Karilyn Brown

Karilyn Mae Boggan Peterson Brown (born September 19, 1947), is a technical writer from Sherwood, Arkansas, who is a Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for District 41 in a portion of Pulaski County outside the capital city of Little Rock.

Karilyn Mae Boggan Brown
Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 41st district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2015
Preceded by	Jim Nickels
Personal details
Born	September 19, 1947 Cape Girardeau, Missouri, USA
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Lawrence Brown
Children	William C. Peterson
Residence	Sherwood, Pulaski County, Arkansas
Alma mater	University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Occupation	Technical writer

Brown was elected to her third legislative term in the general election held on November 6, 2018. With 6,337 votes (53.9 percent), she defeated Democrat Jonathan Crossley, who polled 5,418 votes (46.1 percent).[1]

Background

Brown is a native of Cape Girardeau in southeastern Missouri.[2] At the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, she majored in technical writing and received both Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees. She is a member of the Lutheran Church. She is married to Lawrence Brown and has a son, William C. Peterson (born c. 1974), from a previous marriage. One of her avocations is gardening.[3]

Political life

A former justice of the peace for District 12 in Pulaski County, Brown in 2014 won the District 41 House seat vacated by the term-limited Democrat Jim Nickels, an attorney from Sherwood. Brown vowed if elected to take her "conservative approach to the state capitol."[4]

In the May 20 Republican primary, Brown defeated her intra-party rival, Alan Lewis Pogue (born c. 1957), also of Sherwood, 1,285 votes (58 percent) to 931 (42 percent).[5] In 2012, Pogue had narrowly lost, with 6,192 votes (48 percent), the general election as the Republican nominee against Jim Nickels, who polled 6,700 votes (52 percent).[6]

In the general election held on November 4, 2014, a heavily Republican year in Arkansas, Brown defeated the Democratic nominee, Danny D. Knight (born c. 1944), also from Sherwood, 6,100 votes (56.8 percent) to 4,645 (44.2 percent).[5]

Brown is assigned to these House committees: (1) Public Transportation, (2) Aging, Children & Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs, and (3) Insurance and Commerce.[3]

In February 2015, Brown joined dozens of her fellow Republicans and two Democrats in co-sponsoring legislation submitted by Representative Lane Jean of Magnolia, to reduce unemployment compensation benefits. The measure was promptly signed into law by Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson.[7]

That same month, Brown was co-sponsor of House Bill 1228, authored by Republican Bob Ballinger of Carroll County in northwestern Arkansas.[8] The measure sought to prohibit government from imposing a burden on the free exercise of religion.[9] Brown's colleague, Representative Camille Bennett, a Democrat from Lonoke, called for a reworking of the legislation[10] on the theory that the bill would establish a "type of religious litmus test" which could impact nearly any law under consideration by the legislature.[8] The legislation was subsequently passed by a large margin in the House and signed into law in revised form, SB 975, by Governor Hutchinson.[11]

References

1. "Election Returns: Arkansas House of Representatives". Bing.com. November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
2. "Karilyn Brown's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
3. "Karilyn Brown". arkansashouse.org. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
4. "Justice of the Peace Karilyn Brown Announces for State Representative: "I want to take my conservative approach to the State Capitol."". karilynbrown.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
5. "District 41". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
6. "Arkansas State General Election November 6, 2012: State Representative District 41". Little Rock, Arkansas: Secretary of State of Arkansas. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
7. "HB 1489 - Reduces Unemployment Benefits - Key Vote". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
8. "Opponents of Religious Freedom Bill Point Out Law Differences, Possible Unintended Consequences". Little Rock, Arkansas: Fox Channel 16. April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
9. "HB 1228". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
10. "Indiana, Arkansas try to stem religious objections uproar". Atlantic Broadband. April 3, 2015. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
11. "Gov. Hutchinson signs revised religious freedom bill; HB 1228 recalled". Little Rock: KTHV-TV. April 2, 2015. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.