2004 EPBA Legislative Candidate Questionnaire

Summary of Response of Senate Candidates

 

 

 

15th Senate District

16th Senate District

Question

EPBA

Barnes

Ross

Lance

Yoder

 

 

 

 

 

 

Economic Development I.1

Do you believe that the current West Virginia workers’ compensation system seriously hinders the state’s economic development efforts?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Economic Development I.2

If you answered “yes” to the previous question, please describe the changes in West Virginia’s worker’s compensation system that you would advocate.

EO

EO

EO

EO

EO

Economic Development I.3

Do you believe the State - instead of private insurance companies - should continue to operate West Virginia’s workers’ compensation system?

N

N

Y

N

N

Economic Development I.4

Would you co-sponsor a bill requiring a jobs impact statement before voting on any legislation or regulation that could affect private sector employment?

Y

EO

Y

Y

Y

Civil Justice II.1

Do you believe there is a problem with the civil justice system in West Virginia?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Civil Justice II.2

Would you co-sponsor legislation prohibiting actions by persons, claiming to be injured by another, against the other person’s insurer for alleged bad faith in denying coverage for the injury?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y*

Civil Justice II.3

Would you co-sponsor legislation eliminating the rule of joint and several liability among defendants in civil litigation and adopting a comparative fault rule for allocating liability?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Civil Justice II.4

Do you favor either the non-partisan election, or merit selection, of state judges?

Y

Y

N

Y

Y

Labor Management - III.1

Would you co-sponsor legislation (aka “right to work”) guaranteeing the right of any worker to decline to join a labor union which is the recognized collective

?

N

NR

N

Y

Labor Management - III.2

Would you co-sponsor legislation requiring collective bargaining over compensation and working conditions for state and local government employees?

N

N

N

Y

N

Labor Management - III.3

Would you co-sponsor legislation repealing or modifying West Virginia’s current “prevailing wage rate” requirements for public construction projects?

Y

Y

NR

N

Y

Labor Management - III.4

Would you co-sponsor legislation authorizing a study of the cost of West Virginia’s current prevailing wage rate requirements and calculation methodology for public construction projects?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Labor Management - III.5

Would you co-sponsor legislation exempting smaller (e.g. under $500,000) public construction projects from West Virginia’s current prevailing wage rate requirements?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Labor Management - III.6

Would you co-sponsor legislation which requires the employment of West Virginia workers on public construction projects - even if it means increasing the cost of the project?

N

Y

NR

Y

N

Government Spending IV.1

Do you believe that West Virginia’s Public Employees Insurance (PEIA) program should be reformed so that premiums and benefits are based on private sector underwriting practices and experiences?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Government Spending IV.2

Do you believe that local voters and elected officials should be given more autonomy to manage the affairs of local government - including the consolidation of duplicated services such as utilities and public safety?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Government Spending IV.3

Would you co-sponsor legislation giving county governments in West Virginia the same powers (including taxation) that municipal governments have?

Y

N

N

N

Y

Government Spending IV.4

Would you support adoption of a rule requiring a fiscal note estimating the additional cost that any proposed legislation would impose on local government?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Education V.1

Do you support efforts to give local communities, school boards and educators       greater flexibility and accountability to improve educational standards and measure outcomes in local public schools?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Education V.2

Would you support an amendment to the West Virginia Constitution reasserting the pre-eminent authority of the Legislature (instead of the judiciary) to make public school funding decisions?

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Education V.3

Would you co-sponsor legislation permitting local school boards to use available funds to set the salaries and benefits of their teachers and other employees as they determine is in the best interests of their districts?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Education V.4

Would you co-sponsor legislation authorizing and requiring local school boards to adjust the school calendar in their districts to assure that their students actually receive no less than the same number of days of classroom instruction as the average number throughout the United States?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Eastern Panhandle VI.1

Do you support prompt completion of the State Route 9 upgrade from Martinsburg to Charles Town without ANY further delays?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Eastern Panhandle VI.2

Do you support building a by-pass connecting Route 9 east of Martinsburg with I-81?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Eastern Panhandle VI.3

Do you support upgrading Route 9 between Martinsburg and Berkeley Springs after adequate studies and public input about the best route and configuration?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Eastern Panhandle VI.4

Would you co-sponsor legislation giving local government bodies (counties and municipalities) more control over the siting, capacity and regulation of land fills and other solid waste facilities?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Environmental Issues VII.1

Would you co-sponsor legislation mandating that state environmental standards be no stricter than comparable federal standards?

Y

N

Y

Y

Y*

Environmental Issues VII.2

Would you co-sponsor  legislation prohibiting any surface mining method that significantly and permanently alters the present contour of the terrain being mined?

?

N

N

Y

N

Taxation VIII.1

Do you believe that business, in general, pays more or less than its fair share of state and local taxes in West Virginia – as compared to other states?

M

M

M

M

M

Taxation VIII.2

Do you believe that West Virginia’s tax structure needs to be reformed to promote a stronger economy, larger tax base and more, better-paying jobs?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Taxation VIII.3

The current sales tax on food generates approximately $140  million in state revenues.  Would you co-sponsor legislation to repeal that tax?

?

Y

EO

N

Y

Pro EPBA % (of 27)

 

81%

81%

85%

100%