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Created page with "{{Infobox officeholder | name=Billy Dale "Bill" Gossage | image=Bill Gossage of AR.jpg | birth_date=August 30, 1957 | birth_place=Place of birth missing | residence=Ozark, Fr..."
{{Infobox officeholder
| name=Billy Dale "Bill" Gossage
| image=Bill Gossage of AR.jpg
| birth_date=August 30, 1957
| birth_place=Place of birth missing
| residence=Ozark, Franklin County<br>[[Arkansas]], USA
| office=[[Arkansas]] State Representative for District 82
| term_start=2013
| term_end=
| preceded=Lori Benedict
| succeeded=
| party=[[Republican Party|Republican]]
| alma_mater=Arkansas Tech University<br>
[[University of Arkansas]]
| occupation=[[Educator]]
| religion=[[Assemblies of God|Assembly of God]]
| spouse=Latonya D. "Tonya" Gossage
| children=John Jacob Gossage}}
'''Billy Dale Gossage''', known as '''Bill Gossage''' (born August 30, 1957),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mylife.com/bill-gossage/bgossage3222j|title=Bill Gossage (Dale)|publisher=Myllife.com|accessdate=November 24, 2020}}</ref> is an educational administrator from Ozark in Franklin County in northwestern [[Arkansas]], who has been since 2013 a [[Republican Party|Republican]] state representative for District 82, which encompasses parts of Franklin, Crawford, and Madison counties.<ref name=votesmart>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/136717/bill-gossage#.UsrAoZV3sfQ|title=Bill Gossage's Biography|publisher=Project Vote Smart|accessdate=January 6, 2014}}</ref><ref name=gossageofozark/>
==Background==
Gossage graduated in 1979 with dual bachelor's degrees in History and Political Science from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville. In 1991, he received a master's degree in Counseling from the [[University of Arkansas]] at Fayetteville. Since 2001, he has been an assistant superintendent in the Ozark School District. Previously from 1993 to 2001, he was a high school principal and counselor for the Ozark system. From 1981 to 1992, he was a counselor for the County Line School District, also located in Franklin County.<ref name=votesmart/><ref name=gossageofozark/>
He is a member of the [[Assemblies of God|Assembly of God]] Church in Paris in Logan County. He is also affiliated with the [[Chamber of Commerce]], [[Gun Owners of America]], the [[National Rifle Association]], the [[Farm Bureau]], and the Arkansas Cattleman's Association.<ref name=votesmart/>
He and his wife, Latonya D. "Tonya" Gossage (born 1966), have a son, John Jacob Gossage (born 1988).<ref name=votesmart/>
==Political life==
In 2012, Gossage was unopposed for the Republican nomination in House District 82. The seat opened when Republican Lori Benedict ran for reelection in reconfigured District 61 but was defeated by the [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] Scott Balz. Gossage himself unseated the previous representative from District 83, the Democrat Leslee Milam Post, 6,804 votes (63.5 percent) to 3,909 (36.5 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ballotpedia.org/Arkansas_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2012|title=District 82|publisher=Ballotpedia.org|accessdate=November 24, 2020}}</ref>
In 2010, Post had been elected by default when the Republican candidate, Thomas Lile "Tom" Fite (born 1944), was disqualified from the ballot by a judge in Pulaski County who declared that Fite's guilty plea in 1984 to [[Medicaid]] fraud constituted an "infamous crime."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://talkbusiness.net/2011/08/charlene-fite-running-for-state-representative-district-80/|title=Charlene Fite Running for State Representative, District 80|date=August 25, 2011|publisher=talbusiness.net|accessdate=January 6, 2014}}</ref>Though Tom Fite's name remained on the ballot, his votes were not counted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ballotpedia.org/Arkansas_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2010|title=District 83|publisher=ballotpedia.org|accessdate=January 6, 2014}}</ref>In 2012, Fite's wife, Republican [[Charlene Fite]], an educator from Van Buren, won in the reconfigured District 80 seat encompassing parts of Crawford and Washington counties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ballotpedia.org/Arkansas_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2012|title=District 80|publisher=Ballotpedia.org|accessdate=November 24, 2020}}</ref>
Gossage serves on these House committees: (1) Advanced Communications and Information Technology, (2) Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs, and (3) Revenue and Taxation.<ref name=gossageofozark>{{cite web|url=http://www.arkansashouse.org/member/342/bill-gossage|title=Bill Gossage, R-82|publisher=arkansashouse.org|accessdate=January 6, 2014}}</ref>
Representative Gossage voted to override the [[veto|vetoes]] of then Democratic [[Governor]] [[Mike Beebe]] to enact legislation requiring photo identification for casting a ballot in Arkansas and to ban [[abortion]] after twenty weeks of [[gestation]]; he was a co-sponsor of both of these bills. Gossage supported other [[pro-life]] measures too: to ban abortion whenever fetal heartbeat is detected, to forbid the inclusion of abortion in the state insurance exchange, and to make the death of an unborn child a [[felony]] in certain cases. On [[Second Amendment]] matters, Gossage co-sponsored legislation to allow the concealed carry of firearms on church and university properties and to prevent the governor from regulating firearms in an emergency.<ref name=votingrecords/>
Gossage co-sponsored legislation to amend state income tax rates. He voted for a spending cap on the state budget, but the measure failed by two House votes. He voted to make the office of prosecuting attorney in Arkansas nonpartisan. He voted for the bill, signed by Governor Beebe, to permit the sale of up to five hundred gallons per month of [Louis Pasteur|unpasteurized]] whole milk directly from the farm to consumers. He backed a measure to prohibit the closure of public schools after a two-year enrollment decline, but the measure was defeated on the House floor.<ref name=votingrecords>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/136717/bill-gossage#.UsrLWJV3sfQ|title=Bill Gossage's Voting Records|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=November 24, 2020}}</ref>
Gossage endorsed former [[U.S. Representative]] [[Asa Hutchinson]] for governor in the 2014 Republican primary. Hutchinson went on to win his nomination and then to defeat the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Mike Ross. Hutchinson won a second term in 2018.
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gossage, Bill}}
[[Category:Arkansas]]
[[Category:Educators]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Christians]]
| name=Billy Dale "Bill" Gossage
| image=Bill Gossage of AR.jpg
| birth_date=August 30, 1957
| birth_place=Place of birth missing
| residence=Ozark, Franklin County<br>[[Arkansas]], USA
| office=[[Arkansas]] State Representative for District 82
| term_start=2013
| term_end=
| preceded=Lori Benedict
| succeeded=
| party=[[Republican Party|Republican]]
| alma_mater=Arkansas Tech University<br>
[[University of Arkansas]]
| occupation=[[Educator]]
| religion=[[Assemblies of God|Assembly of God]]
| spouse=Latonya D. "Tonya" Gossage
| children=John Jacob Gossage}}
'''Billy Dale Gossage''', known as '''Bill Gossage''' (born August 30, 1957),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mylife.com/bill-gossage/bgossage3222j|title=Bill Gossage (Dale)|publisher=Myllife.com|accessdate=November 24, 2020}}</ref> is an educational administrator from Ozark in Franklin County in northwestern [[Arkansas]], who has been since 2013 a [[Republican Party|Republican]] state representative for District 82, which encompasses parts of Franklin, Crawford, and Madison counties.<ref name=votesmart>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/136717/bill-gossage#.UsrAoZV3sfQ|title=Bill Gossage's Biography|publisher=Project Vote Smart|accessdate=January 6, 2014}}</ref><ref name=gossageofozark/>
==Background==
Gossage graduated in 1979 with dual bachelor's degrees in History and Political Science from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville. In 1991, he received a master's degree in Counseling from the [[University of Arkansas]] at Fayetteville. Since 2001, he has been an assistant superintendent in the Ozark School District. Previously from 1993 to 2001, he was a high school principal and counselor for the Ozark system. From 1981 to 1992, he was a counselor for the County Line School District, also located in Franklin County.<ref name=votesmart/><ref name=gossageofozark/>
He is a member of the [[Assemblies of God|Assembly of God]] Church in Paris in Logan County. He is also affiliated with the [[Chamber of Commerce]], [[Gun Owners of America]], the [[National Rifle Association]], the [[Farm Bureau]], and the Arkansas Cattleman's Association.<ref name=votesmart/>
He and his wife, Latonya D. "Tonya" Gossage (born 1966), have a son, John Jacob Gossage (born 1988).<ref name=votesmart/>
==Political life==
In 2012, Gossage was unopposed for the Republican nomination in House District 82. The seat opened when Republican Lori Benedict ran for reelection in reconfigured District 61 but was defeated by the [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] Scott Balz. Gossage himself unseated the previous representative from District 83, the Democrat Leslee Milam Post, 6,804 votes (63.5 percent) to 3,909 (36.5 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ballotpedia.org/Arkansas_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2012|title=District 82|publisher=Ballotpedia.org|accessdate=November 24, 2020}}</ref>
In 2010, Post had been elected by default when the Republican candidate, Thomas Lile "Tom" Fite (born 1944), was disqualified from the ballot by a judge in Pulaski County who declared that Fite's guilty plea in 1984 to [[Medicaid]] fraud constituted an "infamous crime."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://talkbusiness.net/2011/08/charlene-fite-running-for-state-representative-district-80/|title=Charlene Fite Running for State Representative, District 80|date=August 25, 2011|publisher=talbusiness.net|accessdate=January 6, 2014}}</ref>Though Tom Fite's name remained on the ballot, his votes were not counted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ballotpedia.org/Arkansas_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2010|title=District 83|publisher=ballotpedia.org|accessdate=January 6, 2014}}</ref>In 2012, Fite's wife, Republican [[Charlene Fite]], an educator from Van Buren, won in the reconfigured District 80 seat encompassing parts of Crawford and Washington counties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ballotpedia.org/Arkansas_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2012|title=District 80|publisher=Ballotpedia.org|accessdate=November 24, 2020}}</ref>
Gossage serves on these House committees: (1) Advanced Communications and Information Technology, (2) Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs, and (3) Revenue and Taxation.<ref name=gossageofozark>{{cite web|url=http://www.arkansashouse.org/member/342/bill-gossage|title=Bill Gossage, R-82|publisher=arkansashouse.org|accessdate=January 6, 2014}}</ref>
Representative Gossage voted to override the [[veto|vetoes]] of then Democratic [[Governor]] [[Mike Beebe]] to enact legislation requiring photo identification for casting a ballot in Arkansas and to ban [[abortion]] after twenty weeks of [[gestation]]; he was a co-sponsor of both of these bills. Gossage supported other [[pro-life]] measures too: to ban abortion whenever fetal heartbeat is detected, to forbid the inclusion of abortion in the state insurance exchange, and to make the death of an unborn child a [[felony]] in certain cases. On [[Second Amendment]] matters, Gossage co-sponsored legislation to allow the concealed carry of firearms on church and university properties and to prevent the governor from regulating firearms in an emergency.<ref name=votingrecords/>
Gossage co-sponsored legislation to amend state income tax rates. He voted for a spending cap on the state budget, but the measure failed by two House votes. He voted to make the office of prosecuting attorney in Arkansas nonpartisan. He voted for the bill, signed by Governor Beebe, to permit the sale of up to five hundred gallons per month of [Louis Pasteur|unpasteurized]] whole milk directly from the farm to consumers. He backed a measure to prohibit the closure of public schools after a two-year enrollment decline, but the measure was defeated on the House floor.<ref name=votingrecords>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/136717/bill-gossage#.UsrLWJV3sfQ|title=Bill Gossage's Voting Records|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=November 24, 2020}}</ref>
Gossage endorsed former [[U.S. Representative]] [[Asa Hutchinson]] for governor in the 2014 Republican primary. Hutchinson went on to win his nomination and then to defeat the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Mike Ross. Hutchinson won a second term in 2018.
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gossage, Bill}}
[[Category:Arkansas]]
[[Category:Educators]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Christians]]