2019 Republican Party of Wisconsin Proposed Resolutions

Approved by the Resolutions Committee – 4/27/2019

2019-01: Expansion of School Choice

WHEREAS, every child, regardless of zip code or their parent’s income, deserves access to a quality education; and

WHEREAS, too many children today, especially those from low-income or minority families or children with special needs, are trapped in failing schools; and

WHEREAS, allowing parents to choose the best option for their children embraces a free- market approach, as schools will compete to offer the best quality education that fits each child’s unique needs, abilities, and learning styles; and

WHEREAS, parental school choice programs have also been shown to save taxpayers money and even improve nearby public schools through the power of competition.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin, in convention assembled, encourages elected leaders to work with education advocates of all backgrounds and both parties to create, expand, and protect school choice programs in the interest of parental empowerment and to improve all schools by fostering competition.

2019-02: Taxes

WHEREAS, Wisconsin remains one of the top taxed states in the country; and

WHEREAS, high and punitive rates of taxation impede growth and discourage businesses from doing business in Wisconsin, stifle economic growth, discourage innovation and entrepreneurship, and diminish an individual’s ability to realize the American dream.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Republican Party of Wisconsin, in convention assembled, believes taxation should be limited to fulfill only government’s constitutional responsibilities, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin urges that all taxing authorities be elected, not appointed, to their positions by the voters in the communities they serve, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Republican Party of Wisconsin welcomes a full discussion of the possibility of replacing the state and federal progressive income tax with a sales tax or flat tax, and suggests that such a change could be beneficial provided that:

Proper legal barriers (such as amendment to the state constitution) are put in place to ensure that the progressive income tax is never reinstated in addition to the new sales tax or flat tax; and this reorganization of the tax system does not increase the overall tax burden; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Republican Party of Wisconsin opposes any gas tax increase; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Republican Party of Wisconsin supports the repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment to the US Constitution.

2019-03: Protecting Second Amendment Rights: Universal Background Check and Red Flag Laws

WHEREAS, Governor Evers and Attorney General Kaul of the State of Wisconsin want to create new gun control laws known as: Universal Background Checks and a Red Flag Law; and

WHEREAS, for gun control to get passed into law, it requires duping people into thinking the proposed law is constitutional and will stop criminals; and

WHEREAS, Red Flag laws, also called gun Violence Restraining Orders and Extreme Risk Protection Orders, are gun-confiscation laws disguised as “gun-violence prevention” laws; and

WHEREAS, Red Flag laws are unconstitutional “prior restraint” laws that violate our basic civil rights, taking away a person’s Second and Fourth Amendment rights; and

WHEREAS, enacting a Red Flag law is based on an unnamed person’s secret allegation that someone else “might” do something dangerous to themselves or others in the future; and

WHEREAS, the person accused of being “dangerous” has no notice there is a problem until the police show up, and confiscate the accused’s firearms; and

WHEREAS, it is up to the accused to prove that he or she is not dangerous; and until such proof is provided to the Court’s satisfaction, the guns are not returned; and

WHEREAS, Universal Background Checks will stop fathers or mothers from passing their legally-owned firearms (already registered when purchased) to their sons or daughters.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin, in convention assembled, states their opposition to the creation of these “gun control” laws; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin asks that the legislature protect the citizens from this genuine, severe threat to our liberty by showing their opposition to these laws by not permitting this legislation to come before the Wisconsin State Assembly or Senate; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that our government leaders protect our 2nd Amendment Rights by opposing any legislation that would restrict the sale or ownership of lawfully produced guns, clips/magazines and ammunition or any legislation that would impose extraordinary taxes or fees on same., and that we oppose the creation of any form of registry of firearms, accessories or ammunition. We support the transition of state law regarding the carry of weapons from “shall issue” to Constitutional Carry” which is enjoyed by a multitude of states in the United States; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin urges the legislature to protect law-abiding citizens from civil litigation in the event they defend themselves or others against imminent death or great bodily harm with legally permissible firearms.

2019-04: Permitting Concealed Carry in Private Schools

WHEREAS, the Republican Party of Wisconsin fully supports and affirms the 2nd amendment rights of all people in all situations; and

WHEREAS, the Wis. Stat. 948.605 currently prohibits the carrying of guns in all schools in Wisconsin and is written too broadly and is therefore unconstitutional as it applies to schools on private property; and

WHEREAS, we believe that the legislature made an error in not expressly excluding “private” schools from the definition in Wis. Stat. 948.61(1)(b) since persons already have a constitutional right to conceal carry with the permission of private school officials on private property.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin, in convention assembled, calls on the legislature to amend the definition of “schools” in Wis. Stat. 948.61(1)(b) to exclude “private” schools on private property from being regulated by Wis. Stat. 948.605.

2019-05: Gender Transitioning & Mutilation of Minors

WHEREAS, children under the age of 18 years old do not have the ability to give informed consent due to immaturity and the inability to appreciate and to comprehend the full consequences of their decisions regarding the possibility of being sterilized and of permanently changing their physical bodies to “transition” to a gender opposite their natal gender; and

WHEREAS, the physical or chemical maiming, cutting, mutilation, removal or permanent alteration of the sex organs of children under the age of 18 years old by parents, physicians or other persons should be considered a criminal assault and battery on minor children and thus parents cannot give informed consent to either the abuse of their children or the experimentation on their minor children.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin, in convention assembled, strongly encourages state legislators to author, support and enact legislation that does the following: bans any medical therapy which involves the experimental use of puberty suppressing drugs and opposition hormones on children under the age of 18 years old; criminalizes the administration of such puberty blockers and opposition hormones by parents, medical staff or other third parties for the purpose of gender transitioning minor children; provides for the minor child a future right to recover damages against parents, medical staff or other third parties.

2019-06: Protecting The Life Of The Unborn And Born-Alive Infants

WHEREAS, a human being, according to federal law, includes every infant who is born alive at any stage of development; and

WHEREAS, “born-alive” is defined as complete expulsion from his or her mother at any stage of development, who after such expulsion or extraction breathes or has a beating heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, regardless of whether the umbilical cord has been cut, and regardless of whether the expulsion or extraction occurs as a result of natural or induced labor, cesarean section, or induced abortion; and

WHEREAS, an unborn baby is capable of feeling pain as early as 20 weeks, post-fertilization; and

WHEREAS, Congress failed to pass the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act that would protect the life of a baby who survives an abortion, ensuring they would be treated in the same manner as those who are spontaneously born premature; and

WHEREAS, a woman could request an abortion up to the point of giving birth; and

WHEREAS, her healthcare provider would do as requested without the requirement to consult other medical professionals and at that time, perform an abortion; and

WHEREAS, infanticide is the intentional murder of a fully developed infant; and 

WHEREAS, this is a human being with human rights; who deserves full protection under the law.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin, in convention assembled, finds the murder of the unborn to be a human rights violation and action must be taken to protect the lives of those who cannot speak for themselves;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin urges Wisconsin’s federal and state legislators to uphold and strengthen federal law prohibiting abortions after an unborn baby is capable of feeling pain and to defend the rights of the unborn and born-alive babies before, during, and after an abortion.

2019-07: Stopping the Murder of Unborn Children

WHEREAS, all human beings are created in the image of God, and are thus endowed by their Creator with an unalienable right to life; and

WHEREAS, abortion is the murder of the weakest and most innocent human beings within our midst; and

WHEREAS, governments are instituted by God among mankind, being charged with the duty to secure and protect the right to life, and establish justice for all; and

WHEREAS, Wisconsin Statute 940.04(6) declares, “‘unborn child’ means a human being from the time of conception”; and

WHEREAS, Wisconsin Statute 940.01(a) declares, “whoever causes the death of another human being with intent to kill that person or another is guilty of a Class A felony”; and

WHEREAS, the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people”; and

WHEREAS, Wisconsin legislatures shall not stand by while the innocent are murdered simply because the United States Supreme Court has issued an opinion; and

WHEREAS, our founding fathers recognized life as an inalienable, individual right which the Republican Party has reaffirmed in declaring abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia to be violations of this sacred and basic human right.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin, in convention assembled, reaffirms its support for the rights of the unborn, and for the struggle to ensure that our government and our society protect and respect innocent human life in all its forms; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin calls upon the Wisconsin legislature to interpose on behalf of preborn children in Wisconsin and enact legislation to stop the murder of unborn children; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin directs state legislators to work to end the murder of the preborn in the State of Wisconsin–and not seek other approaches to regulate abortion–as a legislative priority for the 2019 legislative session.

2019-08: Strong Families & Elimination of Marriage Penalties

WHEREAS, the family was ordained by God to be the basic institution of society; and

WHEREAS, promoting family values and strengthening the family unit is a major issue that must be addressed by our lawmakers, at all levels; and

WHEREAS, social science research shows that persons who graduate from high school, get a job, and get married, in that order, are overwhelming likely to stay out of poverty compared to persons who do not follow the sequence; and

WHEREAS, public policies like the marriage penalty unfairly punishes married couples and the RPMC supports amending the WI tax code to remove this tax penalty; and

WHEREAS, Wisconsin’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) penalizes some low-income parents for marrying and instituting a “honeymoon” provision in the Wisconsin EITC would mitigate this marriage disincentive; and

WHEREAS, our child support system needs reforming to allow for more single fathers to be part of the lives of their children; and

WHEREAS, the US and WI social welfare programs discourages marriage and reforms need to be made that minimize the financial penalties for persons, or couples, that are on these programs.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin, in convention assembled, supports amending the WI tax code to remove the marriage tax penalty, supports the institution of a “honeymoon” provision in the Wisconsin EITC to mitigate the marriage disincentive in the Wisconsin EITC that penalizes some low-income parents for marrying, supports a reform of the child support system to allow for more single fathers to be part of the lives of their children, and supports reforming our US and WI social welfare programs to minimize financial penalties under said programs for persons and couples after they marry.

2019-09: Election Reform

WHEREAS, widespread election fraud has long involved citizens casting multiple votes from multiple registrations and multiple impersonations, and has now come to include the registration and voting of non-citizens; and

WHEREAS, it has become more and more evident that rampant voter fraud is occurring in the state of Wisconsin; and

WHEREAS, Wisconsin’s laws regarding recall elections give special interest groups the ability to overturn general election results, at a high cost to all taxpayers.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin, in convention assembled, demands the timely prosecution, to the fullest extent of the law, of anyone found to have broken any laws relating to ballot registration or ballot casting; supports transparency in the qualifications of candidates for public office; and supports the enforcement of federal and state laws requiring verification of voting rolls prior to each presidential election; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin urges passage of legislation to return to the requirement that voters verify that they are unable to vote on Election Day before they are issued an absentee ballot; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin supports eliminating election day voter registration; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin supports amending the State Constitution to limit the ability to recall officeholders to cases of convicted criminal behavior; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin opposes third party vendors collecting ballots of absentee voters.

2019-10: Criminal Justice Reforms

WHEREAS, the 4th Congressional District Republican Party of Wisconsin is committed to developing effective and fair criminal justice policies that create safe communities for citizens as well as provide pathways for the incarcerated the opportunity to better themselves; and

WHEREAS, in Wisconsin, existing law limits the ability for those who want to leave behind their criminal past and become productive, working citizens; and

WHEREAS, people with criminal records face significant barriers including an inability to secure housing, meaningful employment or education, volunteer in their community; and

WHEREAS, these barriers can contribute to recidivism, which increases victimization and decreases public safety; and

WHEREAS, incarcerated individuals will eventually be released from prison and smart reentry policies/programs will help reduce recidivism rates and make the public safer; and

WHEREAS, Wisconsin occupational licensing laws are sometimes an impediment for those with criminal records to obtain work in some licensed professions.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin, in convention assembled, supports expungement reform that allows for those with low-level, non-violent criminal records to expunge their records if they can show that their criminal history is in the past, are willing to work and hold a job, and better sustain a productive lifestyle free of criminality; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin supports expanded worker training, reentry programs, and initiatives to help transition the incarcerated to productive citizens; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin supports additional treatment Alternatives and Diversion (TAD) programs to help offenders who suffer from alcohol and drug issues; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin supports reforming our occupational licensing laws to allow for persons with criminal records to obtain employment in some professions that require licensing, although allowing for an exception that allows the State to refuse to grant an occupational license to an individual who has committed a crime that specifically relates to the occupation for which the license is being sought (for example, an individual that has been convicted of drug dealing would not be eligible for a license that allows the individual to prescribe or provide drugs).

2019-11: Driver’s License Integrity

WHEREAS, there is a push to allow illegal aliens the privilege of obtaining a Wisconsin driver’s license, issuing undocumented illegals driver licenses could be used to obtain services they are not entitled to, including registering to vote; and

WHEREAS, illegal aliens can lawfully obtain an international driver’s license.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin, in convention assembled, reaffirms Wisconsin’s current laws prohibiting undocumented aliens the privilege to obtain driver’s licenses, and encourages the State Legislature to not incentivize policies that facilitate the ability of illegal aliens to remain in the country illegally.

2019-12: Implementation of Resolutions

WHEREAS much time, effort, and research is done yearly to develop resolutions; and

WHEREAS each year our county and district Republican organizations submit Resolutions to their respective caucuses; and

WHEREAS these resolutions are carefully thought out, written and debated.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Wisconsin, in convention assembled, holds these resolutions adopted at a party caucus to represent the will, sense, and principles of the Republican Party; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that these resolutions are to be considered by the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s Platform Committee for the inclusion into the 2020 RPW Platform.

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