ACU Foundation Announces Ratings for the 2016 meeting of the Hawaii State Legislature
News Release from ACU October 20, 2016
WASHINGTON DC – The American Conservative Union (ACU) Foundation released its 2016 ratings of the Hawaii State Legislature. In our third year of rating the state, ACU found that the Republican average decreased by 21 points—from 67 out of 100 in 2015, to 46 out of 100 in 2016.
Last year, the Hawaii legislature received a conservative score of 15%, placing it at 49th out of all 50 states, near the bottom of the barrel when it comes to support for conservative values. “This session we witnessed more of the same disastrous liberal policies. Hawaii is basically a one-party state with only a handful of Republican lawmakers,” said ACU Chairman Matt Schlapp. “Hawaii continued the big government agenda–increased regulations, increased taxes, weakened ethics rules, and expanded subsidies. This is truly unfortunate when Hawaii is ranked among the worst for tax burdens on individuals and companies. When is the Hawaii legislature going to learn? Overreaching legislation and over-taxation only hurts small businesses and the state’s economy. We know that proven conservative solutions work, even in the most liberal states, and we hope to see Hawaii get back on the right track during the 2017 session.”
A detailed scorecard has been produced for all 50 state legislative bodies across the full spectrum of conservative issues, with scores for over 7,400 individual legislators. ACU is the only organization in the nation to do this. Like our Congressional ratings that have been published for 45 consecutive years, ACU’s state ratings reflect how elected officials view the role of government in an individual’s life. Hawaii legislators with the strongest scores consistently voted with the ideals articulated in the U.S. Constitution.
New in this year’s ratings are references to how legislation impacts families based on the ACU Foundation’s new Family Prosperity Index. Also highlighted are issues ACU Foundation’s policy centers and Senior Fellows focus on.
To view our Hawaii ratings guide, visit State Ratings 2016 and click on Hawaii.
The ACU Foundation researches and selects a wide range of bills that reflect a member’s adherence to conservative principles, whether they be economic, social, cultural, or government integrity. Legislators who score above 80% in each state receive awards for their commitment to conservative principles. As President Ronald Reagan stated, “The person who agrees with you 80% of the time is an ally.”
The following Representatives and Senators will receive a 2016 ACU Ratings Award:
Representatives: None
Senators: None
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