REP. GAYLA MCKENZIE – Platform Hero Series

Conduit For Action

2 years ago

Representative Gayla McKenzie (R – Gravette) is a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives and is a conservative who keeps her promises. We call her a “Platform Hero” because of an outstanding record of voting with the principles and platform of the Republican Party of Arkansas.

Conduit For Commerce examined the voting records of all 100 members of the House of Representatives using our Economic Freedom Filter. McKenzie scored the highest of any Representative and she was named Legislator of the Year by Conduit for Commerce for 2021.

It is not just her voting record that is impressive. She also impressed us for her willingness to fight against special interests and for fairness.

Rep McKenzie took on the establishment by trying to change the House Rule giving the Speaker of the House the power to appoint all the chairs and vice chairs of House committees. How has the current system worked out? Eight of the 10 major committee chairs appointed by the Speaker failed to even rank among the top fifty Republicans in the House of Representatives on the CFC Economic Scorecard which means only two of the Speaker’s appointees scored above 50%. Several of his chairs were on the bottom next to Democrats and ranked 73, 75, 76, and 77.[i] This is what she was fighting against. She fought even though she knew the chances of winning were slim and that in taking on the issue it would probably mean big government interests would likely drum up an opponent for her in her race for State Senate.

We will return to her rankings and awards, but first we want to list some highlights from Rep. McKenzie’s voting record.

VOTING RECORD HIGHLIGHTS

Abortion/ Pro-Life

Voted to ban all abortions in Arkansas except to save the life of the mother – SB6 of 2021
Voted to ban abortion if/when Roe v. Wade is overturned – SB149 of 2019
Voted to prohibit abortions after 18 weeks of life – HB1439 of 2019
Voted to prohibit abortions based on a child having down syndrome – SB2 of 2019
Voted to expand the waiting period for an abortion from 48 to 72 hours; requires abortion clinics to report babies born alive after a botched abortion – SB278 of 2019
Voted for informed consent process for chemical abortions – HB1572 of 2021
Voted to require abortion clinics to report any complications arising from an abortion – SB3 of 2019
Voted to require abortionists to give patients who use abortion inducing drugs information about abortion pill reversal – SB341 of 2019
Voted to prohibit taxpayer funding of human cloning and destructive embryo research – HB1399 of 2019
Voted to prohibit government schools from entering into transactions with abortion providers – HB1592 of 2021
Voted to require any abortionist be a board certified or eligible OBGYN physician – SB448 of 2019
Voted to require any clinic that performs an abortion to be licensed as an abortion facility and prohibits hospitals from performing an abortion except to save the life of the mother – SB388 of 2021
Voted to increase inspections at abortion facilities and require abortionists to report crimes for when a woman is a victim of rape or incest – SB463 of 2021

Life

Voted to expand the safe haven law to allow people to surrender a newborn without criminal prosecution if surrendered in places like a fire or police station – SB168 of 2019
Voted to enhance the penalty for physician assisted suicide – SB503 of 2019

Taxes

Voted for income tax cuts– SB1 of 2021 (2^nd Special Session)
Voted for income tax cut – SB211 of 2019
Voted for sales tax cut on used cars – HB1912 of 2021; HB1160 of 2021
Voted for a sales tax cut on used cars – HB1342 of 2019
Voted for homestead property tax credit increase – HB1321 of 2019
Voted for unemployment tax cut for employers – SB298 of 2019
Voted against the Internet Sales Tax paid by Arkansas consumers – SB576 of 2019
Voted against the $300 million tax increase proposal – HJR1018 of 2019
Voted against increasing water bill fees – HB1737 of 2019

Children

Voted to prevent chemical castration and sex changes of minor children – HB1570 of 2021
Voted to prevent liquor stores near a child daycare facility – HB1385 of 2019

Women’s Sports

Voted to protect women’s sports by banning genetic males from competing in girls’ sports – SB354 of 2021

Freedom

Voted to protect churches and religious groups from being forced to shut down by the government during an emergency government order and recognizes them as essential – HB1211 of 2021
Voted to allow a constitutional amendment to protect a person’s religious freedom – SJR14 of 2021
Voted to protect the rights of conscience for healthcare workers – SB289 of 2021
Voted to allow patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and similar facilities to be allowed visitors during a pandemic or similar emergency – HB1061 of 2021
Voted against denial of free speech in judicial elections – HB1899 of 2021
Voted to protect the constitution against federal overreach – SB298 of 2021
Voted to protect free speech on college campuses which has been endangered by liberal administrators– SB156 of 2019

COVID-19

Voted to prohibit vaccine mandates in Arkansas – SB615 of 2021
Voted to return COVID-19 fees to Arkansas businesses – SB301 of 2021
Voted for legislative oversight over emergency declarations – SB379 of 2021

Education

Voted for school choice scholarships for children – HB1371 of 2021; SB680 of 2021
Voted to allow a bible course taught in government schools – HB1626 of 2019

Elections

Voted for election integrity in provisional ballots – HB1112 of 2021
Voted to protect election integrity by voting against electronic voter registration – HB1517 of 2021
Voted for special election reform to prevent tax increases at special elections – HB1368 of 2021

Deregulation

Voted for the least restrictive licensing requirements – HB1255 of 2019
Voted for workforce freedom – uniform licensing laws across the state – HB1460 of 2021
Voted for work from home freedom – HB1416 of 2021
Voted for the food freedom act – SB248 of 2021
Voted against new regulations and fees on ride sharing apps at airports – SB686 of 2021
Voted for expanded telemedicine use – HB1068 of 2021
Voted for amended supervision requirements for nurse anesthetists – HB1198 of 2021
Voted for expansion of telemedicine to phone calls – HB1063 of 2021
Voted for APRNs as a primary care provider in Medicaid – HB1254 of 2021
Voted to expand the scope of practice for optometrists – HB1251 of 2019

Access to Government Information

Voted for transparency in county government spending – HB1343 of 2019
Voted for recording of public government meetings – HB1928 of 2019

Privacy

Voted to protect private information held by nonprofit organizations – SB535 of 2021

Special Interests

Voted against a new healthcare council to lobby legislators – HB1568 of 2019

Other Important legislation

Voted for civil asset forfeiture reform – SB308 of 2019
Voted to prohibit fraud in unemployment insurance – HB1765 of 2021
Voted to promote work for food stamps recipients – HB1512 of 2021
Voted for child support cooperation in public housing – HB1642 of 2021
Voted to index unemployment benefits to economic conditions – HB1676 of 2021

ECONOMIC FREEDOM FILTER OF CONDUIT FOR COMMERCE

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. Gayla McKenzie Voting Record – Conduit for Commerce Scorecard History Ranked highest of all Representatives
Session	Score	Rank	Awards
2021	91%	1/100	Legislator of the Year Conduit for Commerce Calvin Coolidge Hero of Freedom Award Winner
2019	71.6%	23/100