REP. KEITH SLAPE – Ignoring the Republican Platform
Pt 12 of the series
We are highlighting the poor voting record of Representative Keith Slape (R- Compton). Representative Slape is one of five Republican candidates for Arkansas Senate in District 28.
This is part of our series of articles highlighting Republican legislators who frequently vote contrary to conservative values and in many of those instances contrary to the Republican Party of Arkansas Platform. Before we begin, we need to explain voting records.
You need to know sometimes a legislator will try to kill a bill without going on record as 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 trying to deny the legislation enough votes to pass.
REPRESENTATIVE KEITH SLAPE
Here are some important votes on which Rep. Slape’s actions conflict with conservative values and to various degrees with the platform and principles of the Republican Party of Arkansas. (Note: In all the instances below in which Rep. Slape failed to vote on a bill, he had signed in as being present that day but didn’t vote on the bill. Not voting has the same effect as a no vote in that it works to deny the legislation enough votes to pass.)
Abortion
- Failed to vote on bill to prohibit schools from entering transactions with abortion providers – HB1592 of 2021
Life
- Failed to vote on bill to increase penalties for physician assisted suicide – SB503 of 2019
Taxes
- Voted for Internet Tax Sales Tax paid by Arkansas consumers – SB576 of 2019
- Voted for $300 million tax increase proposal – HJR1018 of 2019
- Voted to increase cell phone fees/ taxes – HB1564 of 2019
- Voted to increase water bill fees/ taxes – HB1737 of 2019
COVID
- Voted against returning COVID19 regulation fines to businesses – SB301 of 2021
Education
- Voted against school choice scholarships for children – HB1371 of 2021; SB680 of 2021
Elections
- Voted against prohibiting tax increases at special elections – HB1368 of 2021
- Voted for bill (jeopardizing election integrity) to allow new electronic voter registration – HB1517 of 2021
Access to Government Information
- Voted for secret meetings for spending taxpayer money on economic development projects – HB1280 of 2021
Regulation/ Deregulation
- Voted for new regulations and fees on ride sharing apps (UBER, LYFT) at airports – SB686 of 2021
- Voted against amending supervision requirements for nurse anesthetists – HB1198 of 2019
Special Interests
- Voted for a new special interest healthcare council to lobby and help control legislators – HB1568 of 2019
Other Legislation
- Voted against a bill to prevent, detect, and recover unemployment insurance fraud – HB1765 of 2021
- Voted against improving minimum wage law for small business, nonprofits, & teens – HB1752/HB1753 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 Representative Slape’s voting record conflicts with these statements.
Item 1: The 2nd 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 2: The 2nd Principle of the RPAP “The sanctity of life”
Items 3-6: The 6th 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 7: The 4th principle of the RPAP – “Individual freedom and liberty secured by a limited government”.
Item 8: 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 9: The 6th 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 10: 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.”
Item 11: 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: 12-13: The 4th 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 14: The Preamble of the RPAP – “Regnat Populus, the People Rule”
Itema 15 and 16: The Business section of the RPAP “Arkansas’s small businesses are the drivers of our economy. All levels of government must do all they can to understand and meet the needs of small businesses during our recovery.”
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
| Rep. Keith Slape Voting Record – Conduit for Commerce Scorecard History
(In 2021–91% was the score for the most conservative House Member with a ranking of 1/100. Rep. Slape scored in the bottom half at 61 and the rankings include both Republicans and Democrats.) |
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| Session | Score | Rank |
| 2021 | 70% | 61/100 |
| 2019 | 57.1% | 39/100 |
2022 REPUBLICAN PRIMARY
Representative Keith Slape is one of five Republican candidates seeking the Republican nomination for Senate District 28.
