Please find a list here of state legislators ? all Democrats ? in The Examiner coverage area who voted to “deregulate” electricity in 1999, the root cause of your higher bills this winter and going forward.
The list also shows you who voted for the 2005 “Wal-Mart Bill,” one that singled out a single company for regulation regarding health insurance and sent a message across the business community in other states that Maryland is a scary place to do business. They are seeking your vote today. Let them know that you know what you?re doing whether they do or not and yank them out of Annapolis with your vote. Their fiscal foolishness must not be rewarded with another term.
Please also find legislators? cumulative ranking based on their support for bills that would improve the state?s business climate and spur job growth, courtesy of Maryland Business for Responsive Government?s annual Roll Call survey.
In 1999, these legislators were part of a group who voted to cap electricity rates at pre-1993 levels for six years, leading to a proposed 72 percent electricity rate hike in July for Baltimore Gas & Electric customers. It also led to legislation this year moderating the hike by forcing BGE customers to subsidize the company?s financing to pay for the lower rates. The Fair Share Health Care Fund Act ? dubbed the Wal-Mart Bill, would have forced the big retailer to spend 8 percent of its payroll on health care or return the difference to the state. Instead of choosing to reform the state?s health care system to find a way to help insure the more than 800,000 people in the state without coverage, legislators below voted to punish one company. Thankfully a federal court overturned the law.
But both laws send the message to businesses that the state legislature will dictate to them how to run their operations. Unless the state wants to focus primarily on being a receptacle for government largesse in the form of grants, federal jobs and jobs in the nonprofit sector, legislators must rethink how they choose to regulate business. These legislators have voted themselves into a kind of hall of shame in terms of support for business and attendant job growth and they could be expected to work to thwart any efforts in those directions.
Throw them out.
» District 6-Baltimore County
Sen. Norman Stone Jr. (D) Roll Call score: 48%
» District 8-Baltimore County
Sen. Katherine Klausmeier (D) Roll Call score: 66%
» District 10-Baltimore County
Del. Emmett Burns Jr. (D) Roll Call Score: 42%
» District 11-Baltimore County
Del. Robert Zirkin (D) (Running for state senate) Roll Call score: 35%
» District 12-Baltimore and
Howard Counties
Sen. Edward Kasemeyer (D) Roll Call score: 62%
» Sub District 12-A – Baltimore and Howard Counties
Del. James Malone Jr. (D) Roll Call score: 48%
» District 30-Anne Arundel County
Del. Michael Busch (D) Roll Call Score: 55%
Del. Virginia Clagett (D) Roll Call Score: 42%
» District 32-Anne Arundel County
Del. Mary Ann Love (D) Roll Call Score: 51%
» District 41- Baltimore City
Del. Samuel Rosenberg (D) Roll Call Score: 41%
» District 43 – Baltimore City
Del. Ann Marie Doory (D) Roll Call Score: 48%
Del. Maggie McIntosh (D) Roll Call Score: 39%
» District 45 – Baltimore City
Sen. Nathaniel McFadden (D) Roll Call score: 50%
Del. Hattie Harrison (D) Roll Call Score: 50%
» District 46 – Baltimore City
Del. Peter Hammen (D) Roll Call Score: 42%
Del. Carolyn Krysiak (D) Roll Call Score: 46%
