Arthur "Art" Coday

Strongly Agree

Strongly Agree

Strongly Agree

Abortion should only be allowed when necessary to save the life of the mother. In such cases, every attempt should be made to save the life of the unborn child.

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Agree

I do support cutting state spending. Most of the cuts would be in government itself because I think state government can operate more efficiently. That is, it can govern more effectively with less money. This will require a certain amount of internal reorganization following a period of intense scrutiny and objective analysis of the performance of state government. Every department and agency must be rigorously reviewed by the State Legislature in light of the State’s needs.

Strongly Agree

Strongly Agree

Strongly Agree

Yes

I think it means what the Founders of the United States clearly intended. Specifically, it meant that the United States had no authority over the church; the First Amendment prohibits Congress from even passing legislation pertaining to churches. Court rulings that have tried to remove the church from any aspect of public life are ignoring the historical and literal interpretations of the Constitution. For example, suggesting that churches have no official role in the various states is a marked departure from the historical context of the Constitution. The U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights were created and ratified by states that sponsored their own churches. Therefore, “separation of church and state,” properly defined, refers to total independence of the church from the U.S. Government. It does not mean that the church should have no role in public life.

Strongly Disagree

Maintaining a private health insurance market is in the best public interest. Eliminating private insurance and replacing it with government-sponsored health insurance would reduce choice, quality, access, and innovation while increasing cost. Nevertheless, measures need to be taken to improve the private health insurance market so as to eliminate anti-competitive advantages that private health insurance companies enjoy at the expense of patients and providers. In brief, the 1945 McCarren Ferguson Act needs to be repealed, allowing full federal antitrust regulation of insurance companies. This will facilitate the sale of health insurance across state borders, promoting greater competition with attendant increases in plan choice and quality with decreases in cost. Next, the tax-favored status of health insurance must be removed to deflate premiums. Finally, the linkage between employment and health insurance needs to be severed, protecting employees and promoting job growth.

Strongly Agree

Strongly Agree

Strongly Agree

Immigration to the U.S. should be regulated by Congress as per the U.S. Constitution. Congress needs to legislate on immigration; the Executive Branch needs to enforce the law; and the Judicial Branch needs to accept the laws and Constitution as written and adjudicate accordingly. States must accept federal authority in the matter of immigration. We have seen a cataclysmic breakdown of the above protocol by all three branches of our federal government and by states. As a state senator I will uphold my oath to obey the U.S. Constitution and recognize the authority of the federal government on the subject of immigration. In so doing, I am hopeful that the three branches of the federal government will also recognize the authority of the U.S. Constitution in general, and in particular its application to immigration. I am confident that if Congress follows the Constitution, the question of who should be allowed to immigrate and under what circumstances will be answered best.

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Agree

Strongly Disagree

I am a Christian. I believe that faith is central to our identity and our lives; it informs our sense of morality and values.

Very Conservative

The Washington State website, www.wa.gov (Secretary of State; Elections), has evidence of my historic public statements regarding my views on political matters. This includes voter guide statements (2010, 2012, and 2018) and party affiliation (Republican). The Television Washington website, www.tvw.org, has recorded statements I made for the 2012 and 2018 U.S. Senate campaigns.

My undergraduate education in Cellular and Molecular Biology and my medical education, training, research, and practice are excellent qualifications for matters of public health and the healthcare system. My background in running my own business (medical practice) and serving on nonprofit boards have given me experience in fiscal discipline, a necessary ingredient in spending taxpayer money wisely and keeping the cost of government as low as possible. Raising children and caring for an elder parent has taught me much about what families in our state face. The many years I have spent in study have given me insight about the importance of education as well as ways it could be improved.

No, I have not.

I plan to be an active, rather than a passive, legislator. This means working with members of both parties and houses in the legislature and the Governor in order to define common goals so that appropriate legislation can be crafted. I am particularly interested in the prospect of overhauling Medicaid, the healthcare program for the poor. Since its inception in 1965, it has done a relatively poor job in delivering high quality healthcare to the poor. I would like to lead a comprehensive overhaul of our Medicaid program so that it better serves those in need. I value equality, compassion, truth, justice, increased mutual respect, civility, and a renewed sense of community where everyone belongs and has a voice. As a lifelong champion of patients, seniors, the weak, the poor, and the little guy, I will tenaciously guard your constitutional rights and dignity. I will be honored to have your vote.

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Agree

Yes

I do not favor any further restrictions on gun ownership. Further restrictions will not significantly promote public safety but will significantly erode the right of citizens to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment.

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Disagree

1. Legislation to better protect the most vulnerable from coronavirus that will allow the economy and general society to fully reopen. Better protecting nursing homes will be a major focus. 2. Legislation to overhaul Medicaid so that it will finally provide high quality healthcare to the poor. This will include incentives to recruit more providers to participate in the program (there is a significant shortage) and it will include better dental and medical specialty care, improved screening and treatment for mental illness and substance abuse, and overall increased access to care. 3. Legislation to provide for increased disaster preparedness. This would include investments in hospitals, fire and rescue services, and law enforcement.

Racism, and perceptions of racism, are significant threats to domestic security. This has been proven, yet again, by the riots triggered by the brutal murder of a black man (George Floyd) by white police officers in Minneapolis in 2020. We need to acknowledge this reality and take definitive measures. This includes better training of law enforcement officers in the appropriate use of force and the establishment of external authorities to evaluate complaints against law enforcement officers, eliminating unfit officers from service. Equally important, we need to better support law enforcement agencies with appropriate funding and policies that allow them to do their jobs safely and properly. Addressing racism will require addressing root causes. We must end the war on faith; the only foundation for recognizing true equality is stated eloquently in the Declaration of Independence: “…all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights…”