Legislative scorecard

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A legislative scorecard, in North American parlance, refers to any ranked balanced scorecard used by advocacy groups to rank sitting legislators or candidates for legislative office on their voting record. It is also used to refer to ranked indexes of introduced or ratified legislation on certain criteria.

The balanced scorecard is a strategy performance management tool – a semi-standard structured report, that can be used by managers to keep track of the execution of activities by the staff within their control and to monitor the consequences arising from these actions.

Advocacy groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and/or policy. They have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems.

A legislator is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are usually politicians and are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national, national, regional, or local.

Scorecards are usually aggregated on an annual basis, and are often composed by political advocacy groups as educative tools for voters in their decision-making at the ballot box. They are also useful for endorsement of candidates by other organizations.

Notable legislative scorecards

AFL–CIO Federation of American trade unions

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of fifty-five national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million active and retired workers. The AFL-CIO engages in substantial political spending and activism, typically in support of Democrats and liberal or progressive policies.

American Civil Liberties Union Legal advocacy organization

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." Officially nonpartisan, the organization has been supported and criticized by liberal and conservative organizations alike. The ACLU works through litigation and lobbying and it has over 1,200,000 members and an annual budget of over $100 million. Local affiliates of the ACLU are active in almost all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The ACLU provides legal assistance in cases when it considers civil liberties to be at risk. Legal support from the ACLU can take the form of direct legal representation or preparation of amicus curiae briefs expressing legal arguments when another law firm is already providing representation.

American Conservative Union American political organization

The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Political Action Conference. Founded in 1964, it is the oldest such conservative lobbying organization in the country. The ACU is concerned with what they define as foundations of conservatism, issues such as personal liberty or freedom, foreign policy, and traditional values.

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Dennis Moore (politician) American politician

Dennis Moore is a former U.S. Representative for Kansas's 3rd congressional district, serving from 1999 until 2011. He is a member of the Kansas Democratic Party. Until the election of Sharice Davids in 2018, he had been the most recent Democrat to represent any part of Kansas in its U.S. congressional delegation.

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an American environmental advocacy group. LCV says that it "advocates for sound environmental laws and policies, holds elected officials accountable for their votes and actions, and elects pro-environment candidates." The organization pursues its goals through voter education, voter mobilization, and direct contributions to political candidates. LCV includes 29 state affiliates. LCV was founded in 1969-1970 by environmentalist Marion Edey, with support from David Brower. The group's current president is Gene Karpinski. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and has over two million members.

Chris Smith (New Jersey politician) American politician

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America Votes is a 501(c)4 organization that aims “to coordinate and promote progressive issues." America Votes leads national and state-based coalitions to advance progressive policies and increase voter turnout for Democratic Party candidates.

Gwen Moore American politician

Gwendolynne Sophia Moore is an American politician who is the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 4th congressional district, serving since 2005. In 2016, Moore was elected to serve as Caucus Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus for the 115th United States Congress. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

A Directly Affiliated Local Union (DALU) is a U.S. labor union that belongs to the AFL-CIO but is not a national union and is not entitled to the same rights and privileges within the Federation as national affiliates.

Democratic Party (United States) political party in the United States

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Sue W. Kelly American politician

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The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, formerly called the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, is an umbrella group of American civil rights interest groups.

Alliance for Retired Americans

The Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of retired trade union members affiliated with the AFL-CIO and the Change to Win Federation, as well as non-union, community-based members. Its predecessor organization was known as the National Council of Senior Citizens.

In the United States, a legal defense fund is an account set up to pay for legal expenses, which can include attorneys' fees, court filings, litigation costs, legal advice, or other legal fees. The fund can be public or private and is set up for individuals, organizations, or for a particular purpose. These funds are often used by government public officials, civil rights organizations, and public interest organizations.

The Democratic Party of the United States is composed of various factions with some overlap and enough agreement between them to coexist in one party.

Stella Garza-Hicks American politician

Stella Garza-Hicks is a former Republican legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado.

Rob Woodall American politician

William Robert “Rob” Woodall III is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative for Georgia's 7th congressional district since 2011. The district includes most of Gwinnett County, an affluent suburban county northeast of Atlanta. He is a member of the Republican Party. Prior to being elected to Congress, he worked for his predecessor, John Linder from 1994 to 2010, eventually becoming Linder's chief of staff. Congressman Woodall announced on February 7th, 2019, that he will not be seeking re-election for a 6th term in 2020.

The Martin Luther King. Jr. County Labor Council, AFL-CIO, (MLKCLC) is the central body of labor organizations in King County, Washington. The MLKCLC is affiliated with the national AFL-CIO, the central labor organization in the United States, which represents more than 13 million working people. Over 125 organizations are affiliated with the MLKCLC, and more than 75,000 working men and women belong to Council-affiliated organizations. Not only does the MLKCLC support labor organizations, but it acts as a voice for the interests and needs of the working people in King County, WA.

Jeffrey David Cox

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Labor feminism is a term used for a movement in the United States that emerged after women gained the right to vote. Labor feminists advocated for protectionist legislation and special benefits for women. They helped pass state laws regulating working conditions for women, expanded women's participation in unions, and organized to oppose the Equal Rights Amendment.

Tent City, also called Freedom Village, was an encampment outside of Memphis in Fayette County, Tennessee for African Americans who were evicted from their homes and blacklisted from buying amenities as retaliation for registering to vote during the Civil Rights Movement. It began in 1960 and lasted about two years.

2016 California Proposition 61

Proposition 61 was a California ballot proposition that appeared on the November 8, 2016 ballot. It would have prohibited the state of California from buying any prescription drug from a drug manufacturer at price over the lowest price paid for the drug by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. It would have exempted managed care programs funded through Medi-Cal. According to the fiscal impact statement issued by California Legislative Analyst's Office, "potential for state savings of an unknown amount depending on (1) how the measure’s implementation challenges are addressed and (2) the responses of drug manufacturers regarding the provision and pricing of their drugs."

References

  1. ↑ Legislative Scorecard - AFL–CIO
  2. ↑ ACLU's Legislative Scorecard 2018 - American Civil Liberties Union
  3. ↑ "Legislative Ratings | The American Conservative Union". Conservative.org. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  4. ↑ ADA Voting Records - Americans for Democratic Action
  5. ↑ AFP Scorecard - Americans for Prosperity
  6. ↑ FRC Action Vote Scorecard - Family Research Council
  7. ↑ Congressional Scorecards - FreedomWorks
  8. ↑ Scorecard - Heritage Action
  9. ↑ Congressional Scorecard - Human Rights Campaign
  10. ↑ Humane Scorecard
  11. ↑ National Environmental Scorecard - League of Conservation Voters
  12. ↑ Civil Rights Legislative Report Cards - NAACP
  13. ↑ NTU Rates Congress - National Taxpayers Union
  14. ↑ Planned Parenthood Congressional Scorecard Archived 2014-06-14 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ↑ Progressive Public Health and Environmental Scorecard - National Nurses United
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