PRIORITIES
Whether you are a Veteran returning home from serving your country abroad or a child in need of assistance to thrive in our community, Tara Shephard is there for you. Learn more about her priorities below.
Veterans
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My dad, Lloyd Shephard Sr., served 3 tours in Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s my war hero. Nothing in life has made me prouder than seeing my dad in uniform. And nothing in life has made me sadder than not knowing if he would return home from war.
As a legislator, I will work tirelessly for those that are and have served our country. Ensuring they receive the proper physical and mental health care that they deserve. Our country would not be the great nation that it is without brave men and women, such as my dad, protecting us. Many have paid the ultimate price. It will be a top priority of mine as a legislator to assist in developing policies and passing key legislation to support those that have for so long selflessly kept so many of us safe.
Children
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As a result, children in Arkansas need a lot of support and in many instances, beyond what the immediate family can provide. As a State Representative, my goal is to be their most vocal advocate! The wellbeing of children should be a top priority for our state.
In partnership with the University of Arkansas Race and Ethnicity Institute and the Arkansas Minority Health Commission, in 2018, I released a report, In Their Voices – Adverse Childhood Experiences for Black Girls. This was a result of years of working with girls in their communities. There were 5 action steps identified. Those being, universal screenings, proactive public policy, trauma informed schools, coalition building and advocacy.
As a State Representative, proactive public policy will be able a top priority for me. Often times the solution to a problem is known, but because the implementation of that solution is not required, the problem continues to fester. As such, a strong focus on the passage of legislation to improve the coordination, prevention and response to childhood trauma is needed.
Current research reveals that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially the greatest public health threat today. I am convinced that as a community, it is our duty to eliminate these threats. Children need us. They depend on us.
In addition, I will take on the issue of our public schools ensuring that all students are reading at grade level regardless of where they are in the state. Currently, there are more students in Arkansas’ public school system that are not reading at grade level than there are those that are. This is a statewide unaddressed emergency. According to the most recent data, only 36% of children are reading ready.
As a former board director of the Little Rock School District, I’m all too familiar with these statistics and they simply do not seem to be getting much better.
Healthcare
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In 2019, my only son was diagnosed with a chronic illness. It has forever and drastically changed our lives. My family, like many other Arkansans, have firsthand experiences in fighting with insurance companies, hospitals and the ever-rising cost of prescriptions.
According to ACHI, in 2020, “Arkansas’s worse-than-average overall performance, related to the state healthcare system, including the number of adults who report poor or fair health, hospital 30-day mortality rates (i.e., death within 30 days following hospital discharge), and the number of children without a medical and dental preventive care visit, are all measures for which Arkansas is ranked last among states.
Measures for which the state’s performance worsened the most included the number of adults without all recommended vaccines and the number of adults with any mental illness reporting unmet need”. The ability to have and receive quality, compassionate healthcare is a right for all Arkansans.
Criminal Justice Reform
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In 2020, I traveled to the Pentagon and audited the United States Army Correctional Command. These experiences afforded me the opportunity to have firsthand knowledge regarding how dysfunctional our criminal justice system is.
Arkansas, particularly, has an ever growing prison population and continues to incarcerate low-level, victimless offenses. This practice can simply not be sustained. It is a strain on taxpayers and hurts individuals, families and communities. According to a 2021 Prison Policy Initiative study, Arkansas ranks near the top of other states and countries in the percentage of people in prisons. Funding to maintain this is the 2nd highest expense in the state’s budget. Financial resources that could be better used by investing more in local institutions. Through smart legislation, we can end mass incarceration in Arkansas.
WHY TARA?
Tara Shephard has worked to protect our children from opioid addiction, defend public education at every step, and serve our community in Little Rock.
Since being elected, she has:
Sponsored and passed lifesaving legislation, like The Naloxone Bill.
Helped Our Children Thrive with Free School Breakfast.
Protected our mothers with postpartum healthcare.
Advocated relentlessly for our Veterans.