Arkansas’ House speaker says he’s seeking the removal of a lawmaker who pleaded no contest to not paying state income taxes.
Speaker Matthew Shepherd said Friday he’s filing a resolution to remove fellow Republican Rep. Mickey Gates.
Gates was arrested last year and charged with not filing returns from 2012 through 2017. In July, he entered the plea in Garland County Court to one count of not filing or paying income taxes.
Removing Gates will require two-thirds of the vote. Shepherd says a date has not been set for the House to take up the resolution.
Shepherd last month said Gates should resign but stopped short of saying whether he would seek the lawmaker’s removal. Gates has said he won’t resign and plans to seek re-election next year.
