{"product_id":"2940014879767","title":"2012 Legislative Report Card for Arizona\u0026#x2019;s Fiftieth Legislature, First Regular Session","description":"The annual Goldwater Institute Legislative Report Card scores Arizona lawmakers on their support of principles\u003cbr\u003eof limited constitutional government. Each piece of legislation is assessed in one of four categories for whether it\u003cbr\u003eexpands liberty consistent with the Arizona Constitution, or restricts liberty.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis report card assesses 517 votes. Average scores were 56 percent in the House and 59 percent in the Senate,\u003cbr\u003eindicating that slightly more votes upheld liberty than undermined it. These scores are respectively 23 percent and\u003cbr\u003e20 percent higher than the scores first reported in 2003. The increase reflects a long-term trend of improvement\u003cbr\u003ein voting patterns. Education scores, in particular, were sharply higher in both major parties this year. The highest\u003cbr\u003eoverall score was Sen. Steve Smith’s 76 percent. Rep. Eddie Farnsworth received the highest score in the House, which\u003cbr\u003ewas 73 percent. These high scorers received overall grades of A-. As in 2011, not a single legislator in this year’s report\u003cbr\u003ereceived an overall score of A or higher.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBeyond the individual legislator grades, this report card includes an assessment of each bill’s impact on the status\u003cbr\u003equo with “high impact,” “moderate impact,” and “incremental impact” categories. It reveals a significant narrowing of\u003cbr\u003ethe difference in voting patterns between the major political parties with respect to high-impact bills as compared to\u003cbr\u003eprior years. This year the difference between the parties with regard to high impact bills was only 37 points; in 2011,\u003cbr\u003eby contrast, the difference was a dramatic 71 points. No such dramatic narrowing of scores occurred with regard to\u003cbr\u003emoderate or incremental impact bills.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe 2012 Legislative Report Card also compares traditionally funded and publicly funded candidates. As with all\u003cbr\u003eprevious years, the source of campaign funding appears to have no significant impact on voting behavior.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe report card is not an absolute measure of a legislator’s merit and does not constitute any endorsement. It is meant\u003cbr\u003eto be a tool for general research and for accountability, helping voters assess the work of their elected representatives.","brand":"Goldwater Institute","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47074080096496,"sku":"2940014879767","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940014879767_p0.jpg?v=1763616424","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940014879767","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}