RATINGS of WEST VIRGINIA

Transcription

1 2018 RATINGS of WEST VIRGINIA #ACURatings Conservative.org TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Chairman...2 ACU & ACUF Board Members...3 Selecting the Winners & Losers...4 WV Senate Statistics...5 WV Senate Vote Descriptions... 6 WV Senate Scores... 8 WV House Statistics...10 WV House Vote Descriptions...11 WV 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 HOUSE HOUSE n/a ADKINS GRAVES OVERINGTON AZINGER COWLES KELLY QUEEN AMBLER HAMRICK PACK CRISS MARTIN ROHRBACH ANDERSON HANSHAW ROMINE, C. ELLINGTON McGEEHAN STORCH ARMSTEAD HARSHBARGER ROMINE, R. FAST PAYNTER SYPOLT ATKINSON BLAIR BUTLER CAPITO COOPER DEAN ESPINOSA EVANS, A. FOLK FOSTER FRICH GEARHEART HIGGINBOTH- AM HILL HOLLEN HOUSEHOLDER HOWELL JENNINGS KESSINGER LANE MAYNARD MILLER, C. MOORE NELSON ROWAN SHOTT SOBONYA STATLER SUMMERS UPSON WALTERS WESTFALL WHITE WILSON ZATEZALO <= 10 SENATE n/a HAMILTON COALITION OF THE RADICAL LEFT HOUSE Caputo Fleischauer Pushkin Pyles PHILLIPS 4

5 WEST VIRGINIA SENATE STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 60 REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 76 WEST VIRGINIA SENATE CONSERVATIVE RATINGS RED = REPUBLICANS BLUE = DEMOCRATS DEMOCRAT AVERAGE LOWEST REPUBLICANS CLEMENTS DRENNAN 64 # OF STATE SENATORS HIGHEST DEMOCRAT PLYMALE ACUF PERCENTAGE

6 WEST VIRGINIA SENATE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS 1. SB 284 Providing Free Community College Tuition. This bill creates a new program, known as WV Invests Grant Program, that provides free community college to all eligible adults and college age students. To be eligible, a student must enroll in at least six credit hours a semester, pass a drug test, and maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA. ACU does not believe it is the responsibility of one taxpayer to pay for the full college tuition of another individual and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on January 30, 2018 by a vote of SB 335 Prohibiting Wage Deductions for Political Activities. This bill prohibits an employer from withholding any portion of an employee s wage for the purpose of funding a political activity, unless the employee provides written permission. ACU supports paycheck protection and does not believe an employee should be forced to turnover any of their earnings to a union for the promotion of a political agenda with which they may disagree and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 9, 2018 by a vote of SJR 12 Amending the Constitution to Clarify Abortion is not a Right. This resolution proposes an amendment to the Constitution of West Virginia stating that nothing in the state constitution secures or protects the right to an abortion or requires funding for abortion. ACU believes abortion is a human tragedy, supports restrictions on the practice and supported this resolution. The Senate passed the resolution on February 9, 2018 by a vote of HB 2546 Allowing Employers to Deduct Unreturned Property from Employee Wages. This bill helps ensure employers can recover unreturned property by permitting them to withhold the replacement costs of the property from an employee s final paycheck. ACU Foundation s Center for 21st Century Property Rights is a leading voice on issues such as this relating to protections of personal property. ACU supports this commonsense measure to combat theft and protect property rights and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 14, 2018 by a vote of SB 458 Preventing Localities from Imposing a Minimum Wage above the State Level. This bill prohibits local governments from increasing the minimum wage or mandating benefits, such as overtime and paid leave, above the state and federal minimum levels. An increase in the minimum wage results in higher unemployment. High rates of unemployment hinder family prosperity as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU opposes these artificial wages that hurt those who need employment the most, such as students and inexperienced workers, supports the ability of employees to negotiate their own benefits and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 15, 2018 by a vote of SB 494 Preventing Union Time from Being Counted as Service under the Teacher Retirement System. This bill excludes the non-teaching time an individual served as an officer of a union from being counted as credit when calculating years of service and benefits under the teacher retirement system. ACU believes that the benefits provided under the teacher retirement system should be reserved for teachers and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 20, 2018 by a vote of SB 523 Eliminating Special Tax Breaks for Wind Power Projects. This bill eliminates special tax breaks for wind power projects by no longer classifying them as pollution control facilities, and instead taxing them as real property. ACU supports all forms of energy, believes government should not favor one form of energy over another and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 22, 2018 by a vote of SB 534 Prohibiting E-Cigarettes on School Grounds. This bill adds e-cigarettes to the list of tobacco products prohibited on school grounds, even though they do not contain tobacco. ACU believes cigarettes and e-cigarettes are a personal liberty issue, that government regulations on products are only appropriate when their use substantially impacts others and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 28, 2018 by a vote of

7 9. SB 319 Providing Equal Opportunities to Homeschool Students to Obtain State Scholarships. This bill expands eligibility for the state s PROMISE Scholarship program to include homeschool students. The PROMISE Scholarship is a merit-based program that provides help with college tuition and mandatory fees. ACU believes homeschool students should have the same opportunities as public school students to achieve funding for higher education and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 7, 2018 by a vote of HB 4350 Reforming Regulations on Upholstery and Bedding. This bill repeals numerous regulations for the upholstery and bedding business, including tagging requirements, annual registration and permit fees. ACU supports reducing needless regulations that increase costs of both businesses and consumers and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 9, 2018 by a vote of HB 4006 Reducing Government Bureaucracy. This bill eliminates the Department of Education and the Arts, completely eliminates some of its initiatives, continues other programs as independent agencies, and transfers certain other duties to the Department of Commerce. The bill also repeals a number of other government programs and commissions, such as the Annual Professional Development Master Plan. ACU supports efforts to eliminate unneeded, wasteful government programs and reducing the bureaucracy and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 9, 2018 by a vote of HB 4558 Subsidizing Startup Businesses Favored by the Government. This bill creates a new bureaucracy, known as the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Investment Fund, to give seed money to startup businesses chosen by the government. ACU opposes using taxpayer funds to subsidize select companies and compete with private investors in the marketplace and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 9, 2018 by a vote of HB 2916 Allowing First Responders to Carry Firearms. This bill allows first responders, including emergency service personnel, firefighters and ambulance drivers, to carry firearms once they pass a state police academy firearms course. ACU supports the founders belief in the Second Amendment and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 10, 2018 by a vote of HB 4001 Establishing Work Requirements for Food Stamps. This bill requires work-ready, childless adults who receive food stamps under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to work, volunteer, or participate in job training for at least 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 to receive welfare benefits which help increase employment and reduce fraud and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 10, 2018 by a vote of

8 WEST VIRGINIA SENATE SCORES WEST VIRGINIA SENATE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist. SB 284 SB 335 SJR 12 HB 2546 SB 458 SB 494 SB 523 ARVON R AZINGER R Baldwin D Beach D BLAIR R BOLEY R BOSO R CARMICHAEL R CLEMENTS R CLINE R DRENNAN R n/a 64 Facemire D FERNS R GAUNCH R Jeffries D KARNES R MANN R E E E E MARONEY R E E MAYNARD R Ojeda D Palumbo D Plymale D 5 - E Prezioso D Romano D SB 534 SB 319 HB 4350 HB 4006 HB 4558 HB 2916 HB 4001 ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 8

9 WEST VIRGINIA SENATE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist. SB 284 SB 335 SJR 12 HB 2546 SB 458 SB 494 SB 523 RUCKER R E E SMITH R E Stollings D SWOPE R SYPOLT R TAKUBO R TRUMP R Unger D WELD R Woelfel D SB 534 SB 319 HB 4350 HB 4006 HB 4558 HB 2916 HB 4001 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 WEST VIRGINIA HOUSE STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 70 REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 92 WEST VIRGINIA HOUSE CONSERVATIVE RATINGS RED = REPUBLICANS BLUE = DEMOCRATS DEMOCRAT AVERAGE LOWEST REPUBLICAN WARD 67 # OF STATE REPS HIGHEST DEMOCRATS BOGGS HARTMAN ACUF PERCENTAGE

11 WEST VIRGINIA HOUSE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS 1. HB 2546 Allowing Employers to Deduct Unreturned Property from Employee Wages. This bill helps ensure employers can recover unreturned property by permitting them to withhold the replacement costs of the property from an employee s final paycheck. ACU Foundation s Center for 21st Century Property Rights is a leading voice on issues such as this relating to protections of personal property. ACU supports this commonsense measure to combat theft and protect property rights and supported this bill. The House of Delegates passed the bill on January 29, 2018 by a vote of HB 4010 Protecting Religious Organizations Liberties to Solemnize a Marriage. This bill protects a religious organization s right to refuse to solemnize a marriage if it violates a sincerely held religious belief and removes any criminal or civil liability from the church. ACU supports the constitutional protections provided under the First Amendment to practice one s religion and supported this bill. The House of Delegates passed the bill on January 30, 2018 by a vote of HB 4407 Providing Schools Greater Flexibility to Hire Teachers. This bill eliminates a barrier that prevented a school from hiring a qualified teacher applicant simply because he/she didn t academically major or work in the field of the subject he/she wishes to teach. The bill maintains the requirement that a teacher possess a bachelor s degree and pass subject matter tests. ACU supports providing schools with the flexibility to hire the best teachers, especially at a time when the state is facing a shortage of teachers, and supported this bill. The House of Delegates passed the bill on February 13, 2018 by a vote of HB 4011 Requiring State Agencies to Submit Regulations for Repeal. This bill requires that when state agencies submit a new regulation for enactment, that they identify two existing regulations that can be repealed. ACU supports efforts to reduce regulatory burdens wherever possible and supported this bill. The House of Delegates passed the bill on February 21, 2018 by a vote of HB 4014 Reorganizing DHHR to Increase Government Transparency. This bill makes it easier for the state to prosecute Medicaid fraud. It does this by reorganizing the Department of Health and Human Relations (DHHR) in order to increase transparency, eliminate duplication and provide greater accountability over the way taxpayer funds are spent. Under the bill, the Department of Healthcare Facilities and the Office of Inspector General are separated into distinct entities, providing the latter greater ability to prosecute Medicaid fraud. ACU supports efforts to increase government transparency and ensure the proper use of taxpayer funds and supported this bill. The House of Delegates passed the bill on February 27, 2018 by a vote of HB 4558 Subsidizing Startup Businesses Favored by the Government. This bill creates a new bureaucracy, known as the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Investment Fund, to give seed money to startup businesses chosen by the government. ACU opposes using taxpayer funds to subsidize select companies and compete with private investors in the marketplace and opposed this bill. The House of Delegates passed the bill on February 28, 2018 by a vote of HB 4153 Imposing a New Tax on Health Insurance Companies. This bill imposes a new tax on Health Maintenance Organizations (insurance companies). The purpose of this tax is to allow the state to collect more revenues and increase spending on Medicaid. This additional spending will then realize an increased federal match, the real purpose of this tax increase. ACU opposes this gimmick to draw additional Medicaid funds, which ultimately drives up consumer health care costs, and opposed this bill. The House of Delegates passed the bill on February 28, 2018 by a vote of SJR 12 Amending the Constitution to Clarify Abortion is not a Right. This resolution proposes an amendment to the West Virginia state constitution stating that nothing in the state constitution secures or protects the right to an abortion or requires funding for abortion. ACU believes abortion is a human tragedy, supports restrictions on the practice and supported this resolution. The House of Delegates passed the resolution on March 5, 2018 by a vote of

12 9. SB 7 Granting Employers the Right to Correct Wage Violations Prior to Litigation. This bill provides employers the right to cure any alleged employee wage or benefit violations before facing litigation. Under the bill, an employee must notify an employer of any alleged violation via certified mail, and an employer has 10 days from receipt of the notice to correct the alleged violation. The House of Delegates failed to pass the bill on March 6, 2018 by a vote of SB 319 Providing Equal Opportunities to Homeschool Students to Obtain State Scholarships. This bill expands eligibility for the state s PROMISE Scholarship program to include homeschool students. The PROMISE Scholarship is a merit-based program that provides help with college tuition and mandatory fees. ACU believes homeschool students should have the same opportunities as public school students to achieve funding for higher education and supported this bill. The House of Delegates passed the bill on March 6, 2018 by a vote of SB 273 Imposing a Tax on Prescription Drugs of 10 Cents per Pill. The Byrd (ACUF Lifetime 45), et al. Amendment to a drug abuse bill imposes a new excise tax of 10 cents on each pill purchased by a licensed pharmacy containing opium or opiates. Half of the revenue will go to a substance abuse fund, while the other half will go to bailing out the Public Employee Insurance Agency. ACU opposes this tax which will drive up consumer prescription drug costs and opposed this amendment. The House of Delegates failed to pass this amendment on March 7, 2018 by a vote of HB 2916 Allowing First Responders to Carry Firearms. This bill allows first responders, including emergency service personnel, firefighters and ambulance drivers, to carry firearms once they pass a state police academy firearms course. ACU supports the founders belief in the Second Amendment and supported this bill. The House of Delegates passed the bill on March 9, 2018 by a vote of HB 4001 Establishing Work Requirements for Food Stamps. This bill requires work-ready, childless adults who receive food stamps under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to work, volunteer, or participate in job training for at least 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 to receive welfare benefits which help increase employment and reduce fraud and supported this bill. The House of Delegates passed the bill on March 10, 2018 by a vote of HB 4350 Reforming Regulations on Upholstery and Bedding. This bill repeals numerous regulations for the upholstery and bedding business, including tagging requirements, annual registration and permit fees. ACU supports reducing needless regulations which increase costs of both businesses and consumers and supported this bill. The House of Delegates passed the bill on March 10, 2018 by a vote of HB 4006 Reducing Government Bureaucracy. This bill eliminates the Department of Education and the Arts, completely eliminates some of its initiatives, continues other programs as independent agencies, and transfers certain other duties to the Department of Commerce. The bill also repeals a number of other government programs and commissions, such as the Annual Professional Development Master Plan. ACU supports efforts to eliminate unneeded, wasteful government programs and reducing the bureaucracy and supported this bill. The House of Delegates passed the bill on March 10, 2018 by a vote of

13 WEST VIRGINIA HOUSE SCORES WEST VIRGINIA HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist. HB 2546 HB 4010 HB 4407 HB 4011 HB 4014 HB 4558 HB 4153 SJR 12 SB 7 SB 319 SB 273 Byrd Amd. HB 2916 HB 4001 HB 4350 HB 4006 ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG ADKINS R 31 X X n/a 100 AMBLER R ANDERSON R ARMSTEAD R ATKINSON R Barrett D X Bates D BLAIR R Boggs D Brewer D BUTLER R Byrd D Campbell D n/a 44 Canestraro D CAPITO R 35 + X X X Caputo D COOPER R X COWLES R 58 + X CRISS R DEAN R DEEM R X X X X X X X X X X X X X 2 2 n/a Diserio D Eldridge D X ELLINGTON R

14 WEST VIRGINIA HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist. HB 2546 HB 4010 HB 4407 HB 4011 HB 4014 HB 4558 HB 4153 SJR 12 SB 7 SB 319 SB 273 Byrd Amd. HB 2916 HB 4001 HB 4350 HB 4006 ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG ESPINOSA R EVANS, A. R Evans, E. D FAST R Ferro D Fleischauer D X Fluharty D X FOLK R FOSTER R FRICH R GEARHEART R GRAVES R n/a 100 HAMILTON R HAMRICK R HANSHAW R HARSHBARGER R Hartman D Hicks D X HIGGINBOTHAM R HILL R HOLLEN R Hornbuckle D HOUSEHOLDER R HOWELL R Iaquinta D X Isner D 43 X X X

15 WEST VIRGINIA HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist. HB 2546 HB 4010 HB 4407 HB 4011 HB 4014 HB 4558 HB 4153 SJR 12 SB 7 SB 319 SB 273 Byrd Amd. HB 2916 HB 4001 HB 4350 HB 4006 ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG JENNINGS R n/a 93 KELLY R KESSINGER R LANE R Longstreth D 50 X X Love D Lovejoy D X Lynch D Marcum D MARTIN R MAYNARD R McGEEHAN R Miley D MILLER, C. R Miller, R. D MOORE R Moye D NELSON R OVERINGTON R PACK R n/a 93 PAYNTER R Pethtel D PHILLIPS R Pushkin D Pyles D QUEEN R

16 WEST VIRGINIA HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party Dist. HB 2546 HB 4010 HB 4407 HB 4011 HB 4014 HB 4558 HB 4153 SJR 12 SB 7 SB 319 SB 273 Byrd Amd. HB 2916 HB 4001 HB 4350 HB 4006 ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG Robinson D Rodighiero D ROHRBACH R ROMINE, C. R X X ROMINE, R. R X ROWAN R Rowe D SHOTT R SOBONYA R Sponaugle D STATLER R STORCH R 3 X SUMMERS R X X SYPOLT R Thompson D UPSON R WAGNER R WALTERS R X X X X X WARD R WESTFALL R WHITE R Williams D WILSON R ZATEZALO R 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. 16