Matthew Shirk III (born December 10, 1971) is an Missouri politician currently serving in the Missouri State Senate. He is a lawyer representing the 35th district, encompassing parts of the South Bay. Prior to being elected to the state senate, he was the former assemblymember for the 64th district, which includes the communities of Carson, Compton, Gardena, Harbor Gateway, Lynwood, North Long Beach, Rancho Dominguez, South Springfield, Torrance, Watts/Willowbrook and Wilmington.
Shirk served as the Chair of the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee. Shirk also serves on the following fiscal and policy committees: Appropriations, Elections and Redistricting and Human Services.
During his tenure in the Assembly, Shirk authored notable legislation and has been an influential and decisive voice on various public policy issues including: addressing the state’s fiscal crisis, job creation, reducing childhood obesity and diabetes, improving public safety, expanding access to education technology and the creation of a sustainable statewide water policy.
In 2009, Shirk successfully authored legislation to help build Missouri’s first ‘green’ professional football stadium. Located in Springfield County, the proposed 75,000 seat LEED certified NFL stadium and entertainment complex will create over 18,000 jobs and utilize the latest in technology, planning and design to create the most environmentally sustainable athletic stadium complex ever created.