2015 RATINGS of WASHINGTON

Transcription

1 2015 RATINGS of WASHINGTON Conservative.org TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Chairman 2 WA Senate Vote Descriptions 5 ACU & ACUF Board Members 3 WA Senate Scores 6 Selecting the 3 WA House Vote Descriptions Winners & Losers 4 WA House Scores 9

2 LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN Dear Fellow Conservatives, I am pleased to present the American Conservative Union Foundation s ratings for the 2015 meeting of the Washington State Legislature. Like our Congressional Ratings, our State Ratings reflect how elected officials view the role of government in an individual's life. The Washington legislators with the strongest scores voted most consistently with the ideals articulated in the US Constitution: limited and transparent government, individual rights, personal responsibility, and a healthy culture. The 2014 election completed a political transformation that began in 2010 and resulted in voters of almost half the states, 23 in all, entrusting Republicans with the governorships as well as control of both chambers in the respective state, the biggest sweep since the first half of the 20th Century. By examining all our State Ratings (which cover a wide variety of issues) we can see which states have best used their Republican majorities to apply conservative principles, how others have struggled, and in yet other states, how conservatives have stood up against liberal majorities. I know that this guide will provide you with the most comprehensive evaluative tool to learn how your legislators measure up. Sincerely, Matt Schlapp Chairman American Conservative Union 2

3 ACU BOARD MEMBERS Matt Schlapp Chairman Thomas Winter First Vice Chairman Carolyn Meadows Second Vice Chairman Jameson Campaigne, Jr. Secretary Larry Beasley Bob Beauprez Kimberly Bellissimo Morton Blackwell Ambassador John Bolton Al Cardenas Jose Cardenas Ron Christie Muriel Coleman ACU FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBERS Matt Schlapp Chairman Millie Hallow Vice Chairman Van Hipp, Jr. Treasurer Tim Goeglein Secretary Kimberly Bellissimo Jose Cardenas Amy Frederick Jonathan Garthwaite Charlie Gerow Colin Hanna Willes Lee Kellyanne Conway Tom DeLay John Eddy Luis Fortuno Amy Frederick Charlie Gerow Alan Gottlieb Van Hipp, Jr. James Lacy Carolyn Meadows Thomas Winter Michael Long Grover Norquist Becky Norton Dunlop Ron Robinson Ned Ryun Fred Smith, Jr. Matt Smith Lewis Uhler Ed Yevoli SELECTING THE VOTES ACU researched and selected a range of bills before the Washington State 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 Washington s elected leaders best defend the principles of a free society: Life, Liberty and Property. To contact ACU, please call H Street NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC (202)

4 2015 WINNERS & LOSERS AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE EXCELLENCE < 10 COALITION OF THE RADICAL LEFT SENATE SENATE SENATE DANSEL BUYS McCASLIN SHEA Billig Keiser Bergquist Ryu ERICKSEN PADDEN PEARSON CHANDLER DeBOLT DENT KLIPPERT McCABE ORCUTT PARKER PIKE SCHMICK SCOTT SHORT VAN WERVEN VICK Fraser Frockt Habib Jayapal Kohl-Welles Liias Pedersen Rolfes Farrell Goodman Ortiz-Self Pollet Reykdal Santos Sells Stanford Walkinshaw AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE ACHIEVEMENT SENATE BAUMGARTNER FAGAN HUNT, G. NEALEY HONEYFORD HARGROVE KRETZ TAYLOR HOLY KRISTIANSEN WILSON 4

5 WASHINGTON SENATE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS 1. SB 5094 Hydropower. This bill increases the allowable use of hydropower as an alternative energy source under state law. ACU supports all forms of energy and opposes government picking winners and losers and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 6, 2015 by a vote of SB 5735 Energy Subsidies. This bill revises the Energy Independence Act to ease restrictions on construction projects eligible for carbon reduction incentives. ACU opposes all efforts of government to favor one kind of job over another and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 9, 2015 by a vote of SB 5091 Nuclear Power. This bill allows nuclear power to be included in the use of alternative energy sources under state law. ACU supports all forms of energy and opposes government picking winners and losers and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 10, 2015 by a vote of SB 5321 Debt Settlement Services. This bill allows out of state debt settlement services to operate in Washington with a regular license and not be subject to harsh regulation under the state s Debt Adjustment Act. ACU supports less regulation and supports more competition in the market place and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 10, 2015 by a vote of SB 5452 Welfare Eligibility. This bill would allow government child-care subsidy payments to continue for 12 months even if the recipient is no longer eligible because of an increase in income. ACU opposes this wasteful spending and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 10, 2015 by a vote of SB 5826 Government Retirement Savings Program. This bill creates a governmentrun small business retirement program that creates a voluntary marketplace to connect small businesses to retirement programs approved by the government. ACU opposes government programs that compete with the free market and creates mandates that programs have to follow to be included and opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on March 11, 2015 by a vote of HB 1853 Energy Subsidies. This bill gives financial incentives from the government to utilities that build electric vehicle charging stations. ACU opposes all efforts of the government to pick one particular type of fuel or vehicle over another and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on April 15, 2015 by a vote of HB 2266 Class Size Initiative. This bill delays until 2019 a voter initiative that mandated reduction in school class sizes, but did not include a funding source. ACU supported this fiscally sound approach to a multi-billion program that would have led to higher taxes and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on July 1, 2015 by a vote of SB 5987 Gas Tax. This bill increases the gas tax to the second highest gas tax in the nation, and increases vehicle weight fees while using the funds for light rail and bike trails, whose users do not pay the tax. ACU opposes legislation that uses tax increases to pay for non-highway projects and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on July 1, 2015 by a vote of

6 WASHINGTON SENATE SCORES WASHINGTON SENATE STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 44 REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 71 LOWEST REPUBLICANS HILL, LITZOW 22 DEMOCRAT AVERAGE 16 HIGHEST DEMOCRAT SHELDON 78 WASHINGTON SENATE VOTE DETAIL Party District SB 5094 SB 5735 SB 5091 SB 5321 SB 5452 SB 5826 HB 1853 HB 2266 SB 5987 ANGEL R n/a 67 BAILEY R BAUMGARTNER R BECKER R BENTON R Billig D BRAUN R X X BROWN R Chase D Cleveland D Conway D DAMMEIER R DANSEL R n/a 100 Darneille D ERICKSEN R X X FAIN R Fraser D ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 6

7 WASHINGTON SENATE VOTE DETAIL Party District SB 5094 SB 5735 SB 5091 SB 5321 SB 5452 SB 5826 HB 1853 HB 2266 SB 5987 Frockt D Habib D Hargrove D Hasegawa D Hatfield D HEWITT R HILL R Hobbs D HONEYFORD R Jayapal D X X n/a 0 Keiser D KING R Kohl-Welles D Liias D X X n/a 0 LITZOW R McAuliffe D McCoy D n/a 11 MILOSCIA R n/a 44 Mullet D Nelson D O'BAN R PADDEN R PARLETTE R n/a 67 PEARSON R Pedersen D n/a 0 Ranker D RIVERS R ROACH R Rolfes D X X SCHOESLER R Sheldon D WARNICK R ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 7

8 WASHINGTON VOTE DESCRIPTIONS 1. HB 1355 Minimum Wage. This bill increases the minimum wage to $12 an hour over four years. ACU opposes these artificial wages that cost jobs among those who need them most, such as students and entry level job seekers and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on March 3, 2015 by a vote of HB 1356 Sick Leave. This bill mandates paid sick leave for employees. ACU opposes these mandates that keep salaries low and interferes with the free market and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on March 3, 2015 by a vote of HB 1295 Education Mandates. This bill requires certain schools to provide breakfast, as well as lunch, to every student and provide time after school starts for students to eat. ACU believes these decisions are best made at the local level and opposes mandates that take funds and time away from education and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on March 4, 2015 by a vote of HB 1863 Labor Law. This bill requires community and technical colleges to give automatic raises, known as step increases, through collective bargaining and allows them to exceed the compensation limits imposed by the legislature. ACU opposes fiscally irresponsible measures that drive up the cost of education and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on March 6, 2015 by a vote of SB 5826 Government Retirement Savings Program. This bill creates a government run small business retirement program that creates a voluntary marketplace to connect small businesses to retirement programs approved by the government. ACU opposes government programs that compete with the free market and creates mandates that programs have to follow to be included and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on April 10, 2015 by a vote of HB 1853 Energy Subsidies. This bill gives financial incentives from the government to utilities that build electric vehicle charging stations. ACU opposes all efforts of the government to pick one particular type of fuel or vehicle over another and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on April 24, 2015 by a vote of HB 1100 Energy Efficiency Mandates. This bill requires manufacturers of battery chargers to meet minimum energy efficiency standards based on standards proposed or adopted in California and Oregon. ACU opposes most mandates as they drive up the cost of products for the consumer and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 28, 2015 by a vote of HB 2266 Class Size Initiative. This bill delays until 2019 a voter initiative that mandated reduction in school class sizes, but did not include a funding source. ACU supported this fiscally sound approach to a multi-billion program that would have led to higher taxes and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on June 29, 2015 by a vote of SB 5987 Gas Tax. This bill increases the gas tax and vehicle weight fees to the second highest gas tax in the nation, while using the funds for light rail and bike trails, whose users do not pay the tax. ACU opposes legislation that uses tax increases to pay for nonhighway projects and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 30, 2015 by a vote of

9 WASHINGTON SCORES WASHINGTON STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 44 REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 80 LOWEST REPUBLICANS KOCHMAR, STOKESBARY 22 DEMOCRAT AVERAGE 10 HIGHEST DEMOCRAT VAN DER WEGE 33 WASHINGTON VOTE DETAIL Party District HB 1355 HB 1356 HB 1295 HB 1863 SB 5826 HB 1853 HB 1100 HB 2266 SB 5987 Appleton D n/a 11 Bergquist D Blake D BUYS R CALDIER R n/a 67 Carlyle D CHANDLER R Chopp D Clibborn D Cody D CONDOTTA R DeBOLT R DENT R n/a 100 Dunshee D DYE R 9 X X X X X X n/a n/a n/a FAGAN R X X X Farrell D ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 9

10 WASHINGTON VOTE DETAIL Party District HB 1355 HB 1356 HB 1295 HB 1863 SB 5826 HB 1853 HB 1100 HB 2266 SB 5987 Fey D X Fitzgibbon D Goodman D Gregerson D Gregory D n/a 11 GRIFFEY R n/a 78 HALER R Hansen D HARGROVE R HARMSWORTH R n/a 78 HARRIS R HAWKINS R HAYES R HOLY R Hudgins D HUNT, G. R Hunt, S. D Hunter D Hurst D Jinkins D JOHNSON R Kagi D Kilduff D n/a 22 Kirby D KLIPPERT R KOCHMAR R KRETZ R KRISTIANSEN R 39 X X Lytton D MacEWEN R MAGENDANZ R ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 10

11 WASHINGTON VOTE DETAIL Party District HB 1355 HB 1356 HB 1295 HB 1863 SB 5826 HB 1853 HB 1100 HB 2266 SB 5987 MANWELLER R McBride D n/a 11 McCABE R n/a 100 McCASLIN R n/a 100 Moeller D Morris D Moscoso D MURI R NEALEY R ORCUTT R Ormsby D Ortiz-Self D Orwall D PARKER R Peterson D n/a 11 Pettigrew D PIKE R Pollet D Reykdal D Riccelli D Robinson D RODNE R Ryu D Santos D Sawyer D SCHMICK R SCOTT R Sells D Senn D SHEA R SHORT R ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 11

12 WASHINGTON VOTE DETAIL Party District HB 1355 HB 1356 HB 1295 HB 1863 SB 5826 HB 1853 HB 1100 HB 2266 SB 5987 SMITH R X Springer D STAMBAUGH R n/a 56 Stanford D STOKESBARY R n/a 22 Sullivan D Takko D Tarleton D TAYLOR R Tharinger D Van De Wege D VAN WERVEN R n/a 100 VICK R Walkinshaw D WALSH R WILCOX R WILSON R n/a 89 Wylie D YOUNG R ZEIGER R Legislator did not vote on enough of the selected bills and as a result the 2015 percentage and the lifetime average was not rated. ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 12