TABLE OF CONTENTS. Letter from the Chairman...2. ACU & ACUF Board Members...3. Selecting the Votes Winners & Losers...4

Transcription

1 2018 RATINGS of FLORIDA #ACURatings Conservative.org TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Chairman...2 ACU & ACUF Board Members...3 Selecting the Winners & Losers...4 FL Senate Statistics...5 FL Senate Vote Descriptions... 6 FL Senate Scores... 8 FL House Statistics...10 FL House Vote Descriptions...11 FL House Scores...13

2 LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN Dear Fellow Conservative, The American Conservative Union Foundation is proud to present our ratings of the 2018 meeting of the Florida Legislature. Like our Ratings of Congress, which date back 47 years, our state ratings are meant to reflect how elected officials view the role of government in an individual s life. We begin with our philosophy, i.e., conservatism is the political philosophy that sovereignty resides in the person, and then apply our understanding of government (its essential role is to defend Life, Liberty and Property). Because our ratings are designed to educate the public about how consistently elected officials adhere to conservatism, we carefully examine the entire docket of legislation introduced in each state every year. We select the most meaningful bills and publish the results after the dust has settled. ACUF state ratings launched in 2011 with ratings for five states have become a nationally recognized resource for evaluating over 8,000 elected officials comprising each of America s 99 state legislative chambers. Each election cycle, citizens choose leaders whose vision for the state most closely matches their own, hoping that candidates promises will be kept. ACUF s ratings measure whether those promises were fulfilled or forsaken. With nearly a decade of data on state legislators voting records and average scores for every legislative chamber, citizens in every state can assess how effectively their lawmakers have applied conservative philosophy to the role of government. We at ACUF believe, as Ronald Reagan once said, that freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We hope that by providing this unique tool, these ratings will empower Americans to exercise their right to protect our unique American democracy from tyranny. Sincerely, Matt Schlapp Chairman American Conservative Union Foundation TO SEE MORE ACU RATINGS, PLEASE VISIT: acuratings.conservative.org #ACURatings Conservative.org 2

3 ACUF ACU Executive Committee Executive Committee Matt Schlapp Chairman Millie Hallow Vice Chair Van D. Hipp, Jr. Treasurer Kimberly Bellissimo Secretary Dan Schneider Executive Director Board Members José Cárdenas Gordon Chang Jonathan Garthwaite Charlie Gerow Niger Innis Adam Laxalt Willes K. Lee Mary Matalin Carolyn D. Meadows Thomas Winter Matt Schlapp Chairman Charlie Gerow Vice Chairman Carolyn D. Meadows 2 nd Vice Chair Bob Beauprez Treasurer Board Members Jackie Arends Larry Beasley Kimberly Bellissimo Steve Biegun Morton C. Blackwell Jamie Burke José Cárdenas Muriel Coleman Sean Fieler Alan M. Gottlieb Van D. Hipp, Jr. Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser Ron Christie Secretary Ed Yevoli At-Large Dan Schneider Executive Director Ed McFadden Priscilla O Shaughnessy Ron Robinson Mike Rose Peter Samuelson Sabrina Schaeffer Terry Schilling Matt Smith Chris Turner Bill Walton Thomas Winter SELECTING THE VOTES ACU researched and selected a range of bills before the Florida Legislature that determine a member s adherence to conservative principles. We selected bills that focus on Ronald Reagan s philosophy of the three-legged stool : 1) fiscal and economic: taxes, budgets, regulation, spending, healthcare, and property; 2) social and cultural: 2nd amendment, religion, life, welfare, and education; and 3) government integrity: voting, individual liberty, privacy, and transparency. This wide range of issues are designed to give citizens an accurate assessment that conveys which of Florida s elected leaders best defend the principles of a free society: Life, Liberty and Property. The ACUF Legislative Ratings Team Francis Finnegan Larry Hart Fred McGrath Tyler Muench Luke Schneider 3

4 2018 WINNERS & LOSERS AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE ACHIEVEMENT SENATE HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE SENATE HOUSE BAXLEY AHERN GONZALEZ PETERS GRIMSLEY GOODSON BEAN ALBRITTON GRALL PIGMAN HUKILL LATVALA BENACQUISTO AVILA GRANT, J. PLAKON LEE MORAITIS BRADLEY BESHEARS GRANT, M. PONDER YOUNG BRANDES BILECA GRUTERS PORTER BROXSON FLORES GALVANO BOYD BRODEUR BURGESS HARRISON INGOGLIA INGRAM RABURN RASCHEIN RENNER <= 10 COALITION OF THE RADICAL LEFT GARCIA HUTSON MAYFIELD BURTON BYRD CALDWELL KILLEBREW LA ROSA LEEK RODRIGUES ROMMEL ROTH SENATE n/a HOUSE n/a NEGRON CLEMONS MAGAR SANTIAGO PASSIDOMO CORCORAN MARIANO SPANO PERRY CORTES, B. MASSULLO SPROWLS SIMMONS CUMMINGS McCLAIN STEVENSON SIMPSON DIAZ McCLURE STONE STARGEL DONALDS METZ SULLIVAN STEUBE DRAKE MILLER TOLEDO EAGLE NUÑEZ TRUJILLO FANT OLIVA TRUMBULL FINE OLSZEWSKI WHITE FISCHER PAYNE WILLIAMSON FITZENHAGEN PEREZ YARBOROUGH 4

5 FLORIDA SENATE STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 75 REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 95 FLORIDA SENATE CONSERVATIVE RATINGS RED = REPUBLICANS BLUE = DEMOCRATS DEMOCRAT AVERAGE LOWEST REPUBLICAN GAINER 77 # OF STATE SENATORS HIGHEST DEMOCRAT 4 2 POWELL ACUF PERCENTAGE

6 FLORIDA SENATE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS 1. S 1776 Strengthening Property Rights. This bill prohibits local government from banning vegetable gardens on the front lawns of private homes. The ACU Foundation s Center for 21st Century Property Rights is a leading voice on issues that infringe upon landowner rights. ACU believes in strengthening property rights and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 1, 2018 by a vote of Requiring Teachers Unions to Represent a Majority of Teachers. The Thurston amendment (Amd ) to the higher education bill removes a provision that requires a teachers union to be decertified if their membership drops to below 50 percent of the teachers they are representing. ACU believes we have passed the time where unions are necessary and believes unions should be required to have the support of a majority of those they represent and opposed this amendment. The Senate defeated the amendment on March 2, 2018 by a vote of SB 7026 Mandating Firearm Registration. The Rodriguez amendment (Amd ) to the gun control bill repeals the state s ban on firearm registration and requires the Department of Law Enforcement to set up a firearm registry. ACU supports the founders belief in the Second Amendment, opposes a government registry that could lead to the confiscation of firearms and opposed this amendment. The Senate defeated the amendment on March 3, 2018 by a vote of SB 7026 Gun Sale Moratorium. The Braynon amendment (Amd ) to the gun control bill imposes a moratorium of indeterminate duration on the sale, delivery or transfer of AR 15 rifles until undefined conditions are met to permit the repeal of the moratorium. ACU supports the founders belief in the Second Amendment and opposed this amendment. The Senate defeated the amendment on March 3, 2018 by a vote of SB 7026 Permitting Stronger Local Gun Control Laws. The Taddeo amendment (Amd ) to the gun control bill allows local governments to pass gun control laws that are more severe than the state law. ACU supports the founders belief in the Second Amendment and opposes restrictive laws that are different in every town within a state and opposed this amendment. The Senate defeated the amendment on March 3, 2018 by a vote of SB 7026 Restricting the Size of Firearm Magazines. The Farmer amendment (Amd ) to the gun control bill bans the sale of firearm magazines that have the capacity to carry ten or more rounds and bans the possession of these magazines after July 1, ACU supports the founders belief in the Second Amendment and opposes measures that would require the government to confiscate products that are currently legal and opposed this amendment. The Senate defeated the amendment on March 3, 2018 by a vote of HJR 7001 Requiring a Supermajority for Tax Increases. This resolution proposes an amendment to the Florida Constitution to require a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate to increase taxes. ACU supports limits on tax increases and supported this bill. The Senate passed the resolution on March 5, 2018 by a vote of but it will require 60 percent approval in a voter referendum to take effect. 8. Expanding School Choice and Putting Limits on Union Representation. This omnibus education bill contains a number of provisions that help expand school choice. Under the bill, victims of school bullying are eligible to receive state funding to attend private schools. The bill also increases funding for disabled students to attend private schools. Finally, the bill decertifies teachers unions if their membership drops below 50 percent of those eligible to join. ACU supports expanding school choice and believes unions should be required to have the support of a majority of those they represent and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 5, 2018 by a vote of

7 9. HB 631 Restoring Property Rights to Beachfront Property Owners. This bill prohibits local governments from passing customary use laws that allow people to use beaches on private property if that was the beaches' customary use. Property owners will be allowed to go to court to prevent beach access on their property. The ACU Foundation s Center for 21st Century Property Rights is a leading voice on issues such as this. ACU supports strengthening property rights and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 6, 2018 by a vote of HB 667 Reducing Alcohol Sales Regulations. This bill allows delivery services to deliver alcoholic beverages directly to customers' homes as long as they verify and document proof of identity at the time of the delivery. ACU supports commonsense regulatory reform and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 8, 2018 by a vote of HB 37 Allowing Direct Primary Care Agreements. This bill amends Florida law to clarify that direct primary health care agreements do not violate insurance regulations. These agreements allow physicians and patients to freely contract with one another for services, which are paid for through a set monthly fee. ACU supports a free market in health care and providing patients with greater flexibility to select the health care services they need and supported this bill as a step in the right direction. The Senate passed the bill on March 8, 2018 by a vote of SB 1392 Reforming the Collection and Dissemination of Criminal Justice Data. This bill requires law enforcement authorities in each of Florida s 67 counties to collect data related to the criminal justice system and report it to the Department of Law Enforcement so that it can be published on the department s website. Prior to this legislation, each county decides how this data is handled. The ACU Foundation s Center for Criminal Justice Reform is a leading authority on these and other issues meant to improve transparency of the criminal justice system. ACU supports increased government transparency on all issues and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 9, 2018 by a vote of HB 7087 Reducing Taxes. This bill includes a number of modest tax reductions and strengthens the authority of the state-appointed Taxpayers Rights Advocate. Under the bill, the business rent tax is reduced from 5.8 percent to 5.7 percent and additional sales tax holidays are established. Reducing tax burdens increases economic growth, which increases family prosperity, as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports tax relief where possible and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 11, 2018 by a vote of

8 FLORIDA SENATE SCORES FLORIDA SENATE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist. S 1776 (Thurston Amd.) SB 7026 (Amd ) SB 7026 (Amd ) SB 7026 (Amd ) SB 7026 (Amd ) HJR 7001 BAXLEY R BEAN R BENACQUISTO R Book D Bracy D X BRADLEY R X BRANDES R X Braynon D BROXSON R Campbell D X Farmer D FLORES R GAINER R GALVANO R GARCIA R X Gibson D GRIMSLEY R HUKILL R n/a 86 HUTSON R X LEE R X MAYFIELD R Montford D NEGRON R 25 X X HB 631 HB 667 HB 37 SB 1392 HB 7087 ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 8

9 FLORIDA SENATE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist. S 1776 (Thurston Amd.) SB 7026 (Amd ) SB 7026 (Amd ) SB 7026 (Amd ) SB 7026 (Amd ) HJR 7001 PASSIDOMO R PERRY R Powell D X Rader D X Rodriguez D Rouson D SIMMONS R SIMPSON R STARGEL R STEUBE R Stewart D Taddeo D n/a 46 Thurston D Torres D YOUNG R HB 631 HB 667 HB 37 SB 1392 HB 7087 ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG + Member voted with ACU s position - Member voted against ACU s position X Member was absent for vote E Member was excused for vote Legislator did not vote on enough of the selected bills and as a result the 2018 percentage was not rated. 2/3rds of the selected bills must be voted on to receive a score. 9

10 FLORIDA HOUSE STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 75 REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 98 FLORIDA HOUSE CONSERVATIVE RATINGS RED = REPUBLICANS BLUE = DEMOCRATS DEMOCRAT AVERAGE LOWEST REPUBLICANS HAGER PLASENCIA 79 # OF STATE REPS HIGHEST DEMOCRATS EDWARDS-WALPOLE WILLHITE ACUF PERCENTAGE

11 FLORIDA HOUSE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS 1. HB 13 Requiring Land Purchases to Construct Sports Stadiums. This bill help protects taxpayers from risky and economically unfeasible deals with professional sports franchises by requiring franchises that wish to build a stadium on government land to purchase the land at market value, rather than lease it. In addition, any franchise that currently leases land that an existing stadium occupies must purchase the land in order to conduct any renovation or construction projects. ACU opposes taxpayers footing the bill for wealthy sports franchises and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on January 12, 2018 by a vote of HB 6001 Prohibiting Red Light Cameras. This bill prohibits local governments from implementing red light camera programs through local ordinances. ACU opposes these automated programs that are primarily designed to produce revenue rather than increase traffic safety and can be used to track people s movements and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on January 12, 2018 by a vote of HB 9 Preventing Sanctuary Cities. This bill requires local and state agencies to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and prohibits local sanctuary city laws that prohibit local authorities from either inquiring about immigration status or assisting federal law enforcement. ACU supports the enforcement of federal immigration laws and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on January 12, 2018 by a vote of HB 37 Allowing Direct Primary Care Agreements. This bill amends Florida law to clarify that direct primary health care agreements do not violate insurance regulations. These agreements allow physicians and patients to freely contract with one another for services, which are paid for through a set monthly fee. ACU supports a free market in health care and providing patients with greater flexibility to select the health care services they need and supported this bill as a step in the right direction. The House passed the bill on January 25, 2018 by a vote of HB 317 Timing of Ballot Referendums. This bill requires local governments that wish to hold a sales tax referendum to do so only at the same time as a general election. ACU supports this effort to ensure the largest number of voters as possible have a say on tax referendums and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on January 31, 2018 by a vote of HB 1429 Banning Dismemberment Abortion. This bill bans dismemberment abortions, a gruesome procedure that involves cutting apart a fetus for extraction, unless it is performed to save the life of the mother. These types of abortions are performed starting in the 14th week of a pregnancy, when an unborn baby typically has a beating heart, is sprouting hair and already has developed fingers, toes, and multiple organs. ACU believes abortion is a human tragedy, supports restrictions on the practice and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 1, 2018 by a vote of HB 667 Reducing Alcohol Sales Regulations. This bill allows delivery services to deliver alcoholic beverages directly to customers' homes as long as they verify and document proof of identity at the time of the delivery. ACU supports commonsense regulatory reform and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 1, 2018 by a vote of Expanding School Choice and Putting Limits on Union Representation. This omnibus education bill contains a number of provisions that help expand school choice. Under the bill, victims of school bullying are eligible to receive state funding to attend private schools. The bill also increases funding for disabled students to attend private schools. Finally, the bill decertifies teachers unions if their membership drops below 50 percent of those eligible to join. ACU supports expanding school choice and believes unions should be required to have the support of a majority of those they represent and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 5, 2018 by a vote of HJR 7001 Requiring a Supermajority for Tax Increases. This resolution proposes an amendment to the Florida Constitution to require a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate to increase taxes. ACU supports limits on tax increases and supported this bill. The House passed the resolution on January 25, 2018 by a vote of but it will require 60 percent approval in a voter referendum to take effect. 11

12 10. HB 1041 Reforming Occupational License Requirements. This bill makes a number of reforms to the state s occupational licensing system. First, the bill allows those convicted of certain criminal offenses to obtain occupational licenses and establishes a time limit for barring those with criminal convictions from obtaining a license. In addition, the bill reduces burdensome licensing requirements for numerous occupations and completely eliminates the occupational license for boxing timekeepers. The ACU Foundation s Center for Criminal Justice Reform is a leading authority on issues such as this which impact re-entry into society. ACU opposes the proliferation of licenses that is primarily designed to restrict competition and supports the ability of those who have paid their debt to society to join the workforce and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 5, 2018 by a vote of SB 4 Weakening Free Speech on College Campuses. The Smith amendment (Amd ) to the higher education bill removes language that protects free speech on campus and limits the ability of individuals to take action against public institutions that violate free speech rights. ACU believes free speech rights on campus should be protected and opposed this amendment. The House defeated the amendment on March 5, 2018 by a vote of SB 7026 Imposing Draconian Regulations on Gun Dealers. The Smith Amendment (Amd ) to the gun control bill requires gun dealers to cover all windows with steel bars, secure ventilation openings with steel bars or metal grates and install steel security doors. ACU supports the founders belief in the Second Amendment and opposed this amendment that is clearly designed to drive small gun dealers out of business. The House defeated the amendment on March 6, 2018 by a vote of SB 7026 Permitting Stronger Local Gun Control Laws. The Stark amendment (Amd ) to the gun control bill allows local governments to pass gun control laws that are more severe than the state law. ACU supports the founders belief in the Second Amendment and opposes restrictive laws that are different in every town within a state and opposed this amendment. The House defeated the amendment on March 6, 2018 by a vote of SB 7026 Banning the Sale of Specific Types of Firearms. The Smith amendment (Amd ) to the gun control bill bans the sale of AR-15 rifles and 11 other specific brands of firearms. ACU supports the founders belief in the Second Amendment and opposed this amendment. The House defeated the amendment on March 6, 2018 by a vote of SB 1392 Reforming the Collection and Dissemination of Criminal Justice Data. This bill requires law enforcement authorities in each of Florida s 67 counties to collect data related to the criminal justice system and report it to the Department of Law Enforcement so that it can be published on the department s website. Prior to this legislation, each county decides how this data is handled. The ACU Foundation s Center for Criminal Justice Reform is a leading authority on these and other issues meant to improve transparency of the criminal justice system. ACU supports increased government transparency on all issues and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 7, 2018 by a vote of HB 631 Restoring Property Rights to Beachfront Property Owners. This bill prohibits local governments from passing customary use laws that allow people to use beaches on private property if that was the beaches' customary use. Property owners will be allowed to go to court to prevent beach access on their property. The ACU Foundation s Center for 21st Century Property Rights is a leading voice on issues such as this. ACU supports strengthening property rights and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 8, 2018 by a vote of HB 7087 Reducing Taxes. This bill includes a number of modest tax reductions and strengthens the authority of the state-appointed Taxpayers Rights Advocate. Under the bill, the business rent tax is reduced from 5.8 percent to 5.7 percent, and additional sales tax holidays are established. Reducing tax burdens increases economic growth, which increases family prosperity, as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports tax relief where possible and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 11, 2018 by a vote of

13 FLORIDA HOUSE SCORES FLORIDA HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist. HB 13 HB 6001 HB 9 HB 37 HJR 7001 HB 317 HB 1429 HB 667 Abruzzo D 81 X X X X X X n/a AHERN R ALBRITTON R Alexander D ALTMAN R X X + X X X X X n/a Antone D Asencio D X Ausley D AVILA R 111 X X X X X Berman D BESHEARS R X BILECA R BOYD R X X BRODEUR R Brown D BURGESS R X BURTON R BYRD R CALDWELL R CLEMONS R CORCORAN R CORTES, B. R Cortes, J. D Cruz D HB 1041 SB 4 (Amd ) ) ) ) SB 1392 HB 631 HB 7087 ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 13

14 FLORIDA HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist. HB 13 HB 6001 HB 9 HB 37 HJR 7001 HB 317 HB 1429 HB 667 CUMMINGS R Daniels D 14 X X X X Davis D X X Diamond D DIAZ R DONALDS R DRAKE R Dubose D 94 X X X + - X X Duran D EAGLE R Edwards-Walpole D X FANT R X FINE R FISCHER R FITZENHAGEN R 78 X X X Geller D X GONZALEZ R Good D 72 X X X X X X n/a n/a n/a GOODSON R GRALL R GRANT, J. R GRANT, M. R GRUTERS R X HAGER R X X X Hardemon D HARRELL R X + + X X X X X X + X n/a HB 1041 SB 4 (Amd ) ) ) ) SB 1392 HB 631 HB 7087 ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 14

15 FLORIDA HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist. HB 13 HB 6001 HB 9 HB 37 HJR 7001 HB 317 HB 1429 HB 667 HARRISON R Hawkins-Williams D 92 X X X n/a 36 Henry D INGOGLIA R INGRAM R Jacobs D Jacquet D X X Jenne D X Jones D 101 X X X X X KILLEBREW R LA ROSA R LATVALA R Lee D LEEK R MAGAR R MARIANO R MASSULLO R McCLAIN R McCLURE R n/a 100 McGhee D X Mercado D X METZ R MILLER R 47 X MORAITIS R Moskowitz D 97 X X X X Newton D HB 1041 SB 4 (Amd ) ) ) ) SB 1392 HB 631 HB 7087 ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 15

16 FLORIDA HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist. HB 13 HB 6001 HB 9 HB 37 HJR 7001 HB 317 HB 1429 HB 667 NUÑEZ R OLIVA R OLSZEWSKI R n/a 100 PAYNE R PEREZ R n/a 100 PETERS R 69 X PIGMAN R X PLAKON R 29 X X X X X PLASENCIA R 50 X X X PONDER R PORTER R Pritchett D X RABURN R RASCHEIN R RENNER R Richardson D 113 X X X RODRIGUES R X X ROMMEL R ROTH R Russell D X SANTIAGO R X Shaw D X Silvers D Slosberg D 91 - X - X X Smith D X - X HB 1041 SB 4 (Amd ) ) ) ) SB 1392 HB 631 HB 7087 ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 16

17 FLORIDA HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist. HB 13 HB 6001 HB 9 HB 37 HJR 7001 HB 317 HB 1429 HB 667 SPANO R SPROWLS R X Stafford D Stark D STEVENSON R STONE R SULLIVAN R TOLEDO R X TRUJILLO R 105 X X X X TRUMBULL R Watson, B. D X Watson, C. D WHITE R Willhite D X WILLIAMSON R YARBOROUGH R HB 1041 SB 4 (Amd ) ) ) ) SB 1392 HB 631 HB 7087 ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG + Member voted with ACU s position - Member voted against ACU s position X Member was absent for vote E Member was excused for vote Legislator did not vote on enough of the selected bills and as a result the 2018 percentage was not rated. 2/3rds of the selected bills must be voted on to receive a score. 17