NC-03: All 3 legislators in GOP race basically neck-and-neck in Civitas rankings

 

Usually, the epithet “liberal” gets reserved for general election contests. But it is already getting tossed around  quite, um, “liberally” in the Third Congressional District GOP primary.

SO, we decided to do some research to see if we actually have some liberals slithering in the field — starting with our three legislators.  (After all, there’s much more documentation available.)

For years, Civitas has been the gold standard for rating the conservative effectiveness of  North Carolina legislators.  A rating of “ZERO” makes you a commie, while a rating of 100 makes you an ideal, perfect conservative.

Reps.  Mike Speciale (R-Craven), Phil Shepard (R-Onslow) and Greg Murphy (R-Pitt) are among the 17 candidates seeking the GOP nomination.

2018 – 

For this year, the trio was separated by less than a handful of percentage points.

Mike Speciale had the highest ranking of the trio with a score of 90.  What vote(s) did Civitas zap him on? 

This one:

HB 933 Reciprocity/School Psychologist Licensure (Amended Version)

 

This bill would direct the State Board of Education to grant license as a school psychologist to any individual who holds the Nationally Certified School Psychologist credential. This would enable school psychologists moving to North Carolina to bypass specific state licensing hurdles, making it easier for them to practice their profession and easier for NC schools to fill these positions.

Civitas Action supports the removal of government barriers to entry to occupations. Additionally, the Senate added a provision allowing for certain nonprofit membership organizations (such as the Farm Bureau) to provide self-funded health benefit plans. This would provide more flexible options to eligible members. Civitas Action supports providing health care consumers with more options. The conservative vote is yes.

Apparently, Speciale did not vote FOR this.

 

Greg Murphy came in a close second with a score of 87.5.  What vote(s) did Civitas zap him on?

This one:

SB 758 Build NC Bond Act

This bill would authorize up to $3 billion in new state debt without voter approval. The proceeds from the bonds would be devoted to transportation projects. Civitas Action believes that voters should be allowed to vote on all issuances of state debt. The conservative vote is no.

 

Apparently, Murphy voted FOR this.

 

Coming in third was Phil Shepard with a conservative rating of 85.7.  What vote(s) did Civitas zap him on? 

This one:

 

SB 758 Build NC Bond Act

This bill would authorize up to $3 billion in new state debt without voter approval. The proceeds from the bonds would be devoted to transportation projects. Civitas Action believes that voters should be allowed to vote on all issuances of state debt. The conservative vote is no.

 

Just like Murphy. Why the difference in scores for Murphy and Shepard?  Shepard had an excused absence on three of the key votes that Civitas used for the ratings.  Murphy had two excused absences.

Speciale was present to vote on ALL of the key votes Civitas tracked.

Your average Democrat House member scored between 20 and 50 in the Civitas rankings.  THOSE folks are “liberals.”

So, in 2018, it is safe to say that there really wasn’t a dime’s worth of difference between our three GOP legislators’ voting records.

On to 2017

It’s safe to say the trio’s scores weren’t as pretty this year.

Mike Speciale scored 86.7 — one point higher than Phil Shepard’s 2018 score.  What vote(s) did Civitas zap him on?

This one:

HB 250 – Body Art Regulation Changes

 

This bill subjects body piercings to the same state regulation and licensing requirements as tattoos. Mainly, body piercers would be required to obtain a license to practice, and also comply with sanitary inspection requirements currently applied to tattoo parlors. Body piercing is currently not subject to any such regulations. Civitas Action opposes government-imposed professional licensing that imposes unnecessary costs and barriers to entry on people wanting to earn a living in their given trade. The stated reason for this bill is consumer safety, but the increased barrier to entry and resulting higher prices for “licensed” body artists will likely cause more body piercings to take place in the black market. The conservative vote is no.

 

And this one:

Senate Joint Resolution 36, Convention of the States. The resolution would authorize the North Carolina legislature to apply to the U.S. Congress for a calling of a Convention of the States to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Article V of the Constitution provides for such a convention to be called upon the application of two-thirds of the states. The purpose of the convention would be to propose amendments “that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress.” Civitas Action supports measures to restore balance between the power of the federal government and states’ rights. The conservative vote is yes.

 

Greg Murphy scored a 73.3. (That put him in line with Tim Moore, David Lewis, and other members of House leadership.)  What vote(s) did Civitas zap him on? 

This One:

House Bill 206, NC Cancer Treatment Fairness

 

This bill requires that all health insurance plans that provide coverage for “intravenously administered or injected anticancer drugs” must also provide equal coverage for orally-administered anticancer drugs. The House approved the measure 90-22 on Monday. In short, this is another government-mandated health insurance service coverage. North Carolina already imposes 57 such mandates on insurance plans sold in the state, ranking NC among the top 15 states in that category. Estimates show these mandatory coverages have caused insurance premiums to rise between 20 to 50 percent higher than they would be without the mandates. Civitas Action opposes health insurance coverage mandates and believes consumers and providers should be free to agree on a wide selection of coverage levels that best suit the consumers’ needs, rather than government forcing consumers to pay for costly mandates they will never need. The conservative vote is no. House: RCS 208 (90-22)

And this one:

HB 250  Body Art regulation changes

 

This bill subjects body piercings to the same state regulation and licensing requirements as tattoos. Mainly, body piercers would be required to obtain a license to practice, and also comply with sanitary inspection requirements currently applied to tattoo parlors. Body piercing is currently not subject to any such regulations. Civitas Action opposes government-imposed professional licensing that imposes unnecessary costs and barriers to entry on people wanting to earn a living in their given trade. The stated reason for this bill is consumer safety, but the increased barrier to entry and resulting higher prices for “licensed” body artists will likely cause more body piercings to take place in the black market. The conservative vote is no. House Vote Only House: 2R, RCS #396 (113-4)

 

And this one:

 

Senate Bill 223 Exclude Tiers 1 & 2 from JDIG Cap

 

This bill would waive the current annual cap on JDIG grants in cases in which one of the grantees is considered a “transformative project” or if the project in wholly located in a Tier One or Tier Two county. JDIG is the Job Development Investment Grant program, which doles out taxpayer funds to companies meeting certain criteria. Civitas Action is against corporate welfare programs that give taxpayer dollars to select companies. Forcing taxpayers to subsidize businesses in unfair, especially given the fact that some of those taxpayers may be subsidizing their competition. The practice of corporate welfare also empowers politicians at the expense of citizens and invites political corruption and cronyism. The conservative vote is no. House: 2R, RCS #889 (99-10)

 

And this one:

 

HB 589 – Competitive Energy Solutions for NC

 

Despite its name, this bill is anything but competitive or a solution. Most troubling is an entirely new program, the Solar Rebate Program on page 17 of the bill. This program is very similar to the expired tax credits NC was offering, except in this case instead of the taxpayer paying for them, it will be utility customers paying through their electric bills. Other provisions in the bill include: lifting the state’s ban on third-party leasing, promoting net metering, shortening the terms of contracts between utilities and “renewable” energy providers, and introducing a competitive bidding process for utilities soliciting proposals from “renewable” facility developers. While we can acknowledge aspects of the bill, like competitive bidding and shortening contract terms, may be beneficial to ratepayers, the troubling nature of the rebate program in particular creates concern enough for Civitas Action to oppose this bill. Civitas Action opposes government mandates and subsidies in any industry, especially in the energy industry which affects all businesses and citizens across the state. We urge our legislators to either kill this bill or take prudent and reasonable action and turn it into a study bill to make sure they get the legislation right. The conservative vote is no. House: 2R, RCS 585 (108-11)

 

Phil Shepard earned a score of 69.2 for 2017.  What vote(s) did Civitas zap him on?

  • HB250 – Body Art Changes (just like Speciale and Murphy)
  • HB206 — NC Cancer Treatment Fairness (Just like Murphy)
  • HB589 — Competitive Energy Solutions for NC (just like Murphy)

Shepard had an excused absence for  this:

HB 770  Various clarifying changes

 

This bill moves from the governor to the legislature two appointments to the State Medical Board, and also allows an employee at the NC Industrial Commission to draw an additional salary for serving on the state Property Tax Commission. Technical updates to other legislation was also included. The conservative vote on the veto override is yes.

(We disagree with Civitas’ assessment of  a ‘yes’ vote being a “conservative” vote on that one. )