2015 RATINGS of OREGON

Transcription

1 2015 RATINGS of OREGON Conservative.org TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Chairman 2 OR Senate Vote Descriptions 5 ACU & ACUF Board Members 3 OR Senate Scores 7 Selecting the 3 OR House Vote Descriptions Winners & Losers 4 OR House Scores 11

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 Oregon State Legislature. Like our Congressional Ratings, our State Ratings reflect how elected officials view the role of government in an individual's life. The Oregon 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 Oregon 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 Oregon 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 Oregon, DC (202)

4 2015 WINNERS & LOSERS % AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE EXCELLENCE < 10% COALITION OF THE RADICAL LEFT SENATE HOUSE SENATE SENATE HOUSE HOUSE n/a 80-89% SENATE BAERTSCHIGER OLSEN THOMSEN WHITSETT WEIDNER AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE ACHIEVEMENT HOUSE BARRETO NEARMAN POST WHITSETT Bates Beyer Burdick Courtney Dembrow Devlin Edwards Gelser Hass Monnes Anderson Monroe Prozanski Riley Roblan Rosenbaum Shields Steiner Hayward Barnhart Boone Buckley Doherty Fagan Frederick Gallegos Gorsek Greenlick Helm Holvey Hoyle Keny-Guyer Kotek Lininger Nathanson Nosse Piluso Rayfield Read Reardon Smith Warner Taylor Vega Pederson Williamson Komp 4

5 OREGON SENATE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS Low Carbon Fuel Standard. This bill extends Oregon s low carbon fuel standard set to expire at the end of It requires companies to progressively lower the amount of carbon in their energy products over a decade or face fines. ACU opposes these mandates that drive up the cost of energy for everyone and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 17, 2015 by a vote of Lending Laws. This bill voids loan contracts of $50,000 or less if the lender is not licensed by the government. ACU supports free market competition for loans and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on April 2, 2015 by a vote of Prevailing Wage. This bill extends Oregon s prevailing wage law to include any project using $750,000 or more of government funds no matter whether the project is on private or public roads or buildings. ACU opposes these artificial wages that add millions of dollars to the cost of projects and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on April 22, 2015 by a vote of Domestic Worker Labor Law. This bill extends to domestic workers, such as nannies and housekeepers, the right to paid vacation, overtime pay and rest periods. ACU opposes this interference in the free market and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on April 29, 2015 by a vote of E-Cigarettes. This bill bans the use of E-Cigarettes in public indoor spaces along with banning the sale to minors and mandating child-resistant packages. ACU believes that both tobacco and e-cigarettes are a personal liberty issue and government regulations on products are only appropriate when their use substantially impacts others. The Senate passed the bill on May 11, 2015 by a vote of Utility Regulations. This bill creates a long list of reasons a utility could not shut off electric or natural gas service if the bill isn t paid, including the death of someone in the household and if anyone in the household has lost their job. ACU opposes these complex regulations that will drive up the cost of utilities for everyone and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on May 28, 2015 by a vote of Mandated Sick Leave. This bill mandates paid sick leave for every business with 10 or more employees and unpaid sick leave for those with less than 10 employees. ACU opposes this interference in the free market that particularly affects small business and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 10, 2015 by a vote of Retirement Oversight Board. This bill creates a new bureaucracy that would hire a private company to offer retirement plans for those employees who don t have one. ACU opposes government programs that compete with private enterprise and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 16, 2015 by a vote of Law Enforcement. This bill prohibits law enforcement from obtaining information from electronic devices without a warrant except in cases of an imminent threat to public safety. ACU supports the requirement of a warrant for searches whenever possible and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 18, 2015 by a vote of School Breakfast. This bill allows schools to count breakfast as instructional time. ACU opposes this deceptive practice that reduces real instructional time and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 18, 2015 by a vote of College Education Grants. This bill prioritizes state grants for underrepresented racial and ethnic groups where possible in addition to financial need. ACU opposes using racial criteria for government aid and believes that all those with financial needs should be considered equally, and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 18, 2015 by a vote of In-state Tuition. This bill expands the number of illegal immigrants eligible for in-state tuition and state grants and loans. ACU opposes illegal immigrants from qualifying for any government assistance and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 25, 2015 by a vote X-Ray Tax Increase. This bill imposes a 25 percent increase in registration fees for X-ray machines in doctor s and dental offices as well as fees for tanning beds. ACU opposes fees that hit small physician and dental practices the hardest while raising the cost of healthcare and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 30, 2015 by a vote of Community College Tuition. This bill provides free tuition (plus a $50 fee for each course) for anyone who lives in Oregon for one year and is a high school graduate but does not qualify for needs-based grants. ACU opposes profligate spending paid for with higher taxes and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on July 2, 2015 by a vote of

6 Licensing Laws. This bill creates a new bureaucracy to oversee certification for nonablative estheticians, skin care not using a blade. The new Board of Certified Advanced Estheticians would decide the certification requirements. ACU opposes the rapid increase in government certification and licensing for many common practices primarily designed to reduce competition and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on July 2, 2015 by a vote of Hunting Tax Increase. This bill continually increases hunting and fishing fees for the next six years to replace state funds diverted to other purposes. ACU opposes tax increases to pay for increased spending and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on July 3, 2015 by a vote of

7 OREGON SENATE SCORES OREGON SENATE STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 33% REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 69% LOWEST REPUBLICAN WINTERS 40% DEMOCRAT AVERAGE 8% HIGHEST DEMOCRAT JOHNSON 50% OREGON SENATE VOTE DETAIL Party District BAERTSCHIGER R % Bates D % Beyer D % BOQUIST R E E % Burdick D E E % Courtney D % Dembrow D % Devlin D % Edwards D % FERRIOLI R % Gelser D E E E % GIROD R % HANSELL R % Hass D % Johnson D % KNOPP R % KRUSE R % ACU Cast 2015 % 7

8 OREGON SENATE VOTE DETAIL Party District Monnes Anderson D % Monroe D % OLSEN R E E E E E % Prozanski D % Riley D % Roblan D % Rosenbaum D % Shields D % Steiner Hayward D % THATCHER R E E E % THOMSEN R % WHITSETT R % WINTERS R E % ACU Cast 2015 % 8

9 OREGON HOUSE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS E-Cigarettes. This bill bans the use of E-Cigarettes in public indoor spaces along with banning the sale to minors and mandating child-resistant packages. ACU believes that both tobacco and e-cigarettes are a personal liberty issue and government regulations on products are only appropriate when their use substantially impacts others. The House passed the bill on March 2, 2015 by a vote of Low Carbon Fuel Standard. This bill extends Oregon s low carbon fuel standard which is set to expire at the end of It requires companies to progressively lower the amount of carbon in their energy products over a decade or face fines. ACU opposes these mandates that drive up the cost of energy for everyone and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on March 4, 2015 by a vote of Housing Mandates. This bill allows government bureaucrats to mandate that up to 30 percent of units in a housing development be sold at below market prices. ACU opposes socialist control of private property and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on April 14, 2015 by a vote of Utility Regulations. This bill creates a long list of reasons a utility could not shut off electric or natural gas service if the bill isn t paid, including the death of someone in the household and if anyone in the household has lost their job. ACU opposes these complex regulations that will drive up the cost of utilities for everyone and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on April 28, 2015 by a vote of Lending Laws. This bill voids loan contracts of $50,000 or less if the lender is not licensed by the government. ACU supports free market competition for loans and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on May 29, 2015 by a vote of Domestic Worker Labor Law. This bill extends to domestic workers, such as nannies and housekeepers, the right to paid vacation, overtime pay and rest periods. ACU opposes this interference in the free market and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 4, 2015 by a vote of Special Tax Exemptions. This bill creates a ten year property tax exemption for property owners in Portland who make energy efficiency upgrades approved by the government on properties built before ACU opposes tax proposals that are limited to one community and would ultimately result in increased taxes on others and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 4, 2015 by a vote of Prevailing Wage. This bill extends Oregon s prevailing wage law to include any project using $750,000 or more of government funds no matter whether the project is on private or public roads or buildings. ACU opposes these artificial wages that add millions of dollars to the cost of projects and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 9, 2015 by a vote of School Breakfast. This bill allows schools to count breakfast as instructional time. ACU opposes this deceptive practice that reduces real instructional time and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 10, 2015 by a vote of Retirement Oversight Board. This bill creates a new bureaucracy that would hire a private company to offer retirement plans for those employees who don t have one. ACU opposes government programs that compete with private enterprise and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 10, 2015 by a vote of College Education Grants. This bill prioritizes state grants for underrepresented racial and ethnic groups where possible in addition to financial need. ACU opposes using racial criteria for government aid and believes that all those with financial needs should be considered equally, and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 10, 2015 by a vote of Law Enforcement. This bill prohibits law enforcement from obtaining information from electronic devices without a warrant except in cases of an imminent threat to public safety. ACU supports the requirement of a warrant for searches whenever possible and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on June 11, 2015 by a vote of Mandated Sick Leave. This bill mandates paid sick leave for every business with 10 or more employees and unpaid sick leave for those with less than 10 employees. ACU opposes this interference in the free market that particularly affects small business and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 12, 2015 by a vote of Licensing Laws. This bill creates a new bureaucracy to oversee certification for nonablative estheticians, skin care not using a blade. The new Board of Certified Advanced Estheticians decides the certification requirements. ACU opposes the rapid increase in government certification and licensing for many common practices, which is primarily designed to reduce competition, and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 20, 2015 by a vote of

10 X Ray Tax Increase. This bill imposes a 25 percent increase in registration fees for X ray machines in doctor s and dental offices as well as fees for tanning beds. ACU opposes fees that hit small physician and dental practices the hardest while raising the cost of healthcare and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on July 2, 2015 by a vote of Hunting Tax Increase. This bill continually increases hunting and fishing fees for the next six years to replace state funds diverted to other purposes. ACU opposes tax increases to pay for increased spending and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on July 2, 2015 by a vote of In-state Tuition. This bill expands the number of illegal immigrants eligible for in-state tuition, state grants, and loans. ACU opposed illegal immigrants from qualifying for any government assistance and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on July 2, 2015 by a vote of Community College Tuition. This bill provides free tuition (plus a $50 fee for each course) for anyone who lives in Oregon for one year and is a high school graduate but does not qualify for needs-based grants. ACU opposes profligate spending paid for with higher taxes and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on July 3, 2015 by a vote of

11 OREGON HOUSE SCORES OREGON HOUSE STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 34% REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 71% LOWEST REPUBLICAN HUFFMAN 50% DEMOCRAT AVERAGE 8% HIGHEST DEMOCRAT CLEM 22% OREGON HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party District Barker D E E E % Barnhart D E % BARRETO R E % Barton D E + - E E % BENTZ R E + E E + - E % Boone D % Buckley D E % BUEHLER R E % Clem D % DAVIS R E + E E + - E % Doherty D % ESQUIVEL R 6 E E E E E E % Evans D % Fagan D % Frederick D % Gallegos D E - - E % GILLIAM R % ACU Cast 2015 % 11

12 OREGON HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party District Gomberg D % Gorsek D 49 E E E E E - E % Greenlick D E % HACK R E % HAYDEN R E % HEARD R E % Helm D % Holvey D % Hoyle D % HUFFMAN R % JOHNSON R E E % KENNEMER R % Keny-Guyer D % Komp D E % Kotek D E - E E - E % KRIEGER R % Lininger D % Lively D % McKeown D E + E E + - E % McLain D % McLANE R E % Nathanson D E % NEARMAN R E + E % Nosse D % OLSON R E % PARRISH R % Piluso D E E % POST R % Rayfield D % Read D % Reardon D % ACU Cast 2015 % 12

13 OREGON HOUSE VOTE DETAIL Party District SMITH R E E % Smith Warner D E E % SPRENGER R E % STARK R % Taylor D E % Vega Pederson D E E - - E % WEIDNER R E % WHISNANT R % WHITSETT R % Williamson D % WILSON R % Witt D E % ACU Cast 2015 % 13