Senator Bart Hester: Well, every member in this room has been touched by Linda Chesterfield. I can tell you the amount of times that I, as a freshman, decided to challenge her on parliamentary procedure and lost and now enjoy watching freshmen challenge her has been a fun time. But Linda is one of the best among us. She cares deeply.

Senator Linda Chesterfield: Each one of you represents unique individuals, but the totality of the state of Arkansas depends on you to do the right thing each and every day. We don't do it the same way. We don't say it the same way. But I not only believe in each of you, I believe in the institution of the General Assembly, both the House and the Senate. And it has been my honor to serve in both. We must protect the institution because it will be here much longer than any of us.

I've tried to make sure that the relationships that I have developed over the years were not partisan, but personal. Relationships matter down here. Relationships matter because there are going to be times when you are going to get somebody's assistance just because of the relationship. And people don't understand it. But Mary Bentley and I have been friends for years and years now, and here we are, polar opposites on many things, but not friendship. And I say that to you because so many of you indulge in partisanship. You don't have the opportunity then to say to somebody, Let's go have a talk. How are you doing? How's your family? Little things like that matter.

So many times we come down here and people throw themselves at us because of what we do and not because of who we are. Never forget family.

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Representative Jeff Wardlaw: Members, a second part of this is this is also the last meeting that Speaker Shepherd will preside over the House, and we must honor him as well. And I might get emotional on this one. I can't tell you how big of an honor it's been to serve under you.

Representative Matthew Shepherd: Certainly, as I've said many times, when I first came to the House 14 years ago, I never would have thought that I would ever be the Speaker of the House, never set out to be the longest serving speaker. But that's just the way things developed. And I can say that it's been a great professional honor. And I know that all the things that we've gone through and every one of you has has been a part of that process, whether it was Covid or some of the political challenges we've had through the years. I'm really pleased with how we've conducted ourselves.