The American Conservative Union Foundation released its 2016 ratings of the Utah State Legislature.
In our second year of rating the Beehive State, ACU found that Republican legislators tended to vote slightly more conservatively compared to last year, with the overall Republican average increasing by 2.5 points– from 59 out of 100 in 2015, to 61.5 out of 100 in 2016.
“I’m pleased to see Utah legislators agree that implementing conservative principles is the best way to move the state forward,” said ACU Chairman Matt Schlapp. “From a Senate bill providing more birthing choices for women, to a law requiring physicians to administer an anesthetic to an unborn child capable feeling pain more than 5 months old during an abortion, to providing education and training for welfare recipients to reenter the workforce, the legislature made significant gains. However, it was disappointing that a strong House-passed bill strengthening property rights never made it onto the Senate floor,” said Schlapp.
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 state 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. Utah 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 Utah ratings guide, visit http://acuratings.
ACU 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: COLEMAN, GREENE, KNOTWELL, LIFFERTH, McCAY, ROBERTS, STANARD, and STRATTON
Senators: None
