NEWS RELEASE
Wednesday, September 4, 2002
Sen. Baddour leads Senate, Reps. Brown, Hargraves and
Hill top House with 100% CLT Taxpayer Ratings
Contact: Barbara Anderson - 508-384-0100
Chip Ford - 781-631-6842
Citizens for Limited Taxation has released its 2001-2002
Legislative Rating.
Legislators are rated on direct and indirect taxpayer issues
for which there were roll call votes.
The major votes were those to oppose various components of
the recent $1.2 billion tax hike package. Legislators got credit for freezing the unemployment insurance rates.
House members were applauded for voting, unsuccessfully, to
decrease the minimum corporate excise. Votes that showed respect for the voters, like letting them decide on fines for
primary seat belt enforcement, and supporting their decision on clean elections, were also counted. Those legislators who
voted to keep term limits for the Speaker and to decide committee assignments before rules reform
debate, were given points for attempting a more responsive democratic process.
We also counted as negative House votes to change Proposition 2½ by exempting the overlay account
from the levy limit, and increasing the auto excise.
Senators were given credit for voting to allow debate on a
sales tax holiday, and for CLT's voluntary income tax rate. We also counted votes to remove the retroactivity of the capital
gains tax hike and to put legislators' pay in escrow if the state budget was not passed in time.
The Senate's Best Friend of the Taxpayer is Sen. Steven
Baddour, (D-Methuen), who has a 100% rating for 2002 (he wasn't yet elected in 2001).
In the House, Rep. Scott Brown (R-Wrentham), Rep. Robert
Hargraves (R-Groton), and Rep. Brad Hill (R-Ipswich) received 100% Taxpayer
Friend ratings for 2001-02.
Republican Reps. Coppola (Foxboro), Frost (Auburn), George
(Yarmouth), Jones (North Reading), Lepper (Attleboro), Locke (Wellesley), Loscocco (Holliston), Marini (Hanson), Peterson
(Grafton), Poirier (North Attleboro), Polito (Shrewsbury), and Pope (Wayland) received 95% each.
The lowest Taxpayer Enemy rating of 0% goes to Senate
Democrats Hart (Boston), Magnani (Framingham), McGee (Lynn), Nuciforo (D-Pittsfield) and Travaglini (D-Boston). The lowest
House ratings of 5% belong to Reps. Fitzgerald and Owens-Hicks, both Democrats from Boston.
Ratings for all legislators can be found on CLT's website.
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