirmative action?
- No
6. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Arkansas' anti-discrimination laws?
- No
7. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Arkansas' anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes
8. Do you support eliminating the state lottery?
- Yes
9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- No Answer
Type: resolution Chamber: upper
Type: resolution Chamber: upper
Type: bill Chamber: upper