COLORADO STATE LEGISLATIVE RATINGS GUIDE

Transcription

1 2013 STATE LEGISLATIVE RATINGS GUIDE COLORADO The American Conservative Union is taking our highly touted Congressional Ratings program to State Legislatures for the third year in a row, grading members on their votes on key conservative issues. Last year, we graded State Legislators in fifteen critical states, including Colorado, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia. This year, we are expanding our ratings to twenty states. ACU first began rating members of Congress in Since then, our ratings system has become the most important conservative measuring stick in American politics -- the gold standard for voters seeking more information on their representatives records. Throughout the history of our conservative ratings program, the ACU has also become the go-to source for determining whether an elected official s philosophical rhetoric matches his or her record. Our guides provide a comprehensive analysis of the legislative landscape over the preceding year. This differentiates us from other useful guides which may emphasize single areas, like taxes, defense, or Table of Contents social policy. Our annual matrix covers issues running the gamut of legislative action, including domestic energy production, healthcare, government reform, climate change, border security, foreign policy, and social issues. These issues are carefully selected to ensure legislators are scored and rated on the bellwether conservative topics they voted on over the course of the year. This expansion of our Conservative Ratings program is part of Chairman Al Cardenas vision for building on successful ACU initiatives and taking the fight for conservative principles to the state and local levels. Eventually we will bring our ratings to all fifty states -- scoring every legislature in every state, every year. ACU Board Members A Letter From The Chairman How We Selected the Votes Conservative All-Stars CO House Vote Description House Scores CO Senate Vote Descriptions Senate Scores American Conservative Union 1331 H St. NW, Suite 500, Washington DC (202) conservative.org

2 ACU Board Members Al Cardenas (Chairman) Thomas S. Winter (First Vice Chairman) Donald Devine (Second Vice Chairman) Becky Norton Dunlop (Treasurer) Jameson G. Campaigne, Jr. (Secretary) Joe Bast Jeffrey Bell Morton C. Blackwell Ambassador John Bolton Floyd Brown Muriel Coleman Dr. Larry Eastland Paul Erickson Carly Fiorina Charlie Gerow Alan M. Gottlieb Van D. Hipp, Jr. Asa Hutchinson David A. Keene Suhail A. Khan James V. Lacy Michael R. Long Honorable Serphin Maltese Carolyn D. Meadows Cleta Mitchell Joseph A. Morris Grover G. Norquist Ron Robinson Allen Roth Matt Schlapp Fred L. Smith, Jr. Lewis K. Uhler Kirby Wilbur ACU Foundation Board Members Cleta Mitchell (Chairman) Van D. Hipp, Jr. (Treasurer) Carolyn D. Meadows (Secretary) Al Cardenas Amy Noone Frederick Tim Goeglein Millie Hallow Colin A. Hanna David Keene Robert Luddy Ambassador Roger F. Noriega Thomas S. Winter 2

3 July 26, 2013 Dear Fellow Conservative, On behalf of our Board of Directors, I am pleased to present the American Conservative Union s 2013 State Legislative Ratings for members of the Colorado General Assembly. Al Cardenas, ACU Chairman Since 1971, our Congressional ratings have become the gold standard in holding every member of Congress accountable for their voting record on the most important issues facing our nation. Last year we brought that same commitment to conservative ideals to the states, rating members in fifteen legislatures. I am pleased to report that this year we will score 20 states. This is part of the ACU plan to bring our ratings to all 50 states -- scoring every legislature in every state, every cycle. There could not be a more critical time for conservatives to evaluate America s leadership and hold them accountable for their actions. Our economy, our international standing, our very moral fiber are weaker because this administration has put us on a course to bigger government, less freedom, and an abandonment of traditional values. With our government expanding faster now than at any time in our country s history, the ACU intends to continue to play a major role in giving the American people the tools they need to make informed voting decisions at every level of government. While some may be disheartened by the results of November s elections, conservatives found themselves in a similar situation after President Obama first took office in the spring of The cause of conservatism dramatically reasserted itself in the 2010 elections, with conservative legislators winning an unprecedented number of elections nationwide. Because of this, our 2013 State Legislative Ratings are vital for voters to make informed choices on the future of our nation. We can come back even stronger in 2014, but only if we start our march toward victory now. Thank you for your continued support. I know that together we can ensure America s best days are still ahead. Sincerely, Al Cardenas Chairman, American Conservative Union 1331 H Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC Tel: (202) Fax: (202)

4 How We Selected the Votes 2013 STATE LEGISLATIVE RATINGS GUIDE COLORADO The American Conservative Union is taking our highly touted Congressional Ratings program to State Legislatures for the third year in a row, grading members on their votes on key conservative issues. Last year, we graded State Legislators in fifteen critical states, including Colorado, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia. This year, we are expanding our ratings to twenty states. ACU first began rating members of Congress in Since then, our ratings system has become the most important conservative measuring stick in American politics- the gold standard for voters seeking more information on their representatives records. This expansion of our Conservative Ratings program is part of Chairman Al Cardenas vision for building on successful ACU initiatives and taking the fight for conservative principles to the state and local levels. This is part of the ACU five-year plan to bring our ratings to all fifty states- scoring every legislature in every state, every year Conservative All-Stars of the Colorado General Assembly Defenders of Liberty ACU Defenders of Liberty are those members of the Colorado General Assembly who scored 100 percent on the ACU 2013 State Legislative Ratings. Colorado Senate: David Balmer Randy L. Baumgardner Bill Cadman Kevin Grantham Ted Harvey Owen Hill ACU Conservatives Kent D. Lambert Kevin Lundberg Vicki Marble Scott W. Renfroe Mark Scheffel Colorado House of Representatives: Perry Buck Justin Everett Chris Holbert Stephen Humphrey Janak Joshi Lois Landgraf Polly Lawrence Dan Nordberg Lori Saine Amy Stephens Spencer Swalm Libby Szabo James D. Wilson Jared Wright ACU Conservatives are those members of the Colorado General Assembly who scored 80 percent or higher on the ACU 2013 State Legislative Ratings. Colorado Senate: Greg Brophy Larry Crowder Steven King 4

5 ACU Conservatives Continued Colorado House of Representatives: Kathleen Conti Don Coram Brian DelGrosso Timothy Dore Carole Murray Clarice Navarro Ray Scott Jerry Sonnenberg Kevin Priola Bob Rankin Mark Waller True Liberals of the Centennial State True Liberals of the Centennial State are those members of the Colorado General Assembly who scored 0 percent on the ACU 2013 State Legislative Ratings. Colorado Senate: Irene Aguilar Morgan Carroll Angela Giron Lucia Guzman Rollie Heath Evie Hudak Michael Johnston Matt Jones John Kefalas John P. Morse Linda Newell Jeanne Nicholson Gail Schwartz Pat Steadman Nancy Todd Jessie Ulibarri Colorado House of Representatives: John W. Buckner Lois Court Crisanta Duran Thomas Tony Exum Mark Ferrandino Rhonda Fields Randy Fischer Mike Foote Joann Ginal Millie Hamner Dickey Lee Hullinghorst Daniel Kagan Tracy Kraft-Tharp Jeanne Labuda Pete E. Lee Claire Levy Jenise May Elizabeth Beth McCann Jovan Melton Dominick Moreno Dan Pabon Cherylin Peniston Brittany Pettersen Dianne Primavera Paul Rosenthal Su Ryden Joseph A. Salazar Sue Schafer Jonathan Singer Angela Williams 5

6 2013 STATE LEGISLATIVE RATINGS GUIDE COLORADO Colorado House of Representatives Vote Descriptions 1. H.B Government Subsidies. This bill, the Advanced Industries Acceleration Act, created a cash fund to subsidize government-approved businesses in energy, high tech, science and engineering. ACU is opposed to the government picking winners and losers in the marketplace and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on February 12, 2013 by a vote of H.B Small Business Funding. This bill increases taxpayer funding of Small Business Development Centers that act as consultants to startup companies. ACU opposes this type of government enterprise that competes with private sector services and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on April 17, 2013 by a vote of H.B Government Subsidies. This bill, the Economic Gardening Pilot Project, selects companies deemed to have significant growth potential for taxpayer-paid management and technical training. ACU is opposed to the government picking winners and losers in the marketplace and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on April 19, 2013 by a vote of H.B Jobs Program. This bill, the Colorado Careers Act of 2013, spends $4.8 million over two years on another job training program that mirrors numerous other federal and state job training programs. ACU supports consolidating these programs, not adding to them and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on April 19, 2013 by a vote of H.B Regulation. This bill greatly increases government regulation of public insurance adjusters and requires them to be licensed. ACU opposes this type of overregulation that drives up the cost of insurance to consumers and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on February 11, 2013 by a vote of H.B Sex Education. This bill creates a grant program to encourage school districts to greatly expand their sex education programs using culturally sensitive guidelines and change participation from an opt-in to an opt-out process. ACU opposes reduced parental control in educations and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on February 21, 2013 by a vote of H.B Vehicle Tax Increase. This bill increased taxes on trucks carrying natural gas and natural gas vehicles. ACU opposes tax increases on transportation while spending is being increased on wasteful government programs and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on March 21, 2013 by a vote of H.B Regulation. This bill greatly increases state regulation of local Homeowner s Associations. ACU opposes this type of overregulation and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on April 15, 2013 by a vote of

7 9. H.B Voting Integrity. This bill creates a voting registration system called preregistration for sixteen year olds even though they are ineligible to vote until they are eighteen. ACU opposes these types of laws that are open to vote fraud and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on March 12, 2013 by a vote of H.B Labor Laws. This bill allows small businesses to be sued for punitive damages in employment discrimination cases, although 28 states probibit punitive damage awards. ACU opposes this increased burden on small business, which drive up costs and is economically damaging and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on April 19, 2013 by a vote of H.B Second Amendment Rights. This bill bans ammunition clips of 15 or more rounds. ACU opposes restricting Second Amendment rights and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on February 18, 2013 by a vote of H.B Second Amendment Rights. This bill would add a tax to firearms transactions to pay for criminal background checks. ACU views this bill as a blatant attempt to reduce the ability of people to purchase firearms and actually make background checks less likely, and so opposed the bill. The bill passed the House on February 18, 2013 by a vote of H.B Second Amendment Rights. This bill would require background checks for the private sale of firearms or the transfer of firearms between family and friends and require retaining a licensed dealer to perform the check. ACU opposes this restriction of Second Amendment rights and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on February 18, 2013 by a vote of H.B Voting Integrity. This bill institutes election day registration and repeals laws purging voter rolls of inactive voters among other changes. ACU is opposed to laws that make it difficult to maintain voting integrity and make voter fraud easier so opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on April 19, 2013 by a vote of S.B. 18 Labor Law. This bill prohibits employers from using consumer credit information when hiring an employee. ACU opposes this government interference in the free market and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on March 25, 2018 by a vote of S.B. 213 Tax Increase. This bill places on the ballot a $1 billion tax increase. Although ostensibly to fund public education, it comes on top of a budget that increased state spending by three times the rate of inflation. ACU opposes tax increases to pay for increased government spending and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on April 24, 2013 by a vote of S.B. 252 Energy. This bill increases the state s Renewable Energy Standard, forcing utilities to use renewable energy for 20% of their needs by ACU opposes these government mandates that drive up the cost of energy for all consumers and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on April 30, 2013 by a vote of S.B. 266 Growth of Government. This bill creates a new bureaucracy in the government to set up crisis centers for behavioral problems. It would expend $10-12 million per year to set up mobile access, walkin centers and short-term residences. ACU opposes another government program to compete with private consultants for ill-defined personal problems and opposed this bill. The bill passed the House on May 6, 2013 by a vote of

8 COLORADO 2013 HOUSE VOTES ACU Votes Votes Cast ACU % SB 266 SB 252 SB 213 SB 18 HB 1303 HB 1229 HB 1228 HB 1224 HB 1136 HB 1135 HB 1134 HB 1110 HB 1081 HB 1062 HB 1004 HB 1003 HB 1002 HB 1001 Representative Name Party District BUCK R % Buckner D % CONTI R E % CORAM R % Court D % DELGROSSO R % DORE R % Duran D % EVERETT R % Exum D % Ferrandino D % Fields D % Fischer D % Foote D % Garcia D % GARDNER R % GEROU R % Ginal D % Hamner D % HOLBERT R % Hullinghorst D % HUMPHREY R % JOSHI R % Kagan D % Kraft-Tharp D % Labuda D E % LANDGRAF R E % LAWRENCE R % + in favor of the ACU position; - in opposition to the ACU position; (+) announcement in favor of the ACU position; (-) announcement in opposition to the ACU position; X did not vote; I Ineligible to vote; E Excused absence 8 8

9 COLORADO 2013 HOUSE VOTES ACU Votes Votes Cast ACU % SB 266 SB 252 SB 213 SB 18 HB 1303 HB 1229 HB 1228 HB 1224 HB 1136 HB 1135 HB 1134 HB 1110 HB 1081 HB 1062 HB 1004 HB 1003 HB 1002 HB 1001 Representative Name Party District Lebsock D % Lee D % Levy D % May D % McCann D % McLachlan D E E % MCNULTY R E E E E E + E % Melton D % Mitsch Bush D % Moreno D % MURRAY R 45 - E % NAVARRO R % NORDBERG R % Pabon D % Peniston D E % Pettersen D % Primavera D % PRIOLA R % RANKIN R % Rosenthal D % Ryden D % SAINE R % Salazar D % Schafer D E E E E % SCOTT R % Singer D % SONNENBERG R 65 + E % + in favor of the ACU position; - in opposition to the ACU position; (+) announcement in favor of the ACU position; (-) announcement in opposition to the ACU position; X did not vote; I Ineligible to vote; E Excused absence 9

10 COLORADO 2013 HOUSE VOTES ACU Votes Votes Cast ACU % SB 266 SB 252 SB 213 SB 18 HB 1303 HB 1229 HB 1228 HB 1224 HB 1136 HB 1135 HB 1134 HB 1110 HB 1081 HB 1062 HB 1004 HB 1003 HB 1002 HB 1001 Representative Name Party District STEPHENS R 19 E % SWALM R % SZABO R E % Tyler D % Vigil D % WALLER R % Williams D % WILSON R % WRIGHT R % Young D % + in favor of the ACU position; - in opposition to the ACU position; (+) announcement in favor of the ACU position; (-) announcement in opposition to the ACU position; X did not vote; I Ineligible to vote; E Excused absence 10

11 Colorado Senate Vote Descriptions 2013 STATE LEGISLATIVE RATINGS GUIDE COLORADO 1. H.B Government Subsidies. This bill, the Advanced Industries Acceleration Act, created a cash fund to subsidize government-approved businesses in energy, high tech, science and engineering. ACU is opposed to the government picking winners and losers in the marketplace and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on May 7, 2013 by a vote of H.B Small Business Funding. This bill increases taxpayer funding of Small Business Development Centers that act as consultants to startup companies. ACU opposes this type of government enterprise that competes with private sector services and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on May 6, 2013 by a vote of H.B Government Subsidies. This bill, the Economic Gardening Pilot Project, selects companies deemed to have significant growth potential for taxpayer-paid management and technical training. ACU is opposed to the government picking winners and losers in the marketplace and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on May 7, 2013 by a vote of H.B Jobs Program. This bill, the Colorado Careers Act of 2013, spends $4.8 million over two years on another job training program that mirrors numerous other federal and state job training programs. ACU supports consolidating these programs, not adding to them and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on May 7, 2013 by a vote of H.B Regulation. This bill greatly increases government regulation of public insurance adjusters and requires them to be licensed. ACU opposes this type of overregulation that drives up the cost of insurance to consumers and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on March 5, 2013 by a vote of H.B Sex Education. This bill creates a grant program to encourage school districts to greatly expand their sex education programs using culturally sensitive guidelines and change participation from an opt-in to an opt-out process. ACU opposes reduced parental control in educations and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on March 18, 2013 by a vote of H.B Vehicle Tax Increase. This bill increased taxes on trucks carrying natural gas and natural gas vehicles. ACU opposes tax increases on transportation while spending is being increased on wasteful government programs and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on April 19, 2013 by a vote of H.B.1134 Regulation. This bill greatly increases state regulation of local Homeowner s Associations. ACU opposes this type of overregulation and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on April 30, 2013 by a vote of

12 9. H.B Voting Integrity. This bill creates a voting registration system called preregistration for sixteen year olds even though they are ineligible to vote until they are eighteen. ACU opposes these types of laws that are open to vote fraud and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on April 19, 2013 by a vote of H.B Labor Laws. This bill allows small businesses to be sued for punitive damages in employment discrimination cases, although 28 states prohibit punitive damage awards. ACU opposes this increased burden on small business, which drive up costs and is economically damaging and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on April 26, 2013 by a vote of H.B Second Amendment Rights. This bill bans ammunition clips of 15 or more rounds. ACU opposes restricting Second Amendment rights and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on March 11, 2013 by a vote of H.B Second Amendment Rights. This bill would add a tax to firearms transactions to pay for criminal background checks. ACU views this bill as a blatant attempt to reduce the ability of people to purchase firearms and actually make background checks less likely, and so opposed the bill. The bill passed the Senate on March 11, 2013 by a vote of H.B Second Amendment Rights. This bill would require background checks for the private sale of firearms or the transfer of firearms between family and friends and require retaining a licensed dealer to perform the check. ACU opposes this restriction of Second Amendment rights and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on March 11, 2013 by a vote of H.B Voting Integrity. This bill institutes Election Day registration and repeals laws purging voter rolls of inactive voters among other changes. ACU is opposed to laws that make it difficult to maintain voting integrity and make voter fraud easier so opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on May 2, 2013 by a vote of S.B. 18 Labor Law. This bill prohibits employers from using consumer credit information when hiring an employee. ACU opposes this government interference in the free market and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on February 12, 2013 by a vote of S.B. 213 Tax Increase. This bill places on the ballot a $1 billion tax increase. Although ostensibly to fund public education, it comes on top of a budget that increased state spending by three times the rate of inflation. ACU opposes tax increases to pay for increased government spending and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on April 2, 2013 by a vote of S.B. 252 Energy. This bill increases the state s Renewable Energy Standard, forcing utilities to use renewable energy for 20% of their needs by ACU opposes these government mandates that drive up the cost of energy for all consumers and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on April 15, 2013 by a vote of S.B. 266 Growth of Government. This bill creates a new bureaucracy in the government to set up crisis centers for behavioral problems. It would expend $10-12 million per year to set up mobile access, walk-in centers and short-term residences. ACU opposes another government program to compete with private consultants for ill-defined personal problems and opposed this bill. The bill passed the Senate on April 24, 2013 by a vote of

13 COLORADO 2013 SENATE VOTES ACU Votes Votes Cast ACU % SB 266 SB 252 SB 213 SB 18 HB 1303 HB 1229 HB 1228 HB 1224 HB 1136 HB 1135 HB 1134 HB 1110 HB 1081 HB 1062 HB 1004 HB 1003 HB 1002 HB 1001 Senator Name District Party Aguilar D % BALMER R % BAUMGARDNER R % BROPHY R E % CADMAN R % Carroll D % CROWDER R % Giron D % GRANTHAM R % Guzman D % HARVEY R % Heath D % HILL R % Hodge D % Hudak D % Jahn D % Johnston D % Jones D % Kefalas D % Kerr D % KING R % LAMBERT R % LUNDBERG R % MARBLE R % + in favor of the ACU position; - in opposition to the ACU position; (+) announcement in favor of the ACU position; (-) announcement in opposition to the ACU position; X did not vote; I Ineligible to vote; E Excused absence 13

14 COLORADO 2013 SENATE VOTES ACU Votes Votes Cast ACU % SB 266 SB 252 SB 213 SB 18 HB 1303 HB 1229 HB 1228 HB 1224 HB 1136 HB 1135 HB 1134 HB 1110 HB 1081 HB 1062 HB 1004 HB 1003 HB 1002 HB 1001 Senator Name District Party Morse D % Newell D % Nicholson D % RENFROE R % ROBERTS R % SCHEFFEL R % Schwartz D % Steadman D % Tochtrop D % Todd D % Ulibarri D % + in favor of the ACU position; - in opposition to the ACU position; (+) announcement in favor of the ACU position; (-) announcement in opposition to the ACU position; X did not vote; I Ineligible to vote; E Excused absence 14

15 2013

16 The American Conservative Union The American Conservative Union (ACU) is America s oldest and largest grassroots conservative organization. Founded in 1964, ACU represents the views of Americans who are concerned with economic growth through lower taxes and reduced government spending and the issues of liberty, personal responsibility, traditional values, and national security. As America s conservative voice, ACU is the leading entity in providing conservative positions on issues to Congress, White House Administration Officials, State Governments, the media, political candidates and the public. The ACU s marquee initiatives include the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and the annual Ratings of Congress guide. Under the leadership of ACU Chairman Al Cardenas, the organization remains the standard bearer of conservatism in America. Chairman Cardenas is dedicated to growing the national conservative movement through the expansion of ACU programs, unprecedented outreach and advocacy especially to young, emerging activists and an extended reach into local and state issues. Among these inaugural efforts are the expansion of conservative rating to State Legislatures and a first-ever series of regional CPAC s in states across the country, building on the legacy of the annual national CPAC event in our Nation s Capital. For more information on the American Conservative Union, please visit our website at Contact Us 1331 H Street, NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC Phone: (202) conservative.org