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Education Committee Must Be Top Choice for 2023

There is no doubt the most important committee in the Arkansas legislature in 2023 will be the Education Committee in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Normally the education committee is not the top selection of conservative Republicans but this time it must be different.

Yes, the Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee and the Insurance and Commerce Committee have been especially attractive to legislators because being a member is likely to bring big campaign contributions from big business interests. Yes, the Judiciary Committee, the Revenue and Tax Committee and the State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee often have hot topics. But this is not a normal year. 2023 must be the year of educational freedom!

Conservative legislators need to rethink their committee choices for 2023 because education issues are in the forefront.  On top of the list of issues is providing school choice for every family just as the Republican Party of Arkansas Platform promises. The education committees must be filled with strong Republican voices that support the Republican platform and its call for school choice options regardless of income. If Arizona can do it with only a slim Republican majority then why can’t Arkansas do it where there is a Republican supermajority in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

Other important education issues have arisen because the radical left has been pushing such indoctrination as the racist Critical Race Theory, the sexualizing of minors through explicit sexual materials in school, and adopting school programs to get minors to make gender identity decisions and pushing transgenderism of minors. It is not just parents who are complaining, some long-time teachers are crying for help to stop the indoctrination of children in their charge. While these issues are likely to be addressed by specific legislation it is only through school choice that parents and teachers will have a real voice in education.

If the strongest most conservative Republican legislators do not choose the education committees as their top choice, much needed legislation will be bottled up in the education committees and never see the light of day because Democrats will choose the education committees and so will weak Republicans who try to keep the left-leaning education associations placated.

Arkansas saw this very thing happen in 2021 in the Senate Education Committee. The Senate Education Committee has eight members and five members must vote for legislation before it can go to the floor for a vote by the full Senate.  With the Education Committee being a low priority, three Democrats were able to get on the committee. That meant if any one Republican voted with the Democrats the bill would die in committee. And that is exactly what happened when HB1761, to ban schools from teaching racist ideology such as the Critical Race Theory, was considered by the Senate committee. Senator James Sturch voted with the Democrats and blocked the bill from consideration by the full Senate. This means the racist indoctrination can still be taught today.

Who is on the education committees will be extremely important.

Past School Choice Bills As Predictor

Does your Senator and Representative claim to support school choice, which is also a matter of supporting the Republican platform?  We hope so, but be aware many Republicans in the House of Representatives refused to support the two school choice bills filed in 2021.

It is important to note the two school choice bills were so limited that they might better be called pilot projects. The first bill, HB1371 by Representative Ken Bragg, would have only provided about 800 scholarships to students of low-income families to go to private schools. Still, the bill failed to pass the House of Representatives, getting only 44 votes.

When HB1371 failed Senator Jonathan Dismang filed SB680 which had an even smaller goal of about 400 scholarships for students of low-income families. SB680 passed and became law but with it getting only 52 votes in the House it passed with only one vote to spare.  That is pitiful considering Republicans have a supermajority in the House.

It is embarrassing that even House Education Committee Chair Bruce Cozart refused to support either of these two small bills. (In the House the chair is appointed by the Speaker of the House and the Speaker in 2023 will be the same one as in 2021, Representative Matthew Shepherd.)

Which Republicans joined the Democrats in opposing both HB1371 and SB680 in the House by voting “no,” “present,” or not voting? Unfortunately, the list is long so we will omit the names of those who are not returning.

NOTE: Click on the Representative name in the following list to see the Representative’s full information.

Berry – “No” on both
Cozart – Did not cast a vote on either bill
Dalby – “No” on HB1371 and “Present” on SB680
Fite – “No” on both
Fortner – “No” on both
Holcomb – “No” on both
Hollowell – “No” on both
Jean – “No” on both
McElroy – “No” on both
McNair – “No” on both
Tosh – “No” on both
Wardlaw – “No” on both
Watson – “No” on both
Wooten – “No” on both

The following returning Republican Representatives failed to support the 800 scholarships in HB1371 but voted for the 400 scholarships in SB680. The names listed represent “No” votes except where indicated.

Speaker Matthew Shepherd – Non voting
Berry
Cavenaugh
Christiansen
Gazaway – Present
Johnson
McGrew – Present
Maddox
Milligan
Rye
Vaught
Warren

The following Representative voted “for” HB1371 but against SB680 – S. Smith.

Some of the Representatives listed above still have opponents in the November election but a Republican is a far better choice than a Democrat or someone who opposes much of the Republican platform.

Be aware that Republicans who are weak on these education issues want the bills to die in committee so they will not have to go on record on the floor of the Senate or House of Representatives.  Don’t let that happen.

Representatives and Senators will be choosing their committee assignments shortly after the November election.  Encourage strong supporters of school choice to make the education committee their first choice.

 Talk to your Senator and Representative to encourage them to support school choice for every family and to stop leftist indoctrination in government schools.  It is especially important to talk to those who failed to support school choice in 2021 to encourage them to support it in 2023.

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