2003 Scorecard Explanations
*While MAP does not take positions on these bills, MAP cites what the conservative position is on these issues. All legislators are scored on their pattern of how often they voted consistent with the conservative position. It is each constituent’s responsibility to determine if their legislator is voting consistent with the wishes of their constituent base and to hold their legislators accountable for their voting records.
1. Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act = No
HB 935 is the Budget and Reconciliation Financing Act of 2003. The bill was passed by the House 109-29 and the Senate 43-4 and was signed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose the bill because it applies poor budget priorities, fails to cut spending, and increases taxes.
2. Development Excise Tax Increase = No
HB 1148 increased the maximum development excise tax from $750 to $2,000 per lot. The bill was passed by the House 129-5 and the Senate 40-4 and signed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose tax increases and believe that tax laws must be simplified, not complicated with new taxes on the books.
3. Building Excise Tax = No
HB 701 authorized Talbot County to impose a building excise tax on all types of building construction. The bill was passed by the House 134-0 and the Senate 40-6 and was signed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose tax increases and believe that tax laws must be simplified, not complicated with new taxes on the books.
4. Vehicle Surcharge Created = No
HB 563 authorized Montgomery County to impose a local surcharge on the registration of motor vehicles. The bill was passed by the House 88-42 and the Senate 31-14, but vetoed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose tax increases and believe that the tax laws must be simplified, not complicated with new taxes on the books.
5. Hotel Rental Tax Created = No
HB 562 authorized certain counties in Western Maryland to impose a tax on hotel guests. The bill was passed by the House 127-7 and the Senate 41-5 and signed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose tax increases and believe that tax laws must be simplified, not complicated with new taxes on the books.
6. Insurance Premium Tax Increase = No
HB 753 would have imposed an insurance premium tax on health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and managed care organizations and included other corporate tax increases. The bill was passed by the House 87-50 and the Senate 28-19, but was vetoed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose tax increases, especially this one which would have resulted in increased health care costs for over one million Marylanders covered by HMOs, causing some low-income Marylanders to drop HMO coverage and would have forced some small employers to drop health plans. The additional tax increases on Maryland corporations would have resulted in jobs being lost and would have made economic recovery in Maryland more difficult.
7. In-State Tuition for Non-U.S. Citizens = No
HB 253 would have qualified non-U.S. citizens for in-state college tuition so long as they agree to file for a green card within 30 days of becoming eligible to do so. The bill was passed by the House 73-50 and the Senate 30-15, but was vetoed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose this bill because not only does it reward those who are in the U.S. illegally, but the law does not provide authority for officials to track whether the student in fact files a green card application and wrongly presupposes the green card application will be approved by the federal government.
8. Driver’s Licenses for Non-U.S. Citizens = No
HB 838 permits non-U.S. citizens to apply for a driver’s license. The bill was passed by the House 96-42 and the Senate 36-11 and was signed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose this bill because not only does it reward those who are in the U.S. illegally, but the law raises serious homeland security concerns with issuing this license to non-U.S. citizens who can use the license to pass themselves off as legal citizens.
9. Public Charter School Act = Yes
SB 75 establishes the Maryland Public Charter School Program. The bill was passed by the House 98-30 and the senate 33-4 and was signed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives support parental choice in public schools, especially those providing students with innovative learning opportunities and creative educational approaches to improve their education.
10. Medicinal Marijuana = No
HB 702 requires judges to significantly reduce a penalty against a person convicted of violating marijuana laws if that person demonstrates his or her marijuana use is medically necessary. The bill was passed by the House 73-62 and the Senate 30-16 and was signed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose this bill because it undermines the war on drugs and fails to provide an objective standard for proving medical necessity.
11. Penalty for Assault of Police Officer = Yes
SB 369 would have established the crime of assault in the second degree for anyone who causes or attempts to cause physical injury to a police officer. Similar bills were passed by the House 135-2 and the Senate 38-6, but differences were never worked out in conference. Conservatives support this common sense bill to protecting our law enforcement officers from physical injury.
12. Establishing Collective Bargaining Rights for WSSC = No
HB 383 establishes collective bargaining rights for certain employees of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC). The bill was passed by the House 113-21 and the Senate 35-10 and was signed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose this bill because it presupposes that employees want union representation and divides the workforce into bargaining units. In addition, the law inappropriately requires WSSC officials to release personal information, such as the names and home addresses of employees, so union officials can go to people’s homes to convince them to vote for the union.
13. Public Financing of Elections = No
HB 29 extends the Study Commission on Public Funding of Campaigns in Maryland. The bill was passed by the House 133-3 and the Senate 34-12 and was signed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose public funding of political campaigns as a misuse of taxpayer money and the extension of this study commission for an additional year as a further waste of taxpayer money.
14. Employers Required to Collect Union PAC Money = No
HB 937 requires employers who withhold union dues to also withhold voluntary contributions to a union’s political action committee. The bill was passed by the House 134-0 and the Senate 37-10 and was signed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose this law since it unfairly burdens employers with the administrative costs of collecting campaign contributions for unions.
15. State Employees to be Election Judges = No
SB 213 authorizes state employees to take a paid day off from work if they serve as election judges and further authorizes that employee to collect two salaries for that day (for their regular job and for serving as election judge). The bill was passed by the House 80-55 and the Senate 45-0 and was signed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose this bill as a waste of taxpayer money for it requires the state to pay state employees two salaries for one day’s work at a time when Maryland is experiencing serious budget shortfalls.
16. Expanding Grounds for Absolute Divorce = No
HB 346 expands the grounds of absolute divorce to include cruelty of treatment towards a minor child or excessively vicious conduct toward a minor child. The bill passed the House 105-29 and the Senate 32-14 and was signed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose this law because there are already laws in place to provide for divorce after a certain waiting period so couples have a chance to seek reconciliation in an effort to keep families together.
17. Retailers Required to Display Lead Paint Poster = No
HB 719 requires retailers to display a poster in their store that warns of the dangers and hazards of lead poisoning. The bill was passed by the House 129-0 and the Senate 37-10 and was signed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose this bill as another unnecessary burden placed on businesses, continuing the stigma that Maryland is not business-friendly.
18. Energy Efficiency Act = No
HB 747 would have set new minimum energy efficiency standards for certain products sold in Maryland. The bill was passed by the House 94-40 and the Senate 36-10, but was vetoed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose this bill as an unnecessary burden placed on businesses and consumers, continuing the stigma that Maryland is not business-friendly.
19. Privatization of Collection of Child Support Payments = Yes
SB 524 establishes a pilot program to allow the state government to enter into contracts with private businesses to collect child support payments on behalf of the government. The bill was passed by the House 84-48 and the Senate 41-4 and was signed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives support this bill for its innovative approach to improving child support enforcement.
20. Bed and Breakfast Task Force = No
SB 153 would have established a task force to study whether bed and breakfast operators should use stainless steel kitchens. The bill was passed by the House 133-3 and the Senate 44-2, but was vetoed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose this bill because it is a waste of taxpayer money and an unnecessary burden placed on small businesses, the backbone of our economy.
21. Condemnation and Taking of Property in Baltimore = No
HB 424 authorizes proceedings for the condemnation and immediate taking of property of residents of Baltimore City. The bill was passed by the House 131-5 and the Senate 36-8 and was signed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose giving government officials more authority to condemn and immediately take homes from law-abiding citizens.
22. State Contract Debarment = No
SB 122 would have allowed state officials to ban a person from doing business with the state if that person or an associate of that person had been criminally convicted or found civilly liable of breaking certain laws in the past five years. The bill was passed by the House 123-18 and the Senate 34-13, but was vetoed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose this bill because it penalizes a person if that person has been successfully sued in court, even when that person was never found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, or when that person has entered into a settlement agreement only to avoid the nuisance costs of litigation. Conservatives are equally troubled that a person could be denied the right to contract with the state due to the unrelated actions of a business associate.
23. Radar Cameras for Speed Monitoring = No
SB 455 would have authorized the use of speed monitoring devices on Maryland highways. The bill was passed by the House 89-47 and the Senate 27-19, but was vetoed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose the use of speed monitoring devices because there are serious privacy, due process, and abuse of power concerns with the use of cameras.
24. Expanded Use of Social Security Numbers = No
HB 115 requires people applying for a marriage license or fishing license to provide their Social Security number on their application. The bill was passed by the House 97-39 and the Senate 25-21 and was signed by Governor Ehrlich. Conservatives oppose the expanded use of Social Security numbers since this use was not required nor contemplated under the federal laws that established the Social Security number and since these numbers are supposed to be kept private, especially in light of the increased incidences of identity theft.
25. Hate Crimes Law (House of Delegates Only) = No
HB 322 would have imposed an additional felony charge against a person who commits a crime based on animosity towards the victim’s “sexual orientation.” The bill was passed by the House 89-45, but was not voted on by the Senate. Conservatives oppose this bill because it presupposes that all life is not equal and fails to recognize that these crimes, regardless of victim, are all based on hate in the heart of the perpetrator.
26. Moratorium on Death Penalty (Senate Only) = No
SB 12 would have outlawed the death penalty in Maryland through July 1, 2005. The bill failed to pass the Senate 23-24, and the House did not vote on the bill. Conservatives oppose this bill and support keeping the death penalty strong in Maryland as a punishment for heinous crimes.