Community Corner
Baltimore County Republicans vs. Democrats on the Environment: Who Wins?
Some get A's, others get F's.
By Bryan P. Sears
The grades are in on environmental votes cast by 29 state senators and delegates from Baltimore County.
The grades are part of an environmental scorecard of the 2013 Maryland General Assembly session released Monday by the League of Conservation Voters.
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Four legislators from Baltimore County received a 100 percent score from the environmental group—Sen. Jim Brochin and Dels. Jon Cardin, Dan Morhaim and Shirely Nathan-Pulliam. All four are Democrats.
Conversely, two legislators who represent the county received grades of 0 percent—Sen. Joseph Getty and Del. Joseph Boteler. Both legislators are Republicans.
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The scores are based on votes cast in committee and on the floor by legislators on eight environmental bills in the Senate and nine environmental bills in the House tracked by the League of Conservation voters.
Among the tracked legislation were bills increasing the state gas tax, a proposal to add a 5-cent tax on plastic grocery bags, banning the burning of paper products for energy and the creation of electricity generating windmills off the coast of Ocean City and a two-year delay in the implementation of the state’s controversial stormwater management fee, sometimes called the rain tax. The League of Conservation voters supported the first four bills and opposed the proposed delay of the stormwater management fee.
The bills tracked by the environmental group represent a small portion of the more than 2,600 bills introduced in the House and Senate earlier this year.
On average, Senate Democrats received a 70 percent score compared to 12 percent for their Republican counterparts.
In the House, Democrats received an average score of 81 percent compared to 26 percent by Republicans.
Senate
- Sen. Joseph Getty, Republican, 5th District 0 percent
- Sen. Norman Stone, Democrat, 6th Disrict 40 percent
- Sen. JB Jennings, Republican, 7th District 14 percent
- Sen. Kathy Klausmeier, Democrat, 8th District 50 percent
- Sen. Delores Kelley, Democrat, 10 th District 40 percent
- Sen. Bobby Zirkin, Democrat, 11th District 60 percent
- Sen. Ed Kasemeyer, Democrat, 12th District 50 percent
- Sen. Jim Brochin, Democrat, 42nd District 100 percent
House of Delegates
- Del. Wade Kach, Republican, District 5B 50 percent
- Del. Joseph “Sonny” Minnick, Democrat, 6th District 33 percent
- Del. John Olszewski Jr., Democrat, 6th District 71 percent
- Del. Mike Weir, Democrat, 6th District 71 percent
- Del. Rick Impallaria, Republican, 7th District 17 percent
- Del. Pat McDonough, Republican, 7th District 33 percent
- Del. Kathy Szeliga, Republican, 7th District 25 percent
- Del. Joseph Boteler, Republican, 8th District 0 percent
- Del. Eric Bromwell, Democrat, 8th District 50 percent
- Del. John Cluster, Republican, 8th District 25 percent
- Del. Emmett Burns, Democrat, 10th District 67 percent
- Del. Adrienne Jones, Democrat, 10th District 75 percent
- Del. Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, Democrat, 11th District 100 percent
- Del. Jon Cardin, Democrat, 11th District 100 percent
- Del. Dan Morhaim, Democrat, 11th District 100 percent
- Del. Dana Stein, Democrat, 11th District 86 percent
- Del. Jim Malone, Democrat, District 12A 86 percent
- Del. Steve DeBoy, Democrat, District 12A 75 percent
- Del. Susan Aumann, Republican, 42nd District 25 percent
- Del. Bill Frank, , Republican, 42nd District 50 percent
- Del. Steve Lafferty, Democrat, 42nd District 86 percent
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