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Master Scorecard
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2006 Legislative Scorecard Vote Descriptions:
- Minimum Wage Override
Voting to override Governor Ehrlich’s veto, the General Assembly raised the state’s minimum wage by a full dollar to $6.15 per hour. Raising the minimum wage helps tens of thousands of hardworking Marylanders come one step closer to making ends meet. As a top priority of Progressive Maryland, this bill weighs more heavily than most of the other bills in determining a lawmaker's score. - Fair Share Health Care Bill Override
The Fair Share Health Care Bill ensures that the largest companies in the state with 10,000 or more employees pay their fair share of their employees' health care costs so that taxpayers don't have to foot the bill. Under this legislation, these companies would have the option of either offering affordable health care directly to their employees or paying into a fund to reimburse the state for the additional Medicaid and emergency room costs. Vetoed by Governor Ehrlich, the General Assembly voted to override the veto during the 2006 session. As a top priority of Progressive Maryland, this bill weighs more heavily than most of the other bills in determining a lawmaker's score. - Public Funding of Campaigns – House Vote / Senate Committee Vote
Passed by the House of Delegates during the 2006 session, the Public Campaign Financing Act strips wealthy special interests of their ability to turn private money into undue political power. The act makes it possible for legislators to focus on laws that benefit all the voters, not just the HMOs, pharmaceutical companies, and other special interests that fund the campaigns of elected officials. The Senate version did not reach a floor vote. As a top priority of Progressive Maryland, this bill weighs more heavily than most of the other bills in determining a lawmaker's score. - Public Service Commission Reform – Restore Accountability
The corporate toadies who sit on the Public Service Commission rubber-stamped BGE/Constellation's 72% rate hike on customers in the Baltimore region. This bill fires those commissioners and requires that henceforth PSC members are appointed by the Speaker of the House, the President of the Senate, and the Governor in conjunction. - BG&E/Pepco: Recover Lost Costs
Responding to record utility rate hikes in Baltimore and other Maryland communities, the General Assembly voted to block the Baltimore Gas & Electric Company’s merger with an out-of-state corporation until BGE pays back $528 million it obtained from the state as a result of false promises it made to persuade lawmakers to deregulate the electricity market in 1999. - BG&E: Block the Utilities Merger
In voting to block the utilities merger, the General Assembly agreed that allowing an out-of-state company to control Baltimore Gas & Electric could hurt working families by lowering the quality of service, increasing utility rates, and placing Maryland's economic future in the hands of an unaccountable, out-of-state corporation. - Voter Intimidation
The Voter Protection Act ensures that registered voters can cast their ballot at a poll free from intimidation or discrimination on the basis of race, color, or disability. - Paper Trail for Ballots
As Maryland switches to digital voting technology, this bill would ensure that electronic ballots be verified through a voter-verified paper trail. Although the bill passed in the House of Delegates, it did not come to a vote in the Senate. - Teacher Pensions Bill
A unanimous vote in both the House of Delegates and Senate increased the pensions of public school teachers and other state workers after having been at a record low. In order to attract, recruit, and retain quality teachers for Maryland public schools, we must provide competitive benefits and pension plans. - Leadership Score
This category scores a lawmaker on the bulk of the General Assembly's work that happens behind the scenes and is crucial to the legislative process: whether a lawmaker works with progressive advocates to advance working-family legislation, lobbies colleagues in favor of these bills, speaks publicly in favor of them, etc.
About the Progressive Maryland Education Fund 2006 Legislative Scorecard
The Progressive Maryland Education Fund (PMEF) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that monitors and reports on the voting records of state lawmakers and public policy issues. This scorecard is one of many tools used by PMEF to protect the rights of working families. The 2006 scorecard features voting records on key issues.
Score Calculations
The three highest-priority bills, indicated at the top of the scorecard, are double-weighted, while the other six bills are single-weighted. A plus (+) indicates a progressive position on the bill while a negative (-) indicates a special-interest position on the bill. A plus (+) is worth full credit on that bill while a negative (-) is worth zero points on that bill, and an abstention is worth half credit. Excused absences and recusals do not factor into the voting score; not having to vote on a bill because it does not come up for a vote in committee or on the floor ordinarily does not factor into a lawmaker's score. Points earned on all the bills together account for 80% of a lawmaker's total score and the leadership score (described above) accounts for 20%.
View Other Scorecards: For 2008, 2007 and 2005
