2016 RATINGS of DELAWARE

Transcription

1 2016 RATINGS of DELAWARE #ACURatings Conservative.org TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Chairman 2 DE Senate Vote Descriptions 5 ACU & ACUF Board Members 3 DE Senate Scores 7 Selecting the Votes 3 DE House Vote Descriptions Winners & Losers 4 DE House Scores 10

2 LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN Dear Fellow Conservatives, We are pleased to present the American Conservative Union Foundation s ratings for the 2016 meeting of the Delaware General Assembly. Like our Congressional Ratings, our State Ratings reflect how elected officials view the role of government in an individual's life. The Delaware legislators with the highest scores voted most consistently with the ideals articulated in the U.S. Constitution: limited and transparent government, individual rights, personal responsibility, and lasting cultural values. In 2015, ACU Foundation was proud to make history by being the first organization to rate every single state legislature across the full spectrum of issues, helping each voter understand how his or her state ranks among the rest. Ultimately, we are trying to help people understand what conservatism is and how it improves the lives of everyday Americans. Conservatism is the political philosophy that sovereignty resides in the person. We think that understanding this idea is essential if Americans are to successfully govern themselves again. Working with our policy centers and fellows, the ACU Foundation engages in deep policy analysis to help create our annual state scorecards. We have enhanced the vote descriptions this year to show this effort more clearly. By examining all 50 of our State Ratings, we can see which states have most effectively promoted conservative solutions and which have struggled. Our ratings also help identify legislators who have courageously fought against liberal majorities. We hope that this guide helps you learn how well, or poorly, your legislators work to preserve the values we share. Sincerely, Matt Schlapp Chairman American Conservative Union 2

3 ACU BOARD MEMBERS Matt Schlapp Chairman Charlie Gerow First Vice Chairman Carolyn D. Meadows Second Vice Chairman Bob Beauprez Treasuer Amy Frederick Secretary Thomas Winter Executive Committee Member Larry Beasley Kimberly Bellissimo Morton C. Blackwell John Bolton Jose Cardenas Ron Christie Muriel Coleman Kellyanne Conway Tom DeLay Becky Norton Dunlop ACU FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBERS John Eddy Luis Fortuno Alan M. Gotleib Van D. Hipp, Jr. Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser James V. Lacy Michael R. Long Ed McFadden Grover G. Norquist Ron Robinson Mike Rose Ned Ryun Peter Samuelson Sabrina Schaeffer Fred L. Smith, Jr. Matt Smith Ed Yevoli SELECTING THE VOTES ACU researched and selected a range of bills before the Delaware General Assembly 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 Delaware s elected leaders best defend the principles of a free society: Life, Liberty and Property. Matt Schlapp Chairman Millie Hallow Vice Chairman Van D. Hipp, Jr. Treasurer Amy Frederick Secretary Kimberly Bellissimo Jose Cardenas Jonathan Garthwaite Charlie Gerow Colin Hanna Niger Innes Willes Lee Carolyn D. Meadows Randy Neugebauer Thomas Winter 1331 H Street NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC (202)

4 2016 WINNERS & LOSERS AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE EXCELLENCE <= 10 COALITION OF THE RADICAL LEFT SENATE HOUSE SENATE HOUSE n/a n/a n/a n/a AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE ACHIEVEMENT SENATE HOUSE HOCKER n/a SIMPSON 4

5 DELAWARE SENATE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS Minimum Wage. This bill increases the minimum wage to $10.25 per hour by It will then, without legislative approval, be increased automatically each year by the cost of living adjustment for Social Security. 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 such artificial wage rates, which hurt those who need the most help in gaining employment, such as students and inexperienced workers, and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on January 27, 2016 by a vote of Corporate Subsidies. This bill turns a research and development tax credit program into a direct corporate subsidy. Two limits on the tax credit are repealed: 1) the cap of 50 of the tax owed, and 2) the credit is made refundable so the company will receive funds over and above any tax owed. ACU opposes such corporate subsidies, which, in this case, are expected to cost the taxpayers $10 million a year when fully implemented, and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 20, 2016 by a vote of Government Public Works Program. This bill sets up a New Deal-style public works program called Work a Day Earn a Pay. Under this program, the Council on Development Finance will develop a grant program for activist organizations that help inexperienced or unemployed workers find entry level jobs. The program will also offer these same workers temporary jobs on public works projects, such as litter control and park cleanup projects. ACU believes it is not government that creates jobs and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on May 12, 2016 by a vote of Government Inspections. This bill amends the electrician licensing requirements to allow government inspectors to make unannounced inspections during business hours to determine if the business has a proper license. ACU opposes the proliferation of such license requirements, which are primarily designed to restrict competition, opposes the weakening of property rights, and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 7, 2016 by a vote of Hair Braiders Licensing. This bill makes a special exception to the licensing laws for people engaged solely in the practice of hair braiding. However, hair braiders are still prohibited from hair cutting or dyeing without a license. Expanding entrepreneurship promotes economic growth, which leads to greater family prosperity, as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU opposes the proliferation of such license requirements, which are primarily designed to reduce competition, and supported this bill as a step in the right direction. The Senate passed the bill on June 7, 2016 by a vote of Medicaid Expansion. This bill expands the Medicaid program to include dental care. The bill provides for $1,000 in ordinary dental care and an additional $1,500 for emergency care with a co-pay of $ ACU opposes expanding a program rife with waste and fraud with no reforms and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 14, 2016 by a vote of Crowdfunding Regulations. This bill eases regulations for small businesses who want to use crowdfunding to raise capital. Crowdfunding makes use of the Internet to provide a low-cost way for start-up businesses to raise funds. Although limited to Delaware residents, the bill eliminates expensive detailed financial statements that have curtailed the use of crowdfunding in Delaware. Under the bill, a business may raise up to $1 million per year and the individual investment is limited to $5,000 for each offering. Expanding entrepreneurship promotes economic growth, which leads to greater family prosperity, as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports common-sense regulatory reform and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 14, 2016 by a vote of Hazardous Duty Pay. This bill places people who work on road construction in the same category as prison guards and those who are assigned to work with the criminally insane. This is done so they may receive hazardous duty pay at an additional cost to taxpayers of $2.5 million per year. ACU opposes this obvious misuse of hazardous duty pay and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 16, 2016 by a vote of Expanding Delays in Gun Background Checks. This bill repeals the threeday limit to conduct a background check for firearm sales and extends it to 30 days. ACU supports the Founders belief in the Second Amendment and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 21, 2016 by a vote of Banning Firearm Sales. This bill bans the sale of firearms to anyone on the no-fly list or terrorist watch list. ACU opposes using these unreliable and unverified lists as the sole reason for banning the sale of firearms and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 22, 2016 by a vote of Increasing Penalties for Certain Truck Brakes. This bill increases penalties for the use of so-called Jake Brakes because they make an annoying noise. The use of these brakes becomes a moving violation and a permanent part of the driving record. ACU opposes such traffic laws, which are created based on what people find annoying rather than on road safety, and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 23, 2016 by a vote of

6 Campaign Finance Reform. This bill places contributions from political parties and PACS under the same rules as other contributors so that the contribution limits reset after a primary election, creating a new set of limits for the general election. ACU supports common-sense reform of campaign finance laws and supported this bill. The Senate defeated the bill on June 28, 2016 by a vote of Employer Abortion Mandate. This bill prohibits discrimination in employment based on an employee s decision to have an abortion, with no exception for religious-based organizations. ACU opposes such mandates, which force employers to act against their religious convictions, and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 29, 2016 by a vote of Employer Family Caregiving Mandate. This bill prohibits discrimination in employment based on an employee s outside responsibilities for child care, elder care, or both, no matter how significant the responsibilities might be. ACU opposes such mandates, which are primarily designed to increase the number of lawsuits over unlawful discrimination, and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 29, 2016 by a vote of Worker Compensation Rules. This bill allows employees to collect worker compensation benefits and personal insurance benefits for the same injury. ACU opposes this attempt to misuse the purpose of both worker compensation and personal insurance, which drives up the cost of insurance for everybody, and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 29, 2016 by a vote of Government Subsidies for Technology Commercialization. This bill creates a new bureaucracy, the Delaware Technology Commercialization Fund, to pay for research and development projects with funds not used by other research and development projects and to help universities commercialize new technology. Decisions will be made by a committee consisting of state and university officials to develop their own guidelines for allocating funds. ACU opposes such duplicative programs and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 30, 2016 by a vote of School Breakfast Mandate. This bill requires all public schools, including charter schools, which participate in the National School Lunch Program, to offer breakfast at no cost to the student. ACU opposes such mandates, which divert funds from education and drive up the cost to taxpayers, and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on July 1, 2016 by a vote of School Mandate. This bill requires all public secondary schools, including vocational schools, to have a school-based health center that will include reproductive health services, if approved by the local school board. ACU opposes such mandates, which divert money for education to unrelated purposes, and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on July 1, 2016 by a vote of Employer Wage Mandate. This bill prohibits an employer from requiring an employee to not disclose his or her wages to other employees even if the employee signs a nondisclosure agreement. ACU opposes such government interference in the employer-employee relationship and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 29, 2016 by a vote of

7 DELAWARE SENATE SCORES DELAWARE SENATE STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 39 REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 69 LOWEST REPUBLICAN CLOUTIER 39 DEMOCRAT AVERAGE 16 HIGHEST DEMOCRAT BUSHWELLER 24 SPARKS 38 DELAWARE SENATE VOTE DETAIL Party District ACU Votes Blevins D BONINI R X X Bushweller D 17 X X CLOUTIER R X Ennis D X Hall-Long D Henry D HOCKER R 20 X X LAVELLE R X - + X X LAWSON R X LOPEZ R X Marshall D McBride D X McDowell D X + X Peterson D PETTYJOHN R X Poore D RICHARDSON R X SIMPSON R Sokola D Townsend D X Votes Cast LIFETIME AVG 7

8 DELAWARE HOUSE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS School Testing Programs. This bill allows parents to decide whether their child will participate in a new standardized testing program called the Smarter Balanced Assessment System. ACU supports increasing parental rights over their child s education and supported this bill. The House failed to override the governor s veto of the bill on January 14, 2016 by a vote of Landscape Architect License Requirements. This bill increases the requirements for obtaining a landscape architect s license in Delaware. In addition to graduating from a school of landscape architecture, the licensee must now also complete two years of professional experience under the supervision of a current licensed landscape architect. When entrepreneurship is suppressed, the resulting decline in economic growth leads to a reduction in family prosperity, as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU opposes the proliferation of license requirements, which are primarily designed to restrict competition, and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on January 19, 2016 by a vote of Taxpayer Payments to Not Develop Land. This bill amends the state constitution to require $10 million from the Realty Transfer Tax to be used for the Farmland Preservation Fund, which pays landowners to not use their land in order to preserve the nature of the farmland. ACU opposes this waste of the taxpayers money and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on March 15, 2016 by a vote of Corporate Subsidies. This bill turns a research and development tax credit program into a direct corporate subsidy. Two limits on the tax credit are repealed: 1) the cap of 50 of the tax owed, and 2) the credit is made refundable so the company will receive funds over and above any tax owed. ACU opposes such corporate subsidies, which, in this case, are expected to cost the taxpayers $10 million a year when fully implemented, and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on March 17, 2016 by a vote of Government Inspections. This bill amends the electrician licensing requirements to allow government inspectors to make unannounced inspections during business hours to determine if the business has a proper license. ACU opposes the proliferation of such license requirements, which are primarily designed to restrict competition, opposes the weakening of property rights, and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on April 21, 2016 by a vote of Employer Wage Mandate. This bill prohibits an employer from requiring an employee to not disclose his or her wages to other employees even if the employee signs a nondisclosure agreement. ACU opposes such government interference in the employer-employee relationship and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on May 5, 2016 by a vote of Hair Braiders Licensing. This bill makes a special exception to the licensing laws for people engaged solely in the practice of hair braiding. However, hair braiders are still prohibited from hair cutting or dyeing without a license. Expanding entrepreneurship promotes economic growth, which leads to greater family prosperity, as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU opposes the proliferation of such license requirements, which are primarily designed to reduce competition, and supported this bill as a step in the right direction. The House passed the bill on May 10, 2016 by a vote of Increasing Penalties for Certain Truck Brakes. This bill increases penalties for the use of so-called Jake Brakes because they make an annoying noise. The use of these brakes becomes a moving violation and a permanent part of the driving record. ACU opposes such traffic laws, which are created based on what people find annoying rather than on road safety, and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on May 17, 2016 by a vote of Employer Abortion Mandate. This bill prohibits discrimination in employment based on an employee s decision to have an abortion, with no exception for religious-based organizations. ACU opposes such mandates, which force employers to act against their religious convictions, and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 14, 2016 by a vote of Employer Family Caregiving Mandate. This bill prohibits discrimination in employment based on an employee s outside responsibilities for child care, elder care, or both, no matter how significant the responsibilities might be. ACU opposes such mandates, which are primarily designed to increase the number of lawsuits over unlawful discrimination, and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 14, 2016 by a vote of

9 Crowdfunding Regulations. This bill eases regulations for small businesses who want to use crowdfunding to raise capital. Crowdfunding makes use of the Internet to provide a low-cost way for start-up businesses to raise funds. Although limited to Delaware residents, the bill eliminates expensive detailed financial statements that have curtailed the use of crowdfunding in Delaware. Under the bill, a business may raise up to $1 million per year and the individual investment is limited to $5,000 for each offering. Expanding entrepreneurship promotes economic growth, which leads to greater family prosperity, as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports common-sense regulatory reform and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on June 16, 2016 by a vote of School Breakfast Mandate. This bill requires all public schools, including charter schools, which participate in the National School Lunch Program, to offer breakfast at no cost to the student. ACU opposes such mandates, which divert funds from education and drive up the cost to taxpayers, and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 16, 2016 by a vote of Expanding Delays in Gun Background Checks. This bill repeals the threeday limit to conduct a background check for firearm sales and extends it to 30 days. ACU supports the Founders belief in the Second Amendment and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 21, 2016 by a vote of School Mandate. This bill requires all public secondary schools, including vocational schools, to have a school-based health center that will include reproductive health services, if approved by the local school board. ACU opposes such mandates, which divert money for education to unrelated purposes, and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 28, 2016 by a vote of Worker Compensation Rules. This bill allows employees to collect worker compensation benefits and personal insurance benefits for the same injury. ACU opposes such attempts to misuse the purpose of both worker compensation and personal insurance, which drives up the cost of insurance for everybody, and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 29, 2016 by a vote of

10 DELAWARE HOUSE SCORES DELAWARE HOUSE STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 33 REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 51 LOWEST REPUBLICAN RAMONE 27 DEMOCRAT AVERAGE 23 HIGHEST DEMOCRATS KOWALKO, WILLIAMS 33 DELAWARE HOUSE VOTE DETAIL 10 Party District Baumbach D X X Bennett D 32 X X - X - X Bentz D X n/a 29 Bolden D X X - - X Brady D BRIGGS KING R X Carson D COLLINS R X DUKES R X GRAY R Heffernan D HENSLEY R X HUDSON R X - X Jaques D Johnson, J. D Johnson, Q. D X X Keeley D X KENTON R Kowalko D Longhurst D ACU Votes Votes Cast LIFETIME AVG

11 DELAWARE HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party District Lynn D Matthews D MIRO R 22 - X Mitchell D X Mulrooney D X X Osienski D OUTTEN R Paradee D X PETERMAN R X X X X X X X X X X X X X 0 2 n/a n/a 92 Potter D X X X RAMONE R 21 X X X X Schwartzkopf D Short, B. D X SHORT, D. R Smith D X - X SMYK R X SPIEGELMAN R X Viola D Williams D WILSON R X YEARICK R X Legislator did not vote on enough of the selected bills and as a result the 2016 percentage was not rated. ACU Votes Votes Cast LIFETIME AVG 11