To see why a specific legislator received a certain grade, click on the Your County line in the left margin of this page.  Then click on the appropriate county.

Life Gauge assigns each legislator a grade, based on three criteria.

First ---  What harmful actions has this legislator done?  A vote or action against a good bill gives a legislator an F.  No additional votes or actions outweigh a harmful action.  Legislators who appoint harmful committee chairs also earn an F, no matter what other votes or actions they take.

Second ---  Has this legislator been unwilling to help Life Gauge?  A failure to do anything for Life Gauge earns a D.  No other considerations outweigh this failure to help.

Third --- What has the legislator done to help Life Gauge put pressure on the committee chairmen?  Life Gauge asks legislators to introduce one or two Life Gauge bills, to be prepared to ask for roll-call votes in committee, to vote for any bill or motion that can help any baby, to work toward passing a constitutional amendment, to make a motion to discharge a committee, to vote for such a motion.  Committee chairmen are asked to put bills on the agenda.  Each legislator who cooperates earns a C, a B, or an A.  Full cooperation is required to earn an A, significant cooperation to earn a B, and at least minimal cooperation to earn a C.

Some legislators who co-sponsor a bill don't receive credit for it if they did it through the lead sponsor, while refusing to work with Life Gauge.

F  -- has obstructed legislation that protects babies
D -- did not cooperate with Life Gauge.
C -- has cooperated with Life Gauge in some minimal way.
B -- has cooperated with Life Gauge in a significant way.
A -- has completely cooperated with Life Gauge.

Grades rise slowly, and fall quickly.  A legislator can earn an A one year, then earn a D the next year by not cooperating.  A legislator will find it more difficult to earn a D one year and an A the next.  Life Gauge wants help every year, not just in election years.

Grades advertised before elections will reflect the last two years of a legislator's activity.  So newspaper ads that run before elections will list cumulative grades for the previous two years. 

A legislator who earns a D in 2007 and an A in 2008 will probably receive a cumulative grade of B.  A legislator who earns an A in 2007 and a D in 2008 will receive a cumulative grade of D.

Life Gauge grades are based on a legislator's willingness to cooperate with Life Gauge, not on other votes or actions taken independently of Life Gauge, except as follows --

There are 100 members of the House of Delegates.  In 2006 ...

29 earned an A ---
Armstead, Ashley, Azinger, Blair, Border, Carmichael, Ellem, Evans, Frich, Hall, Hamilton, Howard, Lane, Louisos, Miley, Overington, Porter, Roberts, Romine, Rowan, Schoen, Sobonya, Stevens, Sumner, Susman, Tansill, Trump, Wakim and Walters.

3 earned a B --- Leggett, Stephens, G. White

2 earned a C --- Frederick, Tucker

4 earned a D --- Anderson,  Canterbury, Duke, Schadler.

62 earned an F ---
Amores, Argento, Barker, Beach, Beane, Boggs, Brown, Browning, Butcher, Campbell, Cann, Caputo, Craig, Crosier, DeLong, Doyle, Eldredge, Ennis, Ferrell, Fragale, Hartman, Hatfield, Houston, Hrutkay, Hunt, Iaquinta, Kiss, Kominar, Leach, Long, Longstreth, Mahan, Manchin, Marshall, Martin, Michael, Moore, Morgan, Palumbo, Paxton, Perdue, Perry, Pethtel, Pino, Poling, Proudfoot, Stalnaker, Spencer, Staton, Stemple, Swartzmiller, Tabb, Talbott, Rick Thompson, Ron Thompson, Varner, Webster, Wells, H. White, Williams, Wysong, Yost.

In 2005 ...

thirty earned an A ---
Armstead, Ashley, Azinger, Barker, Blair, Border, Carmichael, Eldredge, Ellem, Evans, Frich, Hall, Houston, Howard, Lane, Louisos, Overington, Porter, Roberts, Romine, Rowan, Schoen, Sobonya, Stevens, Sumner, Tansill, R Thompson, Trump, Wakim and Walters.

four earned a B --- Boggs, Hamilton, Leggett and Perry.

no one earned a C --- 

thirty-four earned a D --- Anderson, Argento, Beach, Browning, Butcher, Cann, Canterbury, Crosier, DeLong, Duke, Ennis, Fragale, Frederick, Kominar, Long, Miley, Moore, Paxton, Pethtel, Pino, Schadler, Stalnaker, Stemple, Stephens, Susman, Swartzmiller, Rick Thompson, Tucker, Varner, G. White, H. White, Williams, Wysong and Yost.

Thirty-two earned an F --- Amores, Beane, Brown, Campbell, Caputo, Craig, Doyle, Ferrell, Hartman, Hatfield, Hrutkay, Hunt, Iaquinta, Kiss, Leach, Longstreth, Mahan, Manchin, Marshall, Martin, Michael, Morgan, Palumbo, Perdue, Poling, Proudfoot, Spencer, Staton, Tabb, Talbott, Webster and Wells.

1 earned a B ... Barnes.

16 earned a D --- Bailey, Boley, Bowman, Chafin, Deem, Edgell, Facemyer, Helmick, Jenkins, Lanham, Minear, Oliverio, Plymale, Sharpe, Unger and White.

9 earned an F --- Fanning, Foster, Hunter, Kessler, McCabe, Minard, Prezioso, Tomblin and Yoder.

In 2005, ... seven senators earned an A  --- Caruth, Dempsey, Harrison, Love, McKenzie, Sprouse and Weeks;  one earned a B --- Barnes;  one earned a C --- Boley;  sixteen earned a D --- Bailey, Bowman, Chafin, Deem, Edgell, Facemyer, Guills, Helmick, Jenkins, Lanham, Minear, Oliverio, Plymale, Sharpe, Unger and White.  nine earned an F --- Fanning, Foster, Hunter, Kessler, McCabe, Minard, Prezioso, Tomblin and Yoder.