Annapolis, MD – October 4, 2019 – Yesterday the Maryland League of Conservation Voters (LCV) released the 2019 Environmental Scorecard. The annual report highlights the environmental voting record of all 188 legislators and describes the General Assembly’s overall record on those issues each year.
The organization reports that it was a very successful year for conservation in the Maryland General Assembly. Maryland became the first state to pass a statewide ban on Styrofoam food service products, and Maryland is facing the climate crisis head-on with the passage of the Clean Energy Jobs Act. Environmental champions also took up the work of Chispa Maryland, the organization’s Latinx outreach program, to pass legislation that creates a permanent grant structure to fund the transition of Maryland’s school bus fleet from diesel to electric-powered.
“With a class of bright and thoughtful first-time legislators joining with our veteran champions there is tremendous opportunity for progress this term. We will all need to work together as the urgency of the climate crisis becomes more apparent with every passing day, and we are proud of the legislation that was written and passed this past legislative session,” said Chuck Porcari, Interim Executive Director of Maryland LCV. “All of these bills passed because of the work that Marylanders did in electing Delegates and Senators who prioritize a clean environment.”
The organization also unveiled the third annual 2019 “Green Champions,” an exceptional group of legislators whose superlative leadership on environmental legislation have earned a 100% Environmental score in the current and previous legislative year, a lifetime score above 95% since 2011, they are a primary sponsor for at least one Maryland LCV legislative priority in the past three years and they did not support any legislation opposed by Maryland LCV on our hotlist during the most recent legislative session.
The ten legislators honored this year are Senators Shirley Nathan Pulliam and Paul Pinsky, Delegates Luke Clippinger, David Fraser-Hidalgo, Tawanna Gaines, Anne Healey, Steve Lafferty, Robbyn Lewis, Brooke Lierman, and Nick Mosby.
The scorecard is available online and includes records of votes cast on the floor of the House and Senate and in committees, along with past voting records. Go to http://scorecard.mdlcv.org to see the scorecard and follow #MDLCVScore on social media.
Maryland LCV has also created an interactive map with legislative voting information, which provides Marylanders with contact information for their legislators.