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

Transcription

1 2017 RATINGS of WYOMING #ACURatings Conservative.org TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Chairman... 2 ACU & ACUF Board Members... 3 Selecting the Votes Winners & Losers... 4 WY Senate Statistics... 5 WY Senate Vote Descriptions... 6 WY Senate Scores... 8 WY House Statistics... 9 WY House Vote Descriptions WY House Scores... 12

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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming 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 1331 H Street NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC (202)

4 2017 WINNERS & LOSERS % AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE EXCELLENCE <= 10% COALITION OF THE RADICAL LEFT SENATE SENATE n/a BAKER BITEMAN GREEAR HALVERSON McKIM MILLER n/a n/a BLACKBURN HUNT OLSEN CLEM LAURSEN WINTERS GRAY LOUCKS 80-89% AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE ACHIEVEMENT SENATE AGAR ALLEN HARSHMAN PIIPARINEN BONER BOUCHARD DOCKSTADER HICKS MEIER CLAUSEN COURT EDWARDS EYRE FLITNER JENNINGS LARSEN LINDHOLM LONE MacGUIRE POWNALL SALAZAR SOMMERS STEINMETZ WILSON FURPHY MADDEN HALLINAN NICHOLAS 4

5 WYOMING SENATE STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 70% REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 73% WYOMING SENATE CONSERVATIVE RATINGS DEMOCRAT AVERAGE 43% RED = REPUBLICANS BLUE = DEMOCRATS LOWEST REPUBLICAN EMERICH 50% # OF STATE SENATORS HIGHEST DEMOCRAT 0 0-9% 10-19% 20-29% 30-39% 40-49% 50-59% 60-69% 70-79% 80-89% % HASTERT 50% 2017 ACU PERCENTAGE 5

6 WYOMING SENATE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS Streamlining Construction Regulations. This bill gives local governments control over new construction projects, building remolding, and above ground flammable fuel storage tank construction so that plans do not have to be submitted to the state Fire Marshall. ACU supports reducing the regulatory burden on these projects and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on January 23, 2017 by a vote of Farm Loan Program Expansion. This bill increases from $800,000 to $1 million the amount that can be lent to any one person under the farm loan program and increases the cap on a loan from ten percent to twenty percent of the total authorized loan amount. ACU opposes increasing the taxpayer risk for a farm program that is in addition to federal farm subsidy and crop insurance subsidy programs and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on January 26, 2017 by a vote of Homemade Food Regulations. This bill allows people with homemade food to sell the food on the premises where the food is produced. Signs must state that the food is homemade and is not government inspected. Expanding entrepreneurship promotes economic growth, which leads to greater family prosperity, as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports common-sense regulatory reform and supported this bill. The senate passed the bill on February 1, 2017 by a vote of Free Contraceptive Program. This bill sets up a program within the Department of Health to give free long-acting reversible contraceptives, such as injections, intrauterine devices, and implants, to women who would likely be qualified for prenatal or delivery coverage under Medicaid. The government will solicit funds from private sources to pay for the program. ACU believes programs that are privately funded do not need government to administer them and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 2, 2017 by a vote of SJ 9 Authority Over Government Spending. This resolution states that the legislature should determine the amount of government spending and that the courts shall be prohibited from requiring funding beyond the law or imposing a tax or tax increase to fund programs. ACU supports the founders' decision to give spending authority to the legislative branch of government and supported this resolution. The Senate passed the resolution on February 3, 2017 by a vote of Franchise Employee Regulations. This bill establishes that, when applying labor law, neither a franchise owner, nor that owner s employees, are employees of the franchisor. 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 supports this common sense application of labor law in response to the National Labor Relations Board rule overturning decades of precedent in this area and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 3, 2017 by a vote of Teacher Employment Flexibility. This bill streamlines regulations regarding continuing contracts for teachers, allowing those teachers who have satisfactory performance evaluations and have been granted continuing contract status to receive a continuing contract without meeting the three-year teaching requirement. ACU supports flexibility in teacher hiring and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 7, 2017 by a vote of Telemedicine Regulations. This bill authorizes regulatory bodies to adopt rules allowing the use of telemedicine. ACU supports expanding healthcare options that help bring down healthcare costs and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 22, 2017 by a vote of Concealed Carry. This bill permits the concealed carry of a firearm on a public college or university facility by anyone lawfully allowed to carry, and permits them to do so without having to receive written consent from the security service of the public college or university. ACU supports the founders' belief in the Second Amendment and supported this bill. The Senate defeated the bill on February 23, 2017 by a vote of Property Rights. This bill makes it illegal to enter private property to collect antlers or horns without the permission of the property owner. ACU supports strengthening property rights and the ACU Foundation s Center for 21st Century Property Rights engages heavily on this issue, therefore ACU supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 24, 2017 by a vote of

7 Ride-Sharing Regulations. This bill sets up a framework for ride-sharing companies, such as Uber and Lyft, to operate in Wyoming and prohibits local governments from requiring licenses or imposing taxes on the service. Expanding entrepreneurship promotes economic growth, which leads to greater family prosperity, as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports a free market in transportation services and supported this bill as a step in the right direction. The Senate passed the bill on February 24, 2017 by a vote of Virtual Learning Regulations. This bill legalizes virtual learning programs in schools and creates a commission to oversee the programs. The bill allows for the option of adopting a recommended management system or creating a new one. Educational attainment is an important cultural value that yields substantial economic returns for families and for states, which is illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports the expansion of school choice and educational opportunity and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 27, 2017 by a vote of Abortion Requirements. This bill requires a physician performing an abortion to inform a patient of the opportunity to view an active ultrasound image and hear the fetal heartbeat. ACU believes abortion is a human tragedy, supports restrictions on the practice and educating patients, and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 27, 2017 by a vote of Firearms in Schools. This bill allows school districts to adopt rules permitting school district employees, who hold a concealed carry permit, to carry a concealed firearm on school property. ACU supports the founders' belief in the Second Amendment, supports enhancing school safety, and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 27, 2017 by a vote of Government Transparency. This bill requires an audio recording be made of legislative interim committee meetings and select committee and task force meetings. Furthermore, these recordings must be made available on a website available to the public. ACU supports increased government transparency and supported this bill. The Senate defeated the bill on February 27, 2017 by a vote of Selling of Aborted Fetuses. This bill strengthens the law prohibiting the sale of aborted fetuses for experimentation by removing the live or viable limitation and by applying the prohibition to the sale of tissue or cells. ACU believes abortion is a human tragedy, supports restrictions on the practice, and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 28, 2017 by a vote of Government Management of the Economy. This bill creates a new bureaucracy that will spend millions of dollars to come up with ideas to make Wyoming economically diverse by The ENDOW Council (Economically Needed Diversity Option for Wyoming) is to prepare a 20-year plan, including fouryear action plans, on diversification. ACU opposes wasteful government programs that attempt to override the private sector and free market by forcefully managing an economy and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 28, 2017 by a vote of Parental Rights. This bill asserts the principle of parental rights over their children and provides that state agencies and local governments should not infringe on these rights without demonstrating that their action is the least restrictive means to address a compelling state interest. ACU supports strengthening parental rights and supported this bill. The Senate passed the bill on February 28, 2017 by a vote of

8 WYOMING SENATE SCORES WYOMING SENATE VOTE DETAIL Party District SJ AGAR R % n/a 83% ANDERSON R % 67% 68% Anselmi-Dalton D % n/a 39% BALDWIN R % 67% 71% BARNARD R % 42% 61% BEBOUT R % 58% 62% BONER R % 83% 83% BOUCHARD R % n/a 83% BURNS R % 58% 68% CASE R % 50% 63% CHRISTENSEN R E E % 67% 71% COE R % 67% 56% DOCKSTADER R % 75% 69% DRISKILL R % 58% 68% ELLIS R % n/a 72% EMERICH R % 50% 53% Hastert D % 42% 51% HICKS R % 83% 82% KINSKEY R E % 83% 76% LANDEN R E % 75% 65% MEIER R % 83% 89% MONIZ R % 53% 57% NETHERCOTT R % n/a 78% PAPPAS R E % 42% 57% PERKINS R % 67% 62% PETERSON R % 92% 77% Rothfuss D % 33% 37% SCOTT R 30 + X % 67% 68% VON FLATERN R % 50% 60% WASSERBURGER R % 50% 49% ACU Votes Votes Cast 2017 % 2016 % LIFETIME AVG 8

9 WYOMING STATISTICS OVERALL AVERAGE 76% REPUBLICAN AVERAGE 81% WYOMING CONSERVATIVE RATINGS DEMOCRAT AVERAGE 44% RED = REPUBLICANS BLUE = DEMOCRATS 50 LOWEST REPUBLICAN SWEENEY 57% HIGHEST DEMOCRAT # OF STATE REPS BLAKE 57% % 10-19% 20-29% 30-39% 40-49% 50-59% 60-69% 70-79% 80-89% 2017 ACU PERCENTAGE % 9

10 WYOMING VOTE DESCRIPTIONS Ride-Sharing Regulations. This bill sets up a framework for ride-sharing companies, such as Uber and Lyft, to operate in Wyoming and prohibits local governments from requiring licenses or imposing taxes on the service. Expanding entrepreneurship promotes economic growth, which leads to greater family prosperity, as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports a free market in transportation services and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on January 24, 2017 by a vote of Telemedicine Regulations. This bill authorizes regulatory bodies to adopt rules allowing the use of telemedicine. ACU supports expanding healthcare options to help bring down healthcare costs and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on January 30, 2017 by a vote of Vote Counting Procedure. This bill eliminates the requirement that absentee ballots be received by 7pm the day of the election. Instead, they may be counted if they arrive before the canvassing board meets, which occurs days later. ACU supports ballot integrity, opposes measures that make it easier to commit vote fraud, and opposed this bill. The House defeated the bill on January 30, 2017 by a vote of Permanent Absentee Voting. This bill allows someone to be permanently registered to vote by absentee ballot. ACU supports ballot integrity, opposes systems that make it easier to commit vote fraud, and opposed this bill. The House defeated the bill on January 31, 2017 by a vote of Property Rights. This bill makes it illegal to enter private property to collect antlers or horns without the permission of the property owner. ACU supports strengthening property rights and the ACU Foundation s Center for 21st Century Property Rights engages heavily on this issue, therefore ACU supported this bill. The House passed the bill on January 31, 2017 by a vote of Minimum Wage. This bill increases the state minimum wage from $5.15 to $9.50 per hour and the minimum wage for tipped employees from $2.13 to $5.50 per hour. ACU opposes these artificial wages, which hurt those who most need help with employment, such as students and inexperienced workers, and opposed this bill. The House defeated the bill on January 31, 2017 by a vote of Concealed Carry. This bill permits the concealed carry of a firearm on a public college or university facility by anyone lawfully allowed to carry, and permits them to do so without having to receive written consent from the security service of the public college or university. ACU supports the founders' belief in the Second Amendment and supported this bill. ACU supports the founders' belief in the Second Amendment and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on February 1, 2017 by a vote of Cigarette Tax Increase. This bill increases the cigarette tax by 50 percent. ACU opposes major tax increases on a declining source of revenue, which hurts small businesses and lower income individuals the hardest, and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 1, 2017 by a vote of Seat Belt Violations. This bill permits law enforcement to make a traffic stop solely on the basis that the driver or passenger is not wearing a seat belt. ACU opposes traffic stops for reasons other than traffic safety and opposed this bill. The House defeated the bill on February 2, 2017 by a vote of Sale of Unborn Baby Organs. This bill makes illegal the sale or purchase of an unborn baby s organs. ACU believes abortion is a human tragedy, supports restrictions on the practice and the ACU Foundation s Center for human Dignity engages heavily on these issues, therefore ACU supported this bill. The House passed the bill on February 3, 2017 by a vote of Government Transparency. This bill requires an audio recording be made of legislative interim committee meetings and select committee and task force meetings. Furthermore, these recordings must be made available on a website available to the public. ACU supports increased government transparency and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on February 6, 2017 by a vote of Farm Loan Program Expansion. This bill increases from $800,000 to $1 million the amount that can be lent to any one person under the farm loan program and increases the cap on a loan from ten percent to twenty percent of the total authorized loan amount. ACU opposes increasing the taxpayer risk for a farm program that is in addition to federal farm subsidy and crop insurance subsidy programs and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 16, 2017 by a vote of

11 Homemade Food Regulations. This bill allows people with homemade food to sell the food on the premises where the food is produced. Signs must state that the food is homemade and is not government inspected. Expanding entrepreneurship promotes economic growth, which leads to greater family prosperity, as illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports common-sense regulatory reform and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on February 21, 2017 by a vote of Virtual Learning Regulations. This bill legalizes virtual learning programs in schools and creates a commission to oversee the programs. The bill allows for the option of adopting a recommended management system or creating a new one. Educational attainment is an important cultural value that yields substantial economic returns for families and for states, which is illustrated by the ACU Foundation s Family Prosperity Index. ACU supports the expansion of school choice and educational opportunity and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on February 27, 2017 by a vote of Government Management of the Economy. This bill creates a new bureaucracy that will spend millions of dollars to come up with ideas to make Wyoming economically diverse by The ENDOW Council (Economically Needed Diversity Option for Wyoming) is to prepare a 20-year plan, including fouryear action plans, on diversification. ACU opposes wasteful government programs that attempt to override the private sector and free market by forcefully managing an economy and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on February 27, 2015 by a vote of Abortion Requirements. This bill requires a physician performing an abortion to inform a patient of the opportunity to view an active ultrasound image and hear the fetal heartbeat. ACU believes abortion is a human tragedy, supports restrictions on the practice, and educating patients and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on February 28, 2017 by a vote of Streamlining Construction Regulations. This bill gives local governments control over new construction projects, building remolding, and above ground flammable fuel storage tank construction so that plans do not have to be submitted to the state Fire Marshall. ACU supports reducing the regulatory burden on these projects and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 1, 2017 by a vote of Franchise Employee Regulations. This bill establishes that, when applying labor law, neither a franchise owner, nor that owner s employees, are employees of the franchisor. 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 supports this common sense application of labor law in response to the National Labor Relations Board rule overturning decades of precedent in this area and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 1, 2017 by a vote of Selling of Aborted Fetuses. This bill strengthens the law prohibiting the sale of aborted fetuses for experimentation by removing the live or viable limitation and by applying the prohibition to the sale of tissue or cells. ACU believes abortion is a human tragedy, supports restrictions on the practice, and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 1, 2017 by a vote of Parental Rights. This bill asserts the principle of parental rights over their children and provides that state agencies and local governments should not infringe on these rights without demonstrating that their action is the least restrictive means to address a compelling state interest. ACU supports strengthening parental rights and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on March 1, 2017 by a vote of Firearms in Schools. This bill allows school districts to adopt rules permitting school district employees, who hold a concealed carry permit, to carry a concealed firearm on school property. ACU supports the founders' belief in the Second Amendment, supports enhancing school safety, and supported this bill. The House passed the bill on February 28, 2017 by a vote of

12 WYOMING SCORES WYOMING VOTE DETAIL Party District ALLEN R % 73% 71% BAKER R E % 80% 75% BARLOW R E E % 80% 75% BITEMAN R % n/a 95% BLACKBURN R % 80% 83% Blake D % 33% 50% Bovee D E % n/a 40% BROWN R % n/a 67% BURKHART R % 80% 72% Byrd D % 33% 40% CLAUSEN R E E % n/a 84% CLEM R % 87% 82% Connolly D % 33% 42% COURT R % n/a 86% CRANK R E % n/a 60% Dayton D % 27% 38% EDWARDS R % 87% 86% EKLUND R % 80% 70% EYRE R % n/a 81% FLITNER R % n/a 86% Freeman D E E % 27% 48% FURPHY R E % n/a 80% Gierau D % n/a 48% GRAY R % n/a 90% GREEAR R 27 +* E % 67% 66% HALEY R % n/a 67% HALLINAN R % n/a 86% HALVERSON R % 87% 86% HARSHMAN R % 60% 69% HENDERSON R % n/a 71% * Vote attributed to error ACU Votes Votes Cast 2017 % 2016 % LIFETIME AVG 12

13 WYOMING VOTE DETAIL Party District HUNT R % 80% 80% JENNINGS R % 87% 84% KINNER R % 47% 62% KIRKBRIDE R % 67% 63% LARSEN R % 60% 67% LAURSEN R % 80% 73% LINDHOLM R % 87% 79% LONE R E E E % n/a 83% LOUCKS R % 80% 83% MacGUIRE R E % n/a 80% MADDEN R % 40% 59% McKIM R 21 E % 80% 77% MILLER R % 87% 76% NICHOLAS R % 40% 57% NORTHRUP R % 67% 71% OBERMUELLER R % n/a 76% OLSEN R % n/a 90% PAXTON R % 60% 61% Pelkey D % 27% 38% PIIPARINEN R % 73% 83% POWNALL R % 87% 78% SALAZAR R % n/a 86% Schwartz D E % 20% 37% SOMMERS R % 53% 65% STEINMETZ R % 73% 80% SWEENEY R % n/a 57% WALTERS R % 57% 51% WILSON R E E % 67% 76% WINTERS R E % 87% 78% ZWONITZER R % 40% 60% ACU Votes Votes Cast 2017 % 2016 % LIFETIME AVG 13