The Wyoming Liberty Index (2012)
The 2012 Wyoming Liberty Index, a study created in 2003 by Paul Bonneau, rated all final bills in the Wyoming State Legislature on whether the bills, in the view of the authors, "[supported] or [inhibited] liberty."[1] Legislators were also given a score based on their voting patterns. The report was issued for the 61st Legislature during the 2012 budget session.[1] A higher score indicated a higher level of "aye" votes on bills that the study's authors considered pro-liberty and "nay" votes on bills that the authors considered to be anti-liberty. Scores ranged from 0% to 100%. Because each state chamber voted on different bills, scores in the two chambers were not comparable.
2012 report
According to the report, legislators voted on 134 bills in the House and 123 bills in the Senate. Thirty-five bills that the index's authors considered to be supportive of liberty passed, while 36 bills viewed as detrimental to liberty failed. Conversely, 46 bills that the authors considered detrimental to liberty passed, while 62 failed. Legislators were scored against "Dr. No," a hypothetical legislator who sponsored nothing and always voted no.
The 11 members of the House considered most supportive of the authors' values were:
Kroeker was rated as being the most supportive of the authors' values for 2012.
The members of the House considered least supportive of the authors' values were:
Throne was rated as being the least supportive of the authors' values for 2012.
In the state Senate, the six members considered most supportive of the authors' values were:
Cale Case was rated as being the most supportive of the authors' values for 2012.
The members of the state Senate considered least supportive of the authors' values were:
Hastert was rated as being the least supportive of the authors' values for 2012.
2012 Wyoming House Index
| 2012 Wyoming House Index | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Party | District | District Location | Weighted Score | Weighted Percent | Weighted Rank | ||
| Kendell Kroeker |  Republican |
35 | Natrona | 57.67 | 100% | 1 | ||
| Amy Edmonds | Republican |
12 | Laramie | 32.17 | 72% | 2 | ||
| Bob Brechtel | Republican |
38 | Natrona | 24.83 | 64% | 3 | ||
| Matt Teeters | Republican |
5 | Goshen/Platte | 24.33 | 64% | 4 | ||
| Allen Jaggi | Republican |
18 | Uinta/Sweetwater | 20.83 | 60% | 5 | ||
| Frank Peasley | Republican |
3 | Converse/Platte | 20 | 59% | 6 | ||
| Kathy Davison | Republican |
20 | Lincoln/Sublette/Sweetwater | 19 | 58% | 7 | ||
| Mark Semlek | Republican |
1 | Crook/Weston | 18.17 | 57% | 8 | ||
| David Miller | Republican |
55 | Fremont | 16 | 57% | 9 | ||
| John Eklund | Republican |
10 | Laramie | 13.5 | 56% | 10 | ||
| Dr. No | - | - | - | 16 | 54% | 11 | ||
| Lorraine Quarberg | Republican |
28 | S Big Horn/Hot Springs/SE Park | 13.5 | 52% | 12 | ||
| Hans Hunt | Republican |
2 | Niobrara/Weston/Converse/Goshen | 10.83 | 49% | 13 | ||
| Edward Buchanan | Republican |
4 | Goshen | 10.5 | 48% | 14 | ||
| Robert McKim | Republican |
21 | Lincoln | 10 | 48% | 15 | ||
| Tom Lubnau | Republican |
31 | Campbell | 9.83 | 48% | 16 | ||
| Bunky Loucks | Republican |
59 | Natrona | 9.67 | 46% | 17 | ||
| Tom Reeder | Republican |
58 | Natrona | 4 | 41% | 18 | ||
| Gerald Gay | Republican |
36 | Natrona | 3.83 | 41% | 19 | ||
| Donald Burkhart, Jr | Republican |
15 | Carbon | 2.67 | 40% | 20 | ||
| Thomas Lockhart | Republican |
57 | Natrona | -1 | 36% | 21 | ||
| Clarence Vranish | Republican |
49 | Uinta | -1.17 | 36% | 22 | ||
| Norine Kasperik | Republican |
32 | Campbell | -3.83 | 33% | 23 | ||
| Bob Nicholas | Republican |
8 | Laramie | -4 | 33% | 24 | ||
| Keith Gingery | Republican |
23 | Fremont/Teton | -4.67 | 32% | 25 | ||
| Ken Esquibel |  Democratic |
41 | Laramie | -6.33 | 30% | 26 | ||
| Michael Madden | Republican |
40 | Johnson/Sheridan | -6.5 | 30% | 27 | ||
| W. Patrick Goggles | Democratic |
33 | Fremont | -7 | 29% | 28 | ||
| Richard Cannady | Republican |
6 | Converse | -7.33 | 29% | 29 | ||
| Jonathan Botten | Republican |
30 | Sheridan | -7.5 | 29% | 30 | ||
| Bryan Pedersen | Republican |
7 | Laramie | -8.17 | 28% | 31 | ||
| Sue Wallis | Republican |
52 | Campbell | -9.33 | 27% | 32 | ||
| Mike Greear | Republican |
27 | Washakie | -9.5 | 27% | 33 | ||
| Glenn Moniz | Republican |
46 | Albany | -10.67 | 25% | 34 | ||
| Elaine Harvey | Republican |
26 | Big Horn/Park | -11.33 | 25% | 35 | ||
| Gregg Blikre | Republican |
53 | Campbell | -11.5 | 24% | 36 | ||
| Del McOmie | Republican |
54 | Fremont | -12 | 24% | 37 | ||
| Tim Stubson | Republican |
56 | Natrona | -12.5 | 23% | 38 | ||
| Steve Harshman | Republican |
37 | Natrona | -13.5 | 22% | 39 | ||
| Owen Petersen | Republican |
19 | Uinta | -14.33 | 21% | 40 | ||
| Peter S. Illoway | Republican |
42 | Laramie | -14.67 | 21% | 41 | ||
| Rita Campbell | Republican |
34 | Fremont | -14.67 | 21% | 42 | ||
| Dan Zwonitzer | Republican |
43 | Laramie | -14.67 | 21% | 43 | ||
| Samuel Krone | Republican |
24 | Park | -15.17 | 20% | 44 | ||
| Stan Blake | Democratic |
39 | Sweetwater | -16.17 | 19% | 45 | ||
| Pat Childers | Republican |
50 | Park | -17.83 | 17% | 46 | ||
| John Freeman | Democratic |
60 | Sweetwater | -18 | 17% | 47 | ||
| Rosie Berger | Republican |
51 | Sheridan | -18 | 17% | 47 | ||
| Jim Roscoe | Democratic |
22 | Lincoln/Sublette/Teton | -19.33 | 16% | 49 | ||
| John Patton | Republican |
29 | Sheridan | -20 | 15% | 50 | ||
| Dave Bonner | Republican |
25 | Park | -20.33 | 15% | 51 | ||
| William Steward | Republican |
47 | Carbon/Albany | -21 | 14% | 52 | ||
| Matt Greene | Republican |
45 | Albany | -23 | 12% | 53 | ||
| Ruth Petroff | Republican |
16 | Teton | -23 | 12% | 53 | ||
| Kermit Brown | Republican |
14 | Albany | -24.83 | 10% | 55 | ||
| Bernadine Craft | Democratic |
17 | Sweetwater | -25.17 | 9% | 56 | ||
| David Zwonitzer | Republican |
9 | Laramie | -25.17 | 9% | 56 | ||
| James Byrd | Democratic |
44 | Laramie | -25.83 | 9% | 58 | ||
| Cathy Connolly | Democratic |
13 | Albany | -26 | 9% | 59 | ||
| Joseph Barbuto | Democratic |
48 | SW Fremont/Sweetwater | -27.83 | 7% | 60 | ||
| Mary Throne | Democratic |
11 | Laramie | -33.83 | 0% | 61 | ||
2012 Wyoming Senate Index
| 2012 Wyoming Senate Index | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Party | District | District Location | Weighted Score | Weighted Percent | Weighted Rank | ||
| Cale Case | Republican |
25 | Fremont | 21.17 | 100% | 1 | ||
| Dr. No | - | - | - | 16.33 | 91% | 2 | ||
| Ogden Driskill | Republican |
1 | Crook/Weston/E Converse/Niobrara/NE Goshen | 4.33 | 70% | 3 | ||
| Larry S. Hicks | Republican |
11 | Albany/Carbon | 3.83 | 69% | 4 | ||
| Eli Bebout | Republican |
26 | Fremont | 0.17 | 63% | 5 | ||
| John Hines | Republican |
23 | Campbell | -5.33 | 53% | 6 | ||
| Curt Meier | Republican |
3 | Goshen/Platte | -5.67 | 53% | 7 | ||
| Tony Ross | Republican |
4 | Laramie | -5.67 | 53% | 7 | ||
| Gerald Geis | Republican |
20 | S Big Horn/Hot Springs/SE Park/Washakie | -7.17 | 50% | 9 | ||
| Leslie Nutting | Republican |
7 | Laramie | -8.17 | 48% | 10 | ||
| Phil Nicholas | Republican |
10 | Albany | -9.67 | 45% | 11 | ||
| Michael Von Flatern | Republican |
24 | Campbell | -10.5 | 44% | 12 | ||
| Kit Jennings | Republican |
28 | Natrona | -10.67 | 44% | 13 | ||
| Jim Anderson | Republican |
2 | Converse/Platte | -11.67 | 42% | 14 | ||
| Stan Cooper | Republican |
14 | Lincoln/Sublette/Sweetwater/Uinta | -12.33 | 41% | 15 | ||
| Dan Dockstader | Republican |
16 | Lincoln/Sublette/Teton | -12.67 | 40% | 16 | ||
| Ray Peterson | Republican |
19 | Big Horn/E Park | -12.83 | 40% | 17 | ||
| Paul Barnard | Republican |
15 | Uinta | -13.17 | 39% | 18 | ||
| Charles Scott | Republican |
30 | Natrona | -13.67 | 38% | 19 | ||
| Bill Landen | Republican |
27 | Natrona | -15.83 | 35% | 20 | ||
| Drew Perkins | Republican |
29 | Natrona | -16.33 | 34% | 21 | ||
| Bruce Burns | Republican |
21 | Sheridan | -16.33 | 34% | 22 | ||
| Hank Coe | Republican |
18 | Park | -16.33 | 34% | 23 | ||
| John Schiffer | Republican |
22 | Sheridan/Johnson | -17.33 | 32% | 24 | ||
| Wayne Johnson | Republican |
6 | Laramie | -19.17 | 29% | 25 | ||
| Fred Emerich | Republican |
5 | Laramie | -20.83 | 26% | 26 | ||
| Marty Martin | Democratic |
12 | Sweetwater/Fremont | -21.33 | 25% | 27 | ||
| Leland Christensen | Republican |
17 | Teton/Fremont | -22.33 | 23% | 28 | ||
| Floyd Esquibel | Democratic |
8 | Laramie | -28.67 | 12% | 29 | ||
| Chris Rothfuss | Democratic |
9 | Albany | -33.33 | 4% | 30 | ||
| John Hastert | Democratic |
13 | Sweetwater | -35.33 | 0% | 31 | ||
Methodology
The Wyoming Liberty Index included the following comment on its methodology: "As usual, our methodology is to rate the bills, regardless of how the individual legislators voted on them. Most bills are rated from -2 (most hostile to liberty) to +2 (most favorable). ... The spreadsheet applies the bill rating to each vote to obtain a rating for each legislator. These are then summed."[2] A list of bills that were evaluated for the index can be found here.
See also
External links
Footnotes
