2016 RATINGS of WASHINGTON

Transcription

1 2016 RATINGS of WASHINGTON #ACURatings 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 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 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 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 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. 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 SENATE n/a CHANDLER DYE KRETZ McCASLIN SCOTT SHEA SHORT TAYLOR n/a McBride Sells Stanford SCHMICK AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE ACHIEVEMENT SENATE PEARSON BUYS HARRIS MANWELLER VAN WERVEN CONDOTTA HOLY NEALEY VICK DENT KRISTIANSEN PARKER WILCOX HARGROVE MacEWEN PIKE 4

5 WASHINGTON SENATE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS Eminent Domain. This bill prohibits the use of eminent domain for economic development since it is not a public use. ACU Foundation s Center for 21st Century Property Rights engages heavily on this issue and supports property rights and reserving the use of eminent domain for a compelling public purpose. ACU supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 16, 2016 by a vote of Housing Subsidies. This bill allows local governments to exempt affordable housing as defined by the government from property taxes. ACU opposes this interference with the free market that puts a higher property tax burden on those not favored by the government and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 16, 2016 by a vote of Education Mandates. This bill requires that local schools use resources to educate those expelled from school, prohibits expulsion for more than one semester, and tracks education outcomes for those in juvenile detention facilities. ACU opposes these mandates on local education that take away needed resources from the classroom and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 4, 2016 by a vote of Short Barreled Rifle Regulations. This bill allows any person in compliance with federal law to own, buy or sell a short barreled rifle. ACU supports the founders belief in the Second Amendment and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 7, 2016 by a vote of Government Training Assistance to Business. This bill creates a taxpayerfunded training assistance program to provide market research, business modeling, and help with sales leads, among other services for businesses favored by the government. The businesses must gross between $500,000 and $50 million per year and employ between 6 and 99 people. ACU opposes the use of taxpayer funds to assist one business over another and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 8, 2016 by a vote of Education Savings Accounts. This bill reinstates a college savings account plan, known as the 529 plan, that permits parents to save for college while not paying taxes on investment earnings. Educational attainment is an important cultural value that yields substantial economic returns for families and for states, which is underscored by ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports this free market approach to education funding and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 8, 2016 by a vote of Charter Schools. This bill responds to a court ruling stating that it is unconstitutional to fund charter schools through tax revenues because they are not run by a publicly elected school board. The bill calls for the funding to come from state lottery revenues. Educational attainment is an important cultural value that yields substantial economic returns for families and for states, which is underscored by ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports school choice and supported this bill to keep charter schools open. The Senate passed the bill on March 10, 2016 by a vote of E-Cigarettes. This bill sets up a new regulatory regime for e-cigarettes that makes it a felony to sell e-cigarettes without a license and cracks down on the selling of e-cigarettes to those under 18. ACU believes that both tobacco and e-cigarettes are a personal liberty issue and government regulations on products are only appropriate when they are substantially impacting others and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 28, 2016 by a vote of Electric Vehicle Subsidies. This bill raises the sales tax exemption for electric vehicles to $42,500. ACU supports all forms of energy, opposes government favoring one form of energy over another, and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 29, 2016 by a vote of

6 WASHINGTON SENATE SCORES WASHINGTON SENATE STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 46 WASHINGTON SENATE VOTE DETAIL REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 62 LOWEST REPUBLICANS BRAUN, DAMMEIER, FAIN, HILL, KING, LITZOW, MILOSCIA 44 DEMOCRAT AVERAGE 29 HIGHEST DEMOCRATS CARLYLE, SPARKS CHASE Party District ACU ANGEL R BAILEY R BAUMGARTNER R E BECKER R BENTON R E Billig D E BRAUN R BROWN R Carlyle D E Chase D E Cleveland D Conway D DAMMEIER R DANSEL R Darneille D ERICKSEN R FAIN R Fraser D Frockt D Cast LIFETIME AVG

7 WASHINGTON SENATE VOTE DETAIL Party District ACU Habib D E Hargrove D E - E E Hasegawa D HEWITT R HILL R Hobbs D HONEYFORD R Jayapal D E E Keiser D KING R Liias D E LITZOW R McAuliffe D McCoy D MILOSCIA R Mullet D Nelson D E O'BAN R E PADDEN R PARLETTE R PEARSON R E Pedersen D Ranker D E E RIVERS R ROACH R Rolfes D SCHOESLER R Sheldon* D Takko D WARNICK R *Caucuses with the Republican Majority. Cast LIFETIME AVG 7

8 WASHINGTON VOTE DESCRIPTIONS Equal Pay Mandates. This bill prohibits agreements that keep wage information confidential and bans the discussion of wage comparisons by employees. ACU opposes this interference in the free market and the right of employees to negotiate their own agreements and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 3, 2016 by a vote of Paint Regulations. This bill creates a new regulatory regime for a statewide paint take-back program that requires adherence to a paint stewardship program and imposes restrictions on selling paint to a company that does not adhere to the government program. When entrepreneurship is suppressed, the resulting decline in economic growth leads to a reduction in family prosperity, as is underscored by ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU opposes this interference in the free market that will increase costs to consumers and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 10, 2016 by a vote of Insurance Mandates. This bill requires insurance companies to reimburse policy holders for a twelve month supply of contraceptives. ACU opposes insurance mandates that drive up the cost of health insurance and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 11, 2016 by a vote of Ballot Integrity. This bill allows 16 year olds to register to vote even though they are not eligible to vote until they are 18 and may not be in the same location two years later. ACU opposes laws that weaken ballot integrity and make it easier for voter fraud to occur and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 11, 2016 by a vote of Appliance Manufacturer Mandates. This bill includes more stringent gallons-per-minute limits for products such as faucets and toilets and bans the sale of those products that don t meet the standards after January 1, ACU opposes this interference with the free market that drives up the cost of appliances to consumers and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 12, 2016 by a vote of Ballot Integrity. This bill would automatically register to vote people who apply for an enhanced drivers license or commercial drivers license, those who receive social services, and those who get health insurance through the Obamacare state health exchange. ACU opposes measures that weaken ballot integrity and make it easier voter fraud to occur and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 15, 2016 by a vote if Rental Law. This bill prohibits a property owner from refusing to lease or rent any real property based on a potential tenant s income. ACU Foundation s Center for 21st Century Property Rights engages heavily on this issue and opposes this interference to the free market system in determining whether someone is able to pay rent and ACU opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 16, 2016 by a vote of Prevailing Wage Regulations. This bill directs the Department of Labor and Industries to establish the prevailing wage for government projects by using union collective bargaining agreements when available. ACU opposes these artificial wage requirements that drive up the cost of projects to taxpayers and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 16, 2016 by a vote of Solar Tax credits. This bill renews and expands expiring tax credits for solar production. After the expansion, solar is expected to produce one tenth of one percent of Washington s total energy production. ACU supports all forms of energy, believes government should not favor one form of energy over another and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 16, 2016 by a vote of Electric Vehicle Subsidies. This bill raises the sales tax exemption for electric vehicles to $42,500. ACU supports all forms of energy, opposes government favoring one form of energy over another, and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 16, 2016 by a vote of School Lunch Regulations. This bill changes the school reduced lunch program to a free lunch program. ACU opposes this mandate that diverts funds that should go to classroom education and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 16, 2016 by a vote of Unemployment Compensation Regulations. This bill substantially weakens job-search requirements for those who receive unemployment compensation. Families and the economy do better when people are employed, especially in private sector jobs, as is underscored by ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports reasonable requirements for temporary cash assistance and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 17, 2016 by a vote of Short Barreled Rifle Regulations. This bill allows any person in compliance with federal law to own, buy or sell a short barreled rifle. ACU supports the founders belief in the Second Amendment and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 1, 2016 by a vote of

9 Government Training Assistance to Business. This bill creates a taxpayerfunded training assistance program to provide market research, business modeling, and help with sales leads, among other services for businesses favored by the government. The businesses must gross between $500,000 and $50 million per year and employ between 6 and 99 people. ACU opposes the use of taxpayer funds to assist one business over another and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on March 3, 2016 by a vote of Education Savings Accounts. This bill reinstates a college savings account plan, known as the 529 plan that permits parents to save for college while not paying taxes on investment earnings. Educational attainment is an important cultural value that yields substantial economic returns for families and for states, which is underscored by ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports this free market approach to education funding and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 3, 2016 by a vote of Education Mandates. This bill requires that local schools use resources to educate those expelled from school, prohibits expulsion for more than one semester, and tracks education outcomes for those in juvenile detention facilities. ACU opposes these mandates on local education that take away needed resources from the classroom and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on March 10, 2016 by a vote of E-Cigarettes. This bill sets up a new regulatory regime for e-cigarettes that makes it a felony to sell e-cigarettes without a license and cracks down on the selling of e-cigarettes to those under 18. ACU believes that both tobacco and e-cigarettes are a personal liberty issue and government regulations on products are only appropriate when they are substantially impacting others and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on March 29, 2016 by a vote of Charter Schools. This bill responds to a court ruling stating that it is unconstitutional to fund charter schools through tax revenues because they are not run by a publicly elected school board. The bill calls for the funding to come from state lottery revenues. Educational attainment is an important cultural value that yields substantial economic returns for families and for states, which is underscored by ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports school choice and supported this bill to keep charter schools open. The House passed the bill on March 9, 2016 by a vote of

10 WASHINGTON SCORES WASHINGTON STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 44 REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 79 LOWEST REPUBLICAN HICKEL 39 DEMOCRAT AVERAGE 12 HIGHEST DEMOCRAT SPRINGER 22 WASHINGTON VOTE DETAIL Party District Appleton D BARKIS R 2 X X X X X X X X n/a n/a n/a Bergquist D Blake D BUYS R CALDIER R CHANDLER R Chopp D Clibborn D Cody D CONDOTTA R DeBOLT R E DENT R Dunshee D DYE R n/a 94 Farrell D E Fey D Fitzgibbon D Frame D n/a 11 Goodman D ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 10

11 WASHINGTON VOTE DETAIL Party District Gregerson D GRIFFEY R HALER R Hansen D HARGROVE R E HARMSWORTH R HARRIS R HAWKINS R HAYES R HICKEL R n/a 39 HOLY R Hudgins D Hunt D Hurst D E Jinkins D JOHNSON R E E Kagi D Kilduff D Kirby D KLIPPERT R KOCHMAR R KRETZ R KRISTIANSEN R Kuderer D n/a 11 Lytton D MacEWEN R E E E MAGENDANZ R MANWELLER R McBride D McCABE R E McCASLIN R Moeller D Morris D Moscoso D E MURI R NEALEY R ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 11

12 WASHINGTON VOTE DETAIL 12 Party District ORCUTT R Ormsby D Ortiz-Self D E Orwall D E PARKER R Peterson D Pettigrew D PIKE R Pollet D Reykdal D Riccelli D Robinson D RODNE R E Rossetti D n/a 11 Ryu D Santos D Sawyer D SCHMICK R SCOTT R E E E Sells D Senn D SHEA R SHORT R SMITH R Springer D STAMBAUGH R Stanford D STOKEARY R Sullivan D Tarleton D TAYLOR R Tharinger D Van De Wege D VAN WERVEN R VICK R Walkinshaw D E WALSH R ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG

13 WASHINGTON VOTE DETAIL Party District WILCOX R WILSON R Wylie D YOUNG R ZEIGER R Legislator did not vote on enough of the selected bills and as a result the 2016 percentage was not rated ACU Cast LIFETIME AVG 13