2014 RATINGS of NEBRASKA

Transcription

1 2014 RATINGS of NEBRASKA Conservative.org TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Chairman ACU & ACUF Board Members How We Selected the Votes NE Unicameral Legislature Vote Descriptions NE Unicameral Legislature Scores Winners & Losers 4

2 LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN Dear Fellow Conservatives, On behalf of our entire Board of Directors, I am pleased to present the American Conservative Union s 2014 Rating of the Nebraska Unicameral State Legislature. Though our State Ratings program is newer than our 44-year old Federal Ratings program, it is quickly evolving into a comprehensive evaluative tool that uses principles of conservatism to rate the voting record of state legislators. Our pledge is to rate every state for each session so that every citizen in the nation knows how his or her state officials vote. Our scoring focuses on the full array of policy issues, including taxes, budgets, religious freedom, 2nd Amendment, government regulation, life, and education. Though Reagan s presidential term ended years ago, his legacy and philosophy live on, continuing to guide modern day conservatives. While we take note how conservatives in State Legislatures cast their votes when choosing legislation to score, we at the ACU are ultimately guided by the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the principles of free markets that articulate the inviolate principles of Life, Liberty, and Property. The goal of our ratings is to educate voters about how the liberal agenda is out of sync with mainstream Americans desire for common sense legislation. It serves also to highlight and educate all Americans about how conservative solutions produce better results. As part of that educational initiative, we are proud to include Nebraska in the 2014 ratings. 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 Van Hipp, Jr. Treasurer Tim Goeglein Secretary Joe Bast Bob Beauprez Morton Blackwell Ambassador John Bolton Al Cardenas Ron Christie Muriel Coleman Kellyanne Conway ACU FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBERS Jose Cardenas Kimberly Bellissimo Amy Frederick Jonathan Garthwaite Tom DeLay Becky Norton Dunlop John Eddy Luis Fortuno Amy Frederick Charlie Gerow Alan Gottlieb Van Hipp, Jr. James Lacy Charlie Gerow Millie Hallow Colin Hanna Willes Lee Michael Long Grover Norquist Anne Northup Ron Robinson Ned Ryun Fred Smith, Jr. Lewis Uhler Carolyn Meadows Matt Schlapp Thomas Winter HOW WE SELECTED THE VOTES As the nation s oldest grassroots conservative organization, the American Conservative Union serves as an umbrella organization for conservatives in America. The ACU tracks a wide range of issues before Congress and State Legislatures to determine which issues and votes serve as a clear litmus test separating those representatives who defend liberty and liberal members who have turned their backs on our founding principles constitutionally limited government, individual liberty, free markets, a strong national defense and traditional values. As a result, the ACU Ratings have included a wide variety of issues covering votes on taxes, wasteful government spending, cultural issues, defense and foreign policy. To contact ACU on a policy issue, please call The votes selected by the ACU are not always considered the most important votes as defined by others, instead the votes selected are chosen to create a clear ideological distinction among those casting them. With our annual ratings, ACU s mission is informing grassroots conservatives and the public in an unbiased, transparent manner on where individual members of Congress fall on the ideological spectrum H Street NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC (202)

4 2014 WINNERS & LOSERS % AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE EXCELLENCE 10% < COALITION OF THE RADICAL LEFT Lautenbaugh n/a 80-89% AWARD FOR CONSERVATIVE ACHIEVEMENT Bloomfield Brasch Christensen Garrett Janssen Kintner Larson Pirsch 4

5 NEBRASKA UNICAMERAL LEGISLATURE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS 1. LB 78 Government Reform. This bill eliminated unneeded and duplicative boards and commissions such as the Livestock Advisory Committee and the Economic and Rural Development Commissions. ACU supports these government reforms and supported this bill. The bill passed the legislature on March 1, 2013 by a vote of LB 905 Appropriations. This amendment by Senator Mello overrides the Governor s line-item veto of $65 million in spending. ACU supports Governor Heineman s efforts to restrain government spending and opposed this amendment. The legislature passed the amendment on March 19, 2014 by a vote of LB 887. Obamacare Implementation. This bill would have expanded the Medicaid program to help implement Obamacare. ACU opposes this expansion which would impose a future burden on Nebraska taxpayers and does not reform a program rife with waste, fraud and abuse and opposed this bill. The legislature defeated a motion to end debate (invoke cloture), thus killing the bill on March 19, 2014 by a vote of (30 votes were necessary for passage). ACU Opposed the motion to end debate. 4. LB 690. Wasteful Spending. This bill created the Aging Nebraskans Task Force and required the state to apply for a federal grant to expand the state s Medicaid program. ACU opposes this backdoor approach to expanding Medicaid, a program rife with waste, fraud and abuse, and opposed this bill. The legislature passed the bill on March 31, 2014 by a vote of The bill was vetoed by the Governor but the legislature then overrode the veto. 6. LB 943. Minimum Wage. This bill would have increased the minimum wage on Nebraska from $7.25 an hour to $9.00 an hour by ACU is opposed to the government setting artificial wage levels and opposed this bill. The legislature defeated the bill on March 31, 2014 on a tie vote, LB 198 Capital Budget. The legislature passed the Capital Budget while ignoring the Governor s line-item veto of three spending items in the Capital including $3 million to construct a nursing building at the Nebraska medical Center College. ACU supports fiscal responsibility and opposed this bill. The bill passed the legislature on May 28, 2013 by a vote of LB 368 Wage Subsidies. This bill creates a wage subsidy program similar to failed welfare programs the 1970s. The government contracts with an advocacy organization that picks people on welfare to participate. The government then pays what they call a prevailing wage, usually higher than the market rate, for a limited period of time. ACU opposes programs that distort the free market and opposed this bill. The bill passed the legislature on May 29, 2013 by a vote of LB 195 Appropriations. This amendment by Senator Dubas would have overridden the Governor s line-item veto of funds to pay Nebraska s dues to the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact. ACU opposes using taxpayer funds for a mode of transportation little used in Midwest states and supported the Governor s veto. The legislature failed to override the veto on May 28, 2013 by a vote of with 6 voting Present. 5. LB 935. Government Reform. This bill would have given the legislature the authority over the relocation of state agencies from one community to another. It required the agencies to justify the move and include cost estimates. ACU supports this type of government oversight and supported this bill. The legislature defeated the bill on March 31, 2014 by a vote of

6 NEBRASKA UNICAMERAL LEGISLATURE SCORES OVERALL AVERAGE 48% LOWEST SCORERS COOK, KOLOWSKI, LATHROP 13% HIGHEST SCORERS LAUTENBAUGH, PIRSCH 100% NEBRASKA UNICAMERAL LEGISLATURE VOTE DETAIL* District LB 78 LB 905 LB 887 LB 690 LB 935 LB 943 LB 198 LB 368 LB 195 ACU Votes Votes Cast ACU % Adams % Ashford E % Avery P % Bloomfield % Bolz % Brasch % Campbell % Carlson E % Chambers % Christensen % Coash % Conrad % Cook P % Crawford P % Davis % Dubas % Garrett X X X % Glooer % 6

7 NEBRASKA UNICAMERAL LEGISLATURE VOTE DETAIL* District LB 78 LB 905 LB 887 LB 690 LB 935 LB 943 LB 198 LB 368 LB 195 ACU Votes Votes Cast ACU % Haar P % Hadley % Hansen % Harms % Harr % Howard E E % Janssen E E E + E % Johnson E + E % Karpisek % Kintner % Kolowski 31 E % Krist P % Larson X E % Lathrop P % Lautenbaugh 18 + E + E E + + E % McCoy % McGill P % Mello E % Murante % Nelson % Nordquist % Pirsch P % Scheer E E % Schilz % Schumacher P % Seiler E E - E % Smith P % Sullivan 41 E % Wallman % Watermeier E % Wightman % *The following member of the Legislature did not vote on enough of the selected votes and as a result was not rated: Price. 7

8 TO SEE MORE ACU RATINGS, PLEASE VISIT: acuratings.conservative.org Conservative.org