Andrea Lea

Andrea Christine Lea (born 1957) is the Arkansas State Auditor and a Republican former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Russellville, Arkansas. She was elected state auditor on November 4, 2014, to succeed the Democratic incumbent, Charlie Daniels, who did not seek reelection.

From 2013 to 2015, Lea represented House District 71, which includes Pope County. From 2009to 2013, she represented House District 68, a position formerly held by the term-limited Republican, Robert E. Dale of Dover, also in Pope County. She was fourth in seniority in the state House.

Reared in a military family, Lea has lived in New Hampshire, Hawaii, and Newbury Park in Ventura County, California. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Emergency Administration and Management from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville. She and her husband, Phillip (born 1956), have three children, Kevin Joseph, Andrew James, and Mary Elizabeth Lea. Phillp and Andrea Lea are members, and she is the recording secretary, of the Central Presbyterian Church of Russellville.

Lea is a sailing and biking enthusiast.

Prior to her legislative service, Lea was a member of the Russellville City Council and then a justice of the peace on the Pope County Quorum Court, equivalent to county commission in other states. In 2008, she was elected in House District 68 over Democrat Thomas Roy Akin, also of Russellville, 5,681 (53.1 percent) to 4,634 (43.3 percent). Mary Elaine Boley of the Green Party in Russellville held the remaining 394 ballots (3.7 percent). The seat was vacated by the Republican Michael Lamoureux of Russellville.

Lea was unopposed for a second House term in 2010. In 2012, Lea was switched to House District 71 and again ran without opposition. The previous representative, Democrat Tommy Wren, was transferred to District 62.

Lea was a member of the Arkansas Legislative Council. In her last term in office, she chaired the State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee. She was also assigned to the Energy, Management, Rules, and Revenue & Taxation committees.

Lea was a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The purpose of this council is to promote sample legislation written by corporations. She was the organization's co-state chairperson along with Eddie Joe Williams, also succeeding Michael Lamoureux in that role.

Legislation

In 2013, Lea co-sponsored legislation to require photo identification for casting a ballot in Arkansas and to ban abortion after twenty weeks of gestation. She voted to override the vetoes of Democratic Governor Mike Beebe to enact both measures. She supported or co-sponsored related legislation to ban abortions whenever a fetal heartbeat is detected, to forbid the inclusion of abortion in the state insurance exchange, and to make the death of a fetus a felony in certain cases. She co-sponsored a spending cap in the state budget, but the measure failed to gain approval by two votes in the House. She also co-sponsored amending state income tax rates. Lea voted to allow university officials to carry concealed weapons on college campuses. Similarly, she co-sponsored legislation to permit concealed weapons in religious institutions. She voted to prohibit the governor from regulating firearms in an emergency. She also supported lowering the application fee for obtaining a concealed carry permit. Lea supported legislation to make the office of prosecuting attorney in Arkansas nonpartisan. She supported the bill, signed by Governor Beebe, to permit the sale of up to five hundred gallons per month of unpasteurized whole milk directly from the farm to consumers. She voted against a defeated proposal to prohibit the closure of schools based on declining enrollments over a two-year period.

In 2011, Lea supported a dress code and curriculum standards for biblical instruction in public schools. She supported the Capital Gains Reduction Act and a tax reduction on manufacturers' utilities. She voted to prohibit driver's license tests being administered in any language other than English. She opposed the prohibition of cell phone use in school zones, but the measure passed, 53–41. She supported the congressional redistricting bill, which passed 61–20.

The office of State Auditor is one of Arkansas’ seven constitutional offices. The State Auditor is the general accountant for the state, and is also in charge of the payroll for the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The office is also in charge of the state's unclaimed property program. The office has existed since Arkansas was made a United States territory in 1819. Its duties have changed very little since its inception. Lea is the third woman elected to the office of State Auditor. The first woman elected was Jimmie Lou Fisher. The second woman elected was Julia Hughes Jones. Lea is the first Republican woman elected as State Auditor in Arkansas.

The Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt

The State Auditor's office in Arkansas is in charge of an unclaimed property program. This program is referred to as The Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt. The purpose of this program is to return lost money to their rightful owners. Cash assets and safety deposit box contents are turned over to the State Auditor's office after the institutions holding the property deem it abandoned. According to Lea, in Arkansas, there is $317,000,000 in unclaimed property as of 2017. She stated that, “Reuniting Arkansans with their money is something I take very seriously...We now estimate that 1 in 4 Arkansans has cash to claim in the Treasure Hunt. If you’ve searched in the past, it’s time to search again!”

In January 2019, Lea was elected as the President of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA). This organization is associated with the Association of State Auditors. Its purpose is to create awareness of the importance of unclaimed property as a necessary consumer protection program. Its members represent all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and all of the United States’ territories. After Lea was elected as President of this organization, she stated, “I’m honored to be chosen by my colleagues to represent our organization and work to advance our common interest...I look forward to continuing to share our successes in Arkansas across the country and advocating for increased innovation and streamlining of services. It’s a win for businesses, and a win for consumers.”