TABLE OF CONTENTS. Letter from the Chairman ACU & ACUF Board Members Selecting the Votes Winners & Losers...

Transcription

1 2017 RATINGS of ALABAMA #ACURatings Conservative.org TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Chairman... 2 ACU & ACUF Board Members... 3 Selecting the Winners & Losers... 4 AL Senate Statistics... 5 AL Senate Vote Descriptions... 6 AL Senate Scores... 8 AL House Statistics AL House Vote Descriptions AL House Scores... 13

2 LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN Dear Fellow Conservative, The American Conservative Union Foundation is proud to present our ratings of the 2017 meeting of the Alabama Legislature. Like our Congressional Ratings, which date back 46 years, these ratings are meant to reflect how elected officials view the role of government in an individual s life. We begin with our philosophy (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 their 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. The ACU Foundation is the only organization to score over 8,000 elected officials each year, including lawmakers from all 50 states and Congress. The 2016 election dramatically impacted the political landscape of not only Washington but state legislative chambers all across the country. Republicans now have control of both legislative chambers in 32 states, more than double the number they controlled in With these victories comes an ability to implement policies that restore individual liberty and return us to a limited form of government run by and for We the People. It is our hope that these ratings will serve as a guide showing who can be relied on to fight for conservative principles and restore the role of government to what our nation s founding fathers envisioned. Sincerely, Matt Schlapp Chairman American Conservative Union 2

3 ACU BOARD MEMBERS Matt Schlapp Chairman Charlie Gerow First Vice Chairman Bob Beauprez Treasuer Amy Frederick Secretary Ed Yevoli At-Large ACUF BOARD MEMBERS Jackie Arends Larry Beasley Kimberly Bellissimo Steve Biegun Morton C. Blackwell John Bolton Jose Cardenas Ron Christie Muriel Coleman Becky Norton Dunlop John Eddy Luis Fortuno Alan M. Gottlieb Van D. Hipp, Jr. Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser Michael R. Long Ed McFadden Carolyn D. Meadows Priscilla O'Shaughnessy Ron Robinson Mike Rose Ned Ryun Peter Samuelson Sabrina Schaeffer Terry Schilling Matt Smith Thomas Winter SELECTING THE VOTES ACU researched and selected a range of bills before the Alabama 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 Alabama 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 Kimberly Bellissimo Secretary Jose Cardenas Jonathan Garthwaite Charlie Gerow Colin Hanna Niger Innes Adam Laxalt Willes K. Lee Mary Matalin Carolyn D. Meadows Randy Neugebauer Thomas Winter 201 N. Union Street, Suite 370 Alexandria, VA (202)

4 2017 WINNERS & LOSERS AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE EXCELLENCE <= 10 COALITION OF THE RADICAL LEFT SENATE HOUSE SENATE HOUSE n/a n/a n/a n/a SENATE AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE ACHIEVEMENT HOUSE CHAMBLISS HOLTZCLAW REED WAGGONER FRIDY HARPER 4

5 ALABAMA SENATE STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 66 REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 75 ALABAMA SENATE CONSERVATIVE RATINGS DEMOCRAT AVERAGE 38 RED = REPUBLICANS BLUE = DEMOCRATS LOWEST REPUBLICAN MELSON 63 # OF STATE SENATORS HIGHEST DEMOCRAT ACU PERCENTAGE DUNN 46 5

6 ALABAMA SENATE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS 1. SB 184 Reforming Peace Officer Education Requirements. This bill allows those who are home-schooled or attend non-public educational institutions to satisfy the educational requirements for being a peace officer. ACU supports strengthening the rights of homeschoolers and students of other non-public educational organizations and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 23, 2017 by a vote of SB 123 Expanding School Choice. This bill broadens tax credits for school choice and increases support for scholarship granting organizations. Educational attainment provides substantial economic returns for families and for states, as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports strengthening school choice and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 23, 2017 by a vote of HB 119 Regulating Interior Designers. This bill extends the requirement that an interior designer become licensed by the state by extending the life of the Board of Registered Interior Designers to 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 that are primarily designed to restrict competition and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 2, 2017 by a vote of HB 117 Regulating Athletic Trainers. This bill extends the requirement that athletic trainers become licensed by the state by extending the life of the Board of Athletic Trainers to 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 that are primarily designed to restrict competition and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 2, 2017 by a vote of SB 63 Eliminating School Sunscreen Bans. This bill exempts over-the-counter sunscreen products from school medication bans and allows students to use sunscreen at outdoor events. ACU supports commonsense regulatory reform and believes parents should be able to make decisions regarding sunscreen and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 9, 2017 by a vote of SB 234 Reducing Brewery Regulations. This bill eliminates the requirement that a brewery record the names and addresses of people buying beer for off-premises consumption. ACU supports commonsense regulatory reform and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 15, 2017 by a vote of HB 24 Protecting Religious Liberties of Adoption Organizations. This bill ensures that faith-based adoption organizations that do not receive government funds and refuse to allow adoptions to gay couples on the basis of religious beliefs are granted licenses. ACU s score of this bill is in support of First Amendment religious freedoms and is not based on the policy of gay adoptions. ACU supports the constitutional right of individuals to practice their religion and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on April 18, 2017 by a vote of SB 24 Reducing Firearm Regulations. This bill allows citizens greater freedom to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. ACU supports the founders' belief in the Second Amendment and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on April 18, 2017 by a vote of HB 98 Protecting the Constitutional Rights of the Unborn. This bill proposes a state constitutional amendment that recognizes and supports the sanctity of life and the rights of unborn children by affirming that the state constitution does not grant the right to an abortion nor provide government funding for abortions. ACU strongly believes the 10th Amendment gives states great latitude to regulate an abortion, believes abortion is a human tragedy, supports efforts to restrict the practice and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on April 20, 2017 by a vote of HB 95 Protecting Religious Liberties of Healthcare Workers. This bill protects healthcare workers from civil or criminal liability for refusing to provide services that violate their conscience, including abortions, human cloning, embryonic stem cell research and sterilization. ACU supports the right of conscience protection and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on April 20, 2017 by a vote of HB 96 Prohibiting Physician Assisted Suicide. This bill makes unlawful any act by a person or health care provider to aid in another person s suicide, including to prescribe any drug, compound or substance to a patient to deliberately aid in the death of that patient. The ACU Foundation s Center for Human Dignity engages heavily on this issue. ACU opposes assisted suicide as it potentially creates a class of citizens no longer protected from coercion by medical professionals, insurance companies and heirs and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on April 20, 2017 by a vote of SB 365 Banning Automated Traffic Enforcement. This bill repeals the authorization for Montgomery County to install automated traffic light enforcement. ACU opposes these automated devices that are primarily designed to raise revenue rather than increase safety and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on April 27, 2017 by a vote of

7 13. SB 268 Expanding Homebuilder Licensing Requirements. This bill expands the number of people who need to acquire a homebuilder s license by reducing the minimum cost of a project that requires a license from $10,000 to $1,000. 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 that are primarily designed to restrict competition and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on May 2, 2017 by a vote of SB 376 Requiring Parental Consent for Abortion. This bill requires out-of-state minors to obtain parental consent before an abortion is performed. Currently, only state residents are required to obtain parental consent. ACU believes abortion is a human tragedy, supports restrictions on the practice and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on May 9, 2017 by a vote of HB 390 Clarifying Franchise Labor Law. This bill declares that franchise owners and their employees are not employees of the franchisor. ACU supports this effort to overcome an Obama-era ruling of the National Labor Relations Board that overturned decades of established law and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on May 17, 2017 by a vote of HB 353 Reducing Regulations on Alcohol Sales. This bill allows local jurisdictions to pass ordinances allowing the sale of on-premises alcoholic beverages at 10 a.m. on Sundays. ACU supports commonsense regulatory reform and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on May 19, 2017 by a vote of SB 101 Prohibits Use of Public Funds for Lobbying. This bill prohibits any public education funds from being used to advocate for or against any ballot measure. ACU opposes the use of taxpayer funds for political advocacy and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on May 11, 2017 by a vote of HB 284 Mandating Health Insurance Coverages. This bill mandates that health insurance policies cover autism spectrum disorders. While ACU sympathizes with those who suffer from such disorders, ACU opposes all mandates that drive up the cost of health care for everyone and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on May 16, 2017 by a vote of HB 354 Exempting Fantasy Sports from Gambling Regulations. This bill allows residents to bet on Fantasy Sports by defining the game as a game of skill, thereby exempting the game from the state s gambling laws. ACU supports commonsense regulatory reform and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on May 17, 2017 by a vote of

8 ALABAMA SENATE SCORES ALABAMA SENATE VOTE DETAIL Party District SB 184 SB 123 HB 119 HB 117 SB 63 SB 234 HB 24 SB 24 HB 98 HB 95 HB 96 SB 365 SB 268 SB 376 SB 101 HB 284 HB 354 HB 390 HB 353 ALBRITTON R X X ALLEN R X X Beasley D X BLACKWELL R 15 X X - - X + X X + - X X - + X X 6 10 n/a BREWBAKER R 25 X X + X X X n/a 78 BUSSMAN R X X CHAMBLISS R 30 X X X Coleman-Madison D 20 X - X X X X DIAL R 13 X X - X + X Dunn D 19 X X X X X X Figures D 33 X - X X + X X X n/a 25 GLOVER R X X - X HIGHTOWER R X + + X X X X X X X 7 11 n/a HOLLEY R HOLTZCLAW R X X X - X LIVINGSTON R X MARSH R 12 X X McCLENDON R MELSON R X X - + X ORR R 3 X PITTMAN R X X X X X X X n/a n/a 84 REED R X X Ross D X X + X - - X X X X n/a Sanders D 23 X X X X X X SANFORD R X X X X X X SCOFIELD R SHELNUTT R X X X X n/a 65 Singleton D X X X X 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 2017 percentage was not rated. 2/3rds of the selected bills must be voted on to receive a score. 8

9 ALABAMA SENATE VOTE DETAIL Party District SB 184 SB 123 HB 119 HB 117 SB 63 SB 234 HB 24 SB 24 HB 98 HB 95 HB 96 SB 365 SB 268 SB 376 SB 101 HB 284 HB 354 HB 390 HB 353 Smith I X X X X X X X X X 4 10 n/a Smitherman D n/a 35 STUTTS R X WAGGONER R X X WARD R 14 X - X X X + + X X WHATLEY R X X WILLIAMS R X X 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 2017 percentage was not rated. 2/3rds of the selected bills must be voted on to receive a score. 9

10 ALABAMA HOUSE STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 59 REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 63 NEW HAMPSHIRE HOUSE CONSERVATIVE RATINGS DEMOCRAT AVERAGE 46 RED = REPUBLICANS BLUE = DEMOCRATS LOWEST REPUBLICAN JONES 45 # OF STATE REPS HIGHEST DEMOCRAT HOLLIS ACU PERCENTAGE 10

11 ALABAMA HOUSE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS 1. HB 100 Complying with Immigration Laws. This bill requires that state universities and colleges comply with all federal and state immigration laws. ACU supports the enforcement of federal immigration laws and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on February 14, 2017 by a vote of HB 119 Regulating Interior Designers. This bill extends the requirement that an interior designer become licensed by the state by extending the life of the Board of Registered Interior Designers to 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 that are primarily designed to restrict competition and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 16, 2017 by a vote of HB 117 Regulating Athletic Trainers. This bill extends the requirement that athletic trainers become licensed by the state by extending the life of the Board of Athletic Trainers to 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 that are primarily designed to restrict competition and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 16, 2017 by a vote of HB 95 Protecting Religious Liberties of Healthcare Workers. This bill protects healthcare workers from civil or criminal liability for refusing to provide services that violate their conscience including abortions, human cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and sterilization. ACU supports the right of conscience protection and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 16, 2017 by a vote of HB 390 Clarifying Franchise Labor Law. This bill declares that franchise owners and their employees are not employees of the franchisor. ACU supports this effort to overcome an Obama-era ruling of the National Labor Relations Board that overturned decades of established law and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on April 4, 2017 by a vote of HB 354 Exempting Fantasy Sports from Gambling Regulations. This bill allows residents to bet on Fantasy Sports by defining the game as a game of skill, thereby exempting the game from the state s gambling laws. ACU supports commonsense regulatory reform and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on April 18, 2017 by a vote of HB 98 Protecting the Constitutional Rights of the Unborn. This bill proposes a state constitutional amendment that recognizes and supports the sanctity of life and the rights of unborn children by affirming that the state constitution does not grant the right to an abortion nor provide government funding for abortions. ACU strongly believes the 10th Amendment gives states great latitude to regulate an abortion, believes abortion is a human tragedy, supports efforts to restrict the practice and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on April 25, 2017 by a vote of HB 24 Protecting Religious Liberties of Adoption Organizations. This bill ensures that faith-based adoption organizations that do not receive government funds and refuse to allow adoptions to gay couples on the basis of religious beliefs are granted licenses. ACU s score of this bill is in support of First Amendment religious freedoms and not based on the policy of gay adoption. ACU supports the constitutional right of individuals to practice their religion and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on April 25, 2017 by a vote of HB 96 Prohibiting Physician Assisted Suicide. This bill makes unlawful any act by a person or health care provider to aid in another person s suicide, including to prescribe any drug, compound, or substance to a patient to deliberately aid in the death of that patient. The ACU Foundation s Center for Human Dignity engages heavily on this issue. ACU opposes assisted suicide as it potentially creates a class of citizens no longer protected from coercion by medical professionals, insurance companies and heirs and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on April 25, 2017 by a vote of SB 63 Eliminating School Sunscreen Bans. This bill exempts over-the-counter sunscreen products from school medication bans and allows students to use sunscreen at outdoor events. ACU supports commonsense regulatory reform and believes parents should be able to make decisions regarding sunscreen and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on May 3, 2017 by a vote of HB 283 Banning Ridesharing Companies. This bill allows municipalities to ban rideshare drivers and vehicles from operating. 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 giving government the right to ban rideshare competition and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on May 4, 2017 by a vote of

12 12. HB 284 Mandating Health Insurance Coverages. This bill mandates that health insurance policies cover autism spectrum disorders. While ACU sympathizes with those who suffer from such disorders, ACU opposes all mandates that drive up the cost of health care for everyone and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on May 18, 2017 by a vote of HB 353 Reducing Regulations on Alcohol Sales. This bill allows local jurisdictions to pass ordinances allowing the sale of on-premises alcoholic beverages at 10 a.m. on Sundays. ACU supports commonsense regulatory reform and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on May 19, 2017 by a vote of SB 123 Expanding School Choice. This bill broadens tax credits for school choice and increases support for scholarship granting organizations. Educational attainment provides substantial economic returns for families and for states, as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports strengthening school choice and supported this bill. The House defeated the bill on May 19, 2017 by a vote of SB 234 Reducing Brewery Regulations. This bill eliminates the requirement that a brewery record the names and addresses of people buying beer for off-premise consumption. ACU supports commonsense regulatory reform and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on May 19, 2017 by a vote of

13 ALABAMA HOUSE SCORES ALABAMA HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party District HB 100 HB 119 HB 117 HB 95 HB 390 HB 354 HB 98 HB 24 HB 96 SB 63 HB 283 HB 284 HB 353 SB 234 SB 123 AINSWORTH R X Alexander D X + X X BAKER R X X X BALL R X Bandy D X X X X X X 4 9 n/a n/a 56 BECKMAN R X Beech D X Black D 3 X - - X + X - X X + X n/a BLACKSHEAR R X X BOOTHE R X Boyd D X X X X n/a 34 Bracy D X BROWN R Buskey D X X X BUTLER R CARNS R X - - X CHESTEEN R X Chestnut D 67 X X X X X X X X X X X n/a n/a n/a Clarke D X + X CLOUSE R X X Coleman D X + X - X COLLINS R X CRAWFORD R X + X - X X X Daniels D X + X X X X X n/a n/a 53 DAVIS R X + X X - X X X 6 9 n/a DRAKE R X X Drummond D X ELLIS R n/a 73 England D FARLEY R X X 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 2017 percentage was not rated. 2/3rds of the selected bills must be voted on to receive a score. 13

14 ALABAMA HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party District HB 100 HB 119 HB 117 HB 95 HB 390 HB 354 HB 98 HB 24 HB 96 SB 63 HB 283 HB 284 HB 353 SB 234 SB 123 FAULKNER R X X FAUST R X X FINCHER R Ford D 28 X - - X + X + X X + X n/a Forte D X X X FRIDY R 73 + X X X X X GARRETT R X X X GASTON R X + + X Givan D X + X - X X GREER R X X Grimsley D X X Hall D X X + - X X X HAMMON R X X X + X X X X - X X X 2 5 n/a HANES R HARBISON R X X HARPER R HENRY R 9 + X X X X X HILL R X X X Hollis D 58 X X X X X n/a 70 Holmes, A. D X + + X + X X HOLMES, M. R X X Howard D X X X X HURST R INGRAM R X - X Jackson D 68 - X X JOHNSON, K. R JOHNSON, R. R X JONES R X X X X Knight D X Lawrence D 69 - X X X X X X X n/a LEDBETTER R 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 2017 percentage was not rated. 2/3rds of the selected bills must be voted on to receive a score. 14

15 ALABAMA HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party District HB 100 HB 119 HB 117 HB 95 HB 390 HB 354 HB 98 HB 24 HB 96 SB 63 HB 283 HB 284 HB 353 SB 234 SB 123 LEE R X Lindsey D 39 X - - X + X + X X + X n/a LOVVORN R n/a 67 MARTIN R X X X + X McCampbell D 71 - X X X X X X X n/a McClammy D McCUTCHEON R McMILLAN R X X MILLICAN R X X MOONEY R X MOORE, B. R X X Moore, M. D X + X X X Morrow D 18 - X X X + + X X X + X n/a NORDGREN R X + X PATTERSON R PETTUS R POLIZOS R X + + X X X X POOLE R X - + X PRINGLE R X + X X RICH R X Rogers D 52 - X - X X ROWE R X + X + + X + X - X SANDERFORD R X Scott D X X X X - - X SELLS R X X - X X SESSIONS R X X SHEDD R X - X X SHIVER R X SOUTH R X STANDRIDGE R X Todd D X + X + X X X 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 2017 percentage was not rated. 2/3rds of the selected bills must be voted on to receive a score. 15

16 ALABAMA HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party District HB 100 HB 119 HB 117 HB 95 HB 390 HB 354 HB 98 HB 24 HB 96 SB 63 HB 283 HB 284 HB 353 SB 234 SB 123 TREADAWAY R X - X TUGGLE R X WADSWORTH R Warren D X + X - + X + X X WEAVER R X X WHORTON, I. R X WHORTON, R. R X WILCOX R X WILLIAMS, J. D. R X + + X WILLIAMS, J. W. R WILLIAMS, P. R X WINGO R X X - - X WOOD R 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 2017 percentage was not rated. 2/3rds of the selected bills must be voted on to receive a score. 16