RONALD CALDWELL– Ignoring the Republican Platform

RONALD CALDWELL– Ignoring the Republican Platform

Part 7 in the series

Since Conduit focuses on conservative issues and legislators’ voting records, and the Arkansas House and Senate are over 78% Republican, this series of articles highlights Republican incumbents who frequently vote contrary to conservative values and in many instances contrary to the Republican Party of Arkansas Platform.

We are highlighting the record of Senator Ronald Caldwell – (R- Wynne). Before we begin, there are a couple of things we will explain to help you understand the list.

Sometimes a legislator will try to kill a bill without going on record voting “No.” To do this, some walk off the floor to miss the vote or sit quietly without voting. Another tactic used to help kill a bill without voting “No” is to vote “Present.” Not voting or voting “Present” are not neutral actions. Regardless of whether a legislator votes “No”, doesn’t vote, or votes “Present” each action has the same effect of making it harder for the legislation to get enough votes to pass.

When a legislator has an excused absence from the Capital the legislator can still vote on any issue. An absent legislator can vote using a simple procedure called. “Pairing.”  As a common courtesy a Senator who is voting the opposite way will agree to have his or her vote paired with that of the absent legislator.  The absent legislator can see the agenda for the day and select which bills he or she wishes to vote on through pairing.

Since pairing is available, we do not make a distinction between being present and not voting versus being absent and not voting, however, for clarity we are first listing Senator’s Ivin’s voting record when she recorded herself as present for the day. Then we list bills she failed to vote on with “pairing” when absent.

SENATOR RONALD CALDWELL

Here are some important issues on which Senator Caldwell’s vote or failure to vote conflicts with conservative positions.

CALDWELL RECORD WHEN RECORDED AS PRESENT

Abortion

1. Failed to vote on bill to prohibit abortions after 18 weeks – HB1439 of 2019
2. Failed to vote on bill to increase restrictions on abortion inducing drugs – HB1402 of 2021
3. Failed to vote on bill to increase inspections at abortion facilities – SB463 of 2021
4. Failed to vote on bill to prohibit tax dollars going towards human cloning/embryo destruction – HB1399 of 2019
5. Failed to vote on bill to prevent tax funded grants to planned parenthood – SB818 of 2013

Value of Human Life

6. Voted to put a price tag on human life in lawsuits – SJR8 of 2017

Taxes

7. Voted for Internet Sales Tax Arkansas consumers pay – SB140 of 2017
8. Voted for Gas Tax Increase – SB336 of 2019
9. Voted for $300 million tax increase proposal – HJR1018 of 2019
10. Voted for increase tire tax/fees – HB1162 of 2017
11. Voted for an increase of cell phone fees/taxes – HB1564 of 2019
12. Voted for increase of water bill fees/taxes – HB1737 of 2019

COVID

13. Voted against prohibiting vaccine passports – SB615 of 2021
14. Voted against ending mandatory face masks – SB590 of 2021
15. Voted against legislative oversight on Governor’s emergency declarations – SB379 of 2021

Second Amendment

16. Voted against Stand Your Ground – SB24 of 2021

Education – School Choice

17. Voted against school choice scholarships for children – SB539 OF 2019

Elections

18. Voted against special election reform to prevent tax increases at special elections – SB723 of 2017
19. Voted against absentee voting integrity bill to address promoting election fraud – SB701 of 2021. absentee voting integrity act

Deregulation

20. Voted against requiring repeal of one regulation or every new regulation – SB512 of 2017
21. Voted against prohibiting local governments from banning plastic bags/straws – HB1704 of 2021
22. Did not vote for deregulation and improving access to care – allowing Nurse Practitioners to serve as a primary care provider within Medicaid – HB1254 of 2021
23. Did not vote to allow Nurse Anesthetists practice to the full scope of their training/education – HB1198 of 2021
24. Voted against expansion of telemedicine to phone calls – HB1063 of 2021
25. Voted against allowing a Nurse Practioners to serve as a primary care provider in Medicaid – HB1254 of 2021
26. Voted against a pathway to allow Nurse Practioners practice to the full scope of their education and training – HB1258 of 2021

Access to Government Information

27. Voted against recording all government public meetings – HB1928 of 2019

Other Important Legislation

28. Voted against promoting work in food stamps – HB1512 of 2021
29. Voted against Welfare Program Integrity – SB295 of 2021

WHEN RECORDED ABSENT HE DID NOT USE “PAIRING” TO VOTE ON THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT BILLS

Abortion

30. Bill to prohibiting abortions based on sex of the unborn child – HB1434 of 2017

Constitutional Rights

31. Bill improving free speech on college campuses – SB156 of 2019

Education

32. Bill on school choice scholarships for kids – SB589 of 2019
33. Bill to allow bible courses as elections in schools – HB1626 of 2019

PRINCIPLES AND PLATFORM OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARKANSAS

Below are statements from the platform of the Republican Party of Arkansas. You be the judge to what extent Senator Caldwell’s voting record conflicts with these statements.

Items 1-5: 2^nd Principle of the RPAP “The sanctity of life” and with the platform which says: “Most importantly, we believe all unborn children have a fundamental right to live in order to avail themselves of these equal opportunities.”
Item 6: 2nd Principle of the RPAP – “The sanctity of life”, the 9th Principle of the RPAP – “The equal and just enforcement of the law”, and the 10th Principle of the RPAP – “Separate and equal branches of government”
Items 7-12: 6^th Principle of the RPAP “Lower taxes to produce economic growth” and the Preamble of the RPAP – “We recognize the importance of lower taxes to spur economic growth and to ensure that individuals reap more of the benefits of their hard work.”
Items 13 and 15: conflict with 4th principle of the RPAP – “Individual freedom and liberty secured by a limited government”.
Item 16: The 8^th Principle of the RPAP “The personal right to own and bear arms”
Items 17: The Education Section of the RPAP – “Arkansas’s children deserve a world class education, developed by parents, educators, and leaders accountable to our citizens, regardless of their zip code. This requires openness to every type of education system available: homeschooling, distance learning, public school, private school, charter school, and vocational or technical school.” “Every tool should be given equal consideration and be utilized in a manner that puts the student’s needs above all ‘to secure to the people the advantages and opportunities of education.’”  “Every education decision we make is with the students and parents first in our minds!” “Every opportunity for every family to enroll each child in the school of its choice should be secured by government and offered to Arkansas families. Parents must have the ability to make informed choices regarding the education of their children and should not be restricted by lines on a map or the cost of tuition.” “to become greater players on the global stage, our children must be given the tools to succeed in their chosen fields through education.”
Items 18: 6^th Principle of the RPAP “Lower taxes to produce economic growth” and the Preamble of the RPAP – “We recognize the importance of lower taxes to spur economic growth and to ensure that individuals reap more of the benefits of their hard work.”
Item 19: The platform says: “Honest elections are the foundation of our republican form of limited government, and we strongly applaud every effort Arkansas Republicans have previously taken to ensure our ballot is protected and that access is guaranteed for all authorized voters, including the elderly, the military, and young voters.”
Items 20-26: The 4^th Principle of the RPAP – “Individual freedom and liberty secured by a limited government”, the Preamble of the RPAP – “We are created equally with individual freedoms and liberties that, through our own exercise of individual responsibility and initiative, can result in great outcomes independent of government.”, and the Economic Prosperity and Job Growth Section of the RPAP – “In order to continue moving forward in our economic recovery, businesses in Arkansas need to operate freely from overly burdensome regulation and over-taxation.”
Item 27: The Preamble of the RPAP – “Regnat Populus, the People Rule” and with the Government Reform Section of the RPAP – “We firmly support transparency and openness at every level of government. Those elected, appointed, and employed in government work for the taxpayers of this state and must provide public information when requested . . .”
Items 28-29: 3rd Principle – “Individual responsibility and initiative” Governmental Reform Section says: “We believe in strong legislative oversight of state government spending and support continued openness and transparency in the spending of appropriated money.”
Items 30: 2^nd Principle of the RPAP “The sanctity of life” and with the platform which says: “Most importantly, we believe all unborn children have a fundamental right to live in order to avail themselves of these equal opportunities.”
Item 31: The Government Reform Section of the RPAP says: “We are opposed to any restrictions that would discourage Arkansans from fully exercising their First Amendment rights, or limit their commitment to their beliefs”, and “We further oppose any state or federal efforts to impair Arkansans’ free speech rights guaranteed in the Constitution and upheld by the Supreme Court.”
Items 32: The Education Section of the RPAP – “Arkansas’s children deserve a world class education, developed by parents, educators, and leaders accountable to our citizens, regardless of their zip code. This requires openness to every type of education system available: homeschooling, distance learning, public school, private school, charter school, and vocational or technical school.” “Every tool should be given equal consideration and be utilized in a manner that puts the student’s needs above all ‘to secure to the people the advantages and opportunities of education.’”  “Every education decision we make is with the students and parents first in our minds!” “Every opportunity for every family to enroll each child in the school of its choice should be secured by government and offered to Arkansas families. Parents must have the ability to make informed choices regarding the education of their children and should not be restricted by lines on a map or the cost of tuition.” “to become greater players on the global stage, our children must be given the tools to succeed in their chosen fields through education.”
Item 33: The 1^st Principle of the RPAP: “The power of faith in God Almighty”

POOR SCORE ON ECONOMIC FREEDOM FILTER

Conduit for Commerce scores the votes of legislators based on Conduit’s Economic Freedom Filter.  The Economic Freedom Filter analyzes bills that do the following:

• Increase or decrease the size and scope of government
• Increase or decrease dependency on government
• Spend money we do not have
• Increase or decrease transparency in government

Senator Caldwell scored poorly on the Conduit for Commerce Scorecards. In 2021 he compared much worse among Senators than the two previous sessions. Below is a breakdown on his showings on the scorecard, released after each regular legislative session.

2022 REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

The Republican primary is May 24, 2022 and candidate filing ends March 1.