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

Transcription

1 2018 RATINGS of WYOMING #ACURatings Conservative.org TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Chairman...2 ACU & ACUF Board Members...3 Selecting the Winners & Losers...4 WY Senate Statistics...5 WY Senate Vote Descriptions... 6 WY Senate Scores... 8 WY House Statistics...10 WY House Vote Descriptions...11 WY 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 Wyoming 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 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming 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 SENATE HOUSE HOUSE AGAR PIIPARINEN n/a BITEMAN LINDHOLM BOUCHARD BLACKBURN LONE EDWARDS STEINMETZ <= 10 COALITION OF THE RADICAL LEFT GRAY SENATE Rothfuss HOUSE n/a 4

5 WYOMING SENATE STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 54 REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 58 WYOMING SENATE CONSERVATIVE RATINGS RED = REPUBLICANS BLUE = DEMOCRATS DEMOCRAT AVERAGE 17 LOWEST REPUBLICAN VON FLATERN 17 # OF STATE SENATORS HIGHEST DEMOCRAT HASTERT ACUF PERCENTAGE 5

6 WYOMING SENATE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS 1. SF 4 Granting Government the Ability to Regulate Bingo Games. This bill grants local government the right to imposes a series of regulations and permitting processes on Bingo and pull-tab games. Under the bill, local governments have the power to impose fees, restrict games to those above age 18, dictate how proceeds and winnings are distributed, and limit the ability to host these games to charitable organizations that have operated in the state for three years or longer. ACU opposes needless regulations that infringe on individual liberties and are clearly designed to restrict competition and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 16, 2018 by a vote of SF 98 Reducing Oil and Gas Severance Taxes. This bill cuts severance taxes on oil and gas companies from 6 percent to 3 percent in the third and fourth years of production. Reducing tax burdens increases economic growth, which increases family prosperity, as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports this pro-growth tax relief that makes the state more competitive with surrounding states and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 28, 2018 by a vote of SF 97 Requesting a Waiver for Medicaid Work Requirements. This bill directs the state to request a waiver from the federal government to implement work requirements for work-ready adults who receive Medicaid. Requirements would include either working, attending school or volunteering with a community service organization 20 hours per week. Families and the economy do better when people are employed, benefiting from the dignity of work, as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports reasonable requirements for welfare recipients and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 28, 2018 by a vote of Allowing Concealed Weapons in a Place of Worship. This bill eliminates a state law that bans a person from carrying a concealed firearm into a place of worship without the written consent of the chief administrator of that place of worship. Under this bill, private places of worship are still free to set their own policies regarding firearms. ACU supports the founders belief in the Second Amendment and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 7, 2018 by a vote of Legalizing Gold and Silver Coins. This bill defines specie (gold and silver coins) as legal tender that is as equally viable as U.S. dollars to pay debts and taxes in the state. The bill also prohibits state and local government from levying any taxes on the sale of these coins. ACU supports the free competition of currency and believes the Federal Reserve should not have a monopoly on our money and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 7, 2018 by a vote of SF 40 Subsidizing Air Service Promotion. This bill creates a new bureaucracy, the Wyoming Commercial Air Service Improvement Council, and fund it to the tune of $16 million for its promotion of increased air service in the state. ACU believes the marketplace is the best mechanism to determine the need for air service and opposes forcing taxpayers who don t use these services to subsidize those who do and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 8, 2018 by a vote of Reducing the Abuse of Medicaid for Birth Costs. This bill, known as the Medicaid Fairness Act, requires single fathers with higher-level incomes to reimburse the state for 50 percent of their child s birth costs if Medicaid pays for the birth. ACU supports promoting accountability and efforts to reform a system in which 36 percent of all births in Wyoming are paid for by Medicaid and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 8, 2018 by a vote of SF 108 Subsidizing Agricultural Marketing Programs. This bill appropriates $2 million in taxpayer funds to a program that markets the agricultural products of private companies, as well as an additional $400,000 for international marketing and trade activities, among other provisions. ACU believes that it is not the proper role of government to provide taxpayer-funded marketing services to select industries and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 8, 2018 by a vote of Prohibiting Non-Compete Clauses in Physician Contracts. This bill prohibits the inclusion of a non-compete clause in physicians employment contracts. These clauses generally require employees to refrain from entering into competition with the employer for a specified amount of time after leaving the employment. ACU believes the government should not interfere in private contract negotiations between employers and employees and opposed this bill. The Senate defeated the bill on March 8, 2018 by a vote of

7 10. SF 100 Subsidizing Broadband Service. This bill provides funding to the Wyoming Business Council for purposes of subsidizing broadband infrastructure in areas the government deems unserved or underserved. Under the program, the government will pay up to 50 percent of the total costs of expanding services (up to $5 million), and may be accompanied by funds federal and state grant programs. ACU opposes this interference in the marketplace which forces taxpayers in one part of the state to subsidize the services of another and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 10, 2018 by a vote of SF 119 Subsidizing the Job Training of Select Businesses. This bill creates a new job training program for employees of businesses that can prove they are a priority economic sector business. Under the bill, the government provides a dollar-for-dollar match for expenditures related to training, in addition to a broad range of other business project costs, such as new equipment and buildings. ACU opposes taxpayerfunded programs that favor one business over another, placing those not favored at a competitive disadvantage, and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 11, 2018 by a vote of Strengthening Stand Your Ground Self-Defense Laws. This bill strengthens the state s self-defense law, known as Stand Your Ground, by providing immunity from civil action to those who, based on a good-faith belief of imminent danger, used defensive force (including deadly force) against an intruder. ACU supports the rights of selfdefense and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 11, 2018 by a vote of

8 WYOMING SENATE SCORES WYOMING SENATE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist. SF 4 SF 98 SF SF SF SF SF 119 AGAR R 20 X X + X ANDERSON R Anselmi-Dalton D BALDWIN R BARNARD R BEBOUT R BONER R BOUCHARD R BURNS R CASE R CHRISTENSEN R COE R DOCKSTADER R DRISKILL R ELLIS R EMERICH R Hastert D HICKS R KINSKEY R LANDEN R MEIER R X + - X MONIZ R NETHERCOTT R PAPPAS R PERKINS R ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 8

9 WYOMING SENATE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist. SF 4 SF 98 SF SF SF SF SF 119 PETERSON R Rothfuss D SCOTT R VON FLATERN R WASSERBURGER R 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 WYOMING HOUSE STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 51 REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 56 WYOMING HOUSE CONSERVATIVE RATINGS RED = REPUBLICANS BLUE = DEMOCRATS DEMOCRAT AVERAGE LOWEST REPUBLICAN WALTERS 12 HIGHEST DEMOCRAT # OF STATE REPS BLAKE ACUF PERCENTAGE

11 WYOMING HOUSE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS Reforming the Occupational Licensing Process for those with Criminal Convictions. This bill prevents any state licensing board or commission from imposing a lifetime ban on the ability for a particular worker to obtain a professional license unless the conviction is related to the duties and responsibilities of the occupation. ACU Foundation s Center for Criminal Justice Reform is a leading voice on efforts such as this that improve the criminal reentry process and reduce recidivism. ACU disfavors occupational licenses, but if it they are imposed, should not discriminate those who have already paid their debt to society. ACU supports expanding job opportunities and increasing public safety and supported this bill. The House defeated the bill on February 13, 2018 by a vote of (A two-thirds vote is required during a budget session. ) Imposing Mandates on Health Care Providers. This bill establishes a litany of mandates by which health care providers must abide when a patient makes a non-emergency appointment. Under the bill, providers must present patients with a written list of affiliated insurers, establish and update a list of standard charges for procedures, and provide patients with instructions for determining the health care plan participation of other practitioners with whom the provider coordinates. ACU supports the ability of patients to voluntarily obtain health care information, but opposes one-size-fits-all government mandates which drive up the cost of health care and opposed this bill. The House defeated the bill on February 14, 2018 by a vote of Increasing Government-Controlled Liquor Prices. This bill increases by 3 percent (17.6 percent to 20.6 percent) the profit margin the state may collect when it sells wine and liquor to retailers in the state. ACU opposes the state s monopoly of the liquor market and opposes this tactic to raise state revenue that will force consumers to pay more for these products and opposed this bill. The House defeated the bill on February 14, 2018 by a vote of Prohibiting Sanctuary Cities. This bill prohibits local governments from implementing policies that prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with federal authorities in reporting illegal immigration status. Those that implement sanctuary city policies will be subject to the loss of state aid. ACU supports the enforcement of federal immigration laws and supported this bill. The House defeated the bill on February 14, 2018 by a vote of (A two-thirds vote is required during a budget session. ) Promoting the Transfer of Federal Lands to the State. This bill makes it easier for the state to acquire land from the federal government by streamlining regulations and ensuring that such a transfer is not subject to any formula that limits the total land acreage entrusted to the state. ACU supports the transfer of federal land to the states and supports the overall reduction in the amount of land held at all levels of government and supported this bill as a step in the right direction. The House defeated the bill on February 14, 2018 by a vote of (A two-thirds vote is required during a budget session. ) Streamlining Regulations on Small Mines and Limited Mining Operations. This bill reduces regulatory burdens on small mines and limited mining operations. The bill creates a single waiver for mining equipment and allows some limited operations to take place without prior approval of the Department of Environmental Quality. Expanding entrepreneurship promotes economic growth, which leads to greater family prosperity, as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports this pro-growth regulatory reform and supported this bill. The House defeated the bill on February 15, 2018 by a vote of Increasing Legislative Oversight of Endangered Species Regulations. This bill requires the Game and Fish Department to send any agreements made with federal agencies regarding endangered or sensitive species to the legislature for approval. ACU supports increased legislative oversight of federal regulations and supported this bill. The House defeated the bill on February 22, 2018 by a vote of Prohibiting Non-Compete Clauses in Physician Contracts. This bill prohibits the inclusion of a non-compete clause in physicians employment contracts. These clauses generally require employees to refrain from entering into competition with the employer for a specified amount of time after leaving the employment. ACU believes the government should not interfere in private contract negotiations between employers and employees and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 27, 2018 by a vote of

12 Allowing Concealed Weapons in a Place of Worship. This bill eliminates a state law that bans a person from carrying a concealed firearm into a place of worship without the written consent of the chief administrator of that place of worship. Under this bill, private places of worship are still free to set their own policies regarding firearms. ACU supports the founders belief in the Second Amendment and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on February 27, 2018 by a vote of SF 108 Subsidizing Agricultural Marketing Programs. This bill appropriates $2 million in taxpayer funds to a program that markets the agricultural products of private companies, as well as an additional $400,000 for international marketing and trade activities, among other provisions. ACU believes that it is not the proper role of government to provide taxpayer-funded marketing services to select industries and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on March 7, 2018 by a vote of SF 40 Subsidizing Air Service Promotion. This bill creates a new bureaucracy, the Wyoming Commercial Air Service Improvement Council, and fund it to the tune of $16 million for its promotion of increased air service in the state. ACU believes the marketplace is the best mechanism to determine the need for air service and opposes forcing taxpayers who don t use these services to subsidize those who do and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on March 7, 2018 by a vote of Legalizing Gold and Silver Coins. This bill defines specie (gold and silver coins) as legal tender that is as equally viable as U.S. dollars to pay debts and taxes in the state. The bill also prohibits state and local government from levying any taxes on the sale of these coins. ACU supports the free competition of currency, and believes the Federal Reserve should not have a monopoly on our money and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 8, 2018 by a vote of SF 100 Subsidizing Broadband Service. This bill provides funding to the Wyoming Business Council for purposes of subsidizing broadband infrastructure in areas the government deems unserved or underserved. Under the program, the government will pay up to 50 percent of the total costs of expanding services (up to $5 million), and may be accompanied by funds federal and state grant programs. ACU opposes this interference in the marketplace which forces taxpayers in one part of the state to subsidize the services of another and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on March 9, 2018 by a vote of Reducing the Abuse of Medicaid for Birth Costs. This bill, known as the Medicaid Fairness Act, requires single fathers with higher-level incomes to reimburse the state for 50 percent of their child s birth costs if Medicaid pays for the birth. ACU supports promoting accountability and efforts to reform a system in which 36 percent of all births in Wyoming are paid for by Medicaid and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 9, 2018 by a vote of SF 119 Subsidizing the Job Training of Select Businesses. This bill creates a new job training program for employees of businesses that can prove they are a priority economic sector business. Under the bill, the government provides a dollar-for-dollar match for expenditures related to training, in addition to a broad range of other business project costs, such as new equipment and buildings. ACU opposes taxpayer-funded programs that favor one business over another, placing those not favored at a competitive disadvantage, and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on March 10, 2018 by a vote of SF 118 Subsidizing Start-Up Companies. This bill creates an $11 million program, called Kickstart: Wyoming, to hand out matching grants to recipients who have secured other federal or non-state grants for business initiatives and projects chosen by the government. ACU believes the free and competitive marketplace, not the government, is the best mechanism to decide which business initiatives will thrive and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on March 10, 2018 by a vote of Strengthening Stand Your Ground Self-Defense Laws. This bill strengthens the state s self-defense law, known as Stand Your Ground, by providing immunity from civil action to those who, based on a good-faith belief of imminent danger, used defensive force (including deadly force) against an intruder. ACU supports the rights of selfdefense and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 11, 2018 by a vote of

13 WYOMING HOUSE SCORES WYOMING HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist SF SF 108 SF SF SF 119 SF 118 ALLEN R BARLOW R BITEMAN R BLACKBURN R Blake D Bovee D BROWN R X BURKHART R Byrd D X CLAUSEN R CLEM R Connolly D COURT R CRANK R Dayton D EDWARDS R EKLUND R EYRE R FLITNER R Freeman D FURPHY R Gierau D GRAY R GREEAR R X - X HALEY R HALLINAN R ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 13

14 WYOMING HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist SF SF 108 SF SF SF 119 SF 118 HALVERSON R HARSHMAN R HENDERSON R HUNT R JENNINGS R KINNER R KIRKBRIDE R LARSEN R LAURSEN R LINDHOLM R LONE R X X LOUCKS R MacGUIRE R MADDEN R MILLER R NICHOLAS R NORTHRUP R X X OBERMUELLER R OLSEN R PAXTON R Pelkey D PIIPARINEN R X + X POWNALL R SALAZAR R X Schwartz D SIMPSON R n/a 59 SOMMERS R STEINMETZ R ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 14

15 WYOMING HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist SF SF 108 SF SF SF 119 SF 118 STITH R n/a 59 SWEENEY R WALTERS R WILSON R WINTERS R ZWONITZER R 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. 15