James TomesSenateDistrict SD-049RepublicanContact:Phone: 800-382-9467
Office: 200 W. Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204 |
Pro-liberty Votes
|
James Tomes
Senate
District SD-049
Republican
Status: Active Legislator
Contact:
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Pro-liberty Votes
Score | Session |
---|---|
67% | Cumulative |
67% | 2024 Regular Session 2024 Regular Session |
Voting History
Legislative Scorecard Based on the U.S. Constitution
The Legislative Scorecard is a nationwide educational program of The John Birch Society. Its purpose is to create an informed electorate on how state legislators are voting. The Scorecard is nonpartisan; it does not promote any candidate or political party. Bills are selected for their constitutional implications and cost to the taxpayers.
Please share this Scorecard in your district to inform people about your legislator's record on key votes.
U.S. Constitution, Amendment I --- 11 C.F.R. §114(4)(c)(4) --- 616 F.2d 45 (2d Cir. 1980)
Legislative Scorecard
Based on the U.S. Constitution
IN Scorecard 2024
The Legislative Scorecard is a nationwide educational program of The John Birch Society. Its purpose is to create an informed electorate on how state legislators are voting. The Scorecard is nonpartisan; it does not promote any candidate or political party. Bills are selected for their constitutional implications and cost to the taxpayers.
Please share this Scorecard in your district to inform people about your legislator's record on key votes.
U.S. Constitution, Amendment I --- 11 C.F.R. §114(4)(c)(4) --- 616 F.2d 45 (2d Cir. 1980)
The following scorecard lists several key votes in the Indiana Legislature in 2024 and ranks state representatives and senators based on their fidelity to (U.S.) constitutional and limited-government principles.
The following scorecard lists several key votes in the Indiana Legislature in 2024 and ranks state representatives and senators based on their fidelity to (U.S.) constitutional and limited-government principles.
This legislator voted constitutionally on 67% of the votes shown below. |
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No HB1426 Medicaid and Birth Control (Passed 30 to 18 on 3/5/2024). Mandates that hospitals with maternity units offer Medicaid-eligible women the option to receive a long-acting reversible contraceptive implant after childbirth. HB1426 mandates that hospitals with maternity units offer Medicaid-eligible women the option to receive a long-acting reversible contraceptive implant after childbirth. The Indiana State Senate passed HB1426 on March 5, 2024 by a vote of 30 to 18. We assigned pluses to the nays because because taxpayers shouldn't fund long-term contraceptives, and mandating this service for a specific group is government overreach. Medicaid unfairly burdens taxpayers and isn’t authorized by the Constitution. Indiana should reject expanding this unsustainable program. Read more about this rollcall. HB1426 mandates that hospitals with maternity units offer Medicaid-eligible women the option to receive a long-acting reversible contraceptive implant after childbirth. The Indiana State Senate passed HB1426 on March 5, 2024 by a vote of 30 to 18. We have assigned pluses to the nays because taxpayers should not fund long-term contraceptives, and mandating this service only for a specific group represents gross government overreach. Additionally, healthcare and social welfare should not be government obligations. Medicaid, like many entitlement programs, unfairly uses taxpayer dollars to benefit low-income individuals with minimal tax liability, burdening hardworking citizens. This practice is not authorized under Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution, and Indiana should reject expanding this unsustainable program. View vote details at iga.in.gov/legislative/2024/bills/house/1426/details |
Yes SB238 Innkeeper's Tax (Passed 41 to 7 on 3/8/2024). Allows certain counties to increase their innkeeper's tax rate, attacking short-term rental owners. SB238 allows certain counties to increase their innkeeper's tax rates substantially. The innkeeper’s tax applies to accommodations rented for less than 30 days, also known as short-term rentals. The Indiana State Senate passed SB238 on March 8, 2024 by a vote of 41 to 7. We have assigned pluses to the nays because expanding government authority through increased taxation grows the size of government. Additionally, the bill violates the Constitution, particularly the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments' protection against arbitrary government interference with property rights. Read more about this rollcall. SB238 allows Jefferson, Elkhart, and Knox Counties to increase their innkeeper's tax rates to 8%. For Jefferson and Elkhart Counties, this is an increase from 5%, and for Knox County, it's an increase from 6%. The innkeeper’s tax applies to accommodations rented for less than 30 days, also known as short-term rentals. The Indiana State Senate passed SB238 on March 8, 2024 by a vote of 41 to 7. We have assigned pluses to the nays because expanding government authority through increased taxation grows the size of government. This bill is anti-free market as it disrupts the natural competition in the hospitality industry, where lower taxes could lead to lower prices and increased demand. Additionally, the bill violates the Constitution, particularly the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments' protection against arbitrary government interference with property rights. View vote details at iga.in.gov/legislative/2024/bills/senate/238/details |
Yes HB1084 2nd Amendment Protection (Passed 39 to 9 on 3/7/2024). Restricts the use of a "firearms code" in payment transactions, preventing financial services from declining transactions based on it. HB1084 allows certain state officials to carry handguns in the state Capitol. Additionally, it bans government entities and individuals from keeping records of privately owned firearms or their owners in Indiana. The bill also restricts the use of a "firearms code" in payment transactions, preventing financial services from declining transactions based on it. It limits the disclosure of financial records related to firearm purchases and assigns regulatory enforcement to financial regulators and the attorney general.
The Indiana State Senate passed HB1084 on March 7, 2024 by a vote of 39 to 9. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because the workaround by credit card companies to track ammunition and firearm purchases violates several constitutionally protected rights, including the First, Second, and Fourth Amendments. This is a large invasion of privacy, opens the door for illegal searches, and potentially deters people from making firearm purchases. Read more about this rollcall. HB1084 allows certain state officials to carry handguns in the state Capitol. Additionally, it bans government entities and individuals from keeping records of privately owned firearms or their owners in Indiana. The bill also restricts the use of a "firearms code" in payment transactions, preventing financial services from declining transactions based on it. It limits the disclosure of financial records related to firearm purchases and assigns regulatory enforcement to financial regulators and the attorney general. The Indiana State Senate passed HB1084 on March 7, 2024 by a vote of 39 to 9. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because the workaround by credit card companies to track ammunition and firearm purchases violates several constitutionally protected rights, including the First, Second, and Fourth Amendments. This is a large invasion of privacy, opens the door for illegal searches, and potentially deters people from making firearm purchases. View vote details at iga.in.gov/legislative/2024/bills/house/1084/details |
Yes HB1385 Health Grants (Passed 45 to 2 on 3/8/2024). Establishes the Community Cares Initiative Grant Pilot Program in Indiana to fund mobile health care and crisis teams through a new fund. Additionally, it forces health insurance companies to reimburse ambulance providers who are not part of their network. HB1385 establishes the Community Cares Initiative Grant Pilot Program in Indiana to fund mobile health care and crisis teams through a new fund. Additionally, it forces health insurance companies to reimburse ambulance providers who are not part of their network. The Indiana State Senate passed HB1385 on March 8, 2024 by a vote of 45 to 2. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this legislation expands government control over healthcare, which is unconstitutional. By imposing rate caps on what nonparticipating ambulance providers can charge, the bill interferes with the free market, undermining competition and restricting providers' ability to set prices based on cost and demand. Additionally, government-issued grants often give the government or bureaucracy the authority to choose winners and losers, leading to an expansion of government and increased interference in the private sector. Read more about this rollcall. HB1385 creates the Community Cares Initiative Grant Pilot Program to fund mobile health care and crisis teams in Indiana, supported by a new Community Cares Initiative Fund. It requires health plan operators to pay nonparticipating ambulance providers for services to covered individuals at the lower of three rates: the local county rate, 400% of Medicare rates, or the provider's billed charges. Once paid, the provider cannot bill the patient beyond normal cost-sharing. The bill also mandates that health plan operators pay or respond to claims within 30 days. The Indiana State Senate passed HB1385 on March 8, 2024 by a vote of 45 to 2. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this legislation expands government control over healthcare, which is unconstitutional. By imposing rate caps on what nonparticipating ambulance providers can charge, the bill interferes with the free market, undermining competition and restricting providers' ability to set prices based on cost and demand. Additionally, government-issued grants often give the government or bureaucracy the authority to choose winners and losers, leading to an expansion of government and increased interference in the private sector. View vote details at iga.in.gov/legislative/2024/bills/house/1385/details |
No Embracing Green Energy (Passed 40 to 6 on 2/29/2024). Repeals obsolete energy programs and funds managed by the Indiana Office of Energy Development, such as alternative fuel grants and coal research and relocates a low-interest loan program for energy efficiency and recycling projects. Additionally, this bill allows more flexibility in certifying communities as solar or wind energy ready. HB1278 repeals obsolete energy programs and funds managed by the Indiana Office of Energy Development, such as alternative fuel grants and coal research and relocates a low-interest loan program for energy efficiency and recycling projects. Additionally, this bill allows more flexibility in certifying communities as solar or wind energy ready. The Indiana State Senate passed HB1278 on February 29, 2024 by a vote of 40 to 6. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this bill takes a step toward implementing the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, which endangers individual freedom and liberty. HB1278 subtly advances a globalist environmental agenda under the pretext of combating climate change, which erodes property rights and local control. Read more about this rollcall. HB1278 repeals obsolete energy programs and funds managed by the Indiana Office of Energy Development, such as alternative fuel grants and coal research. It relocates a low-interest loan program for energy efficiency and recycling projects to a different code chapter. The bill allows more flexibility in certifying communities as solar or wind energy ready, even if their regulations differ slightly from industry standards. The Indiana State Senate passed HB1278 on February 29, 2024 by a vote of 40 to 6. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this bill takes a step toward implementing the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, which endangers individual freedom and liberty. HB1278 subtly advances a globalist environmental agenda under the pretext of combating climate change, which erodes property rights and local control. States should not buy into the climate-change agenda. View vote details at iga.in.gov/legislative/2024/bills/house/1278/details |
Yes HB1264 Election Integrity (Passed 34 to 13 on 2/29/2024). Prohibits political subdivisions from joining or participating in programs offered by those who have directly financed certain election activities (e.g., Zuckerbucks), and strengthens requirement ensuring that only legal voters can cast ballots. HB1264 prohibits political subdivisions from joining or participating in programs offered by those who have directly financed certain election activities (e.g., Zuckerbucks), and strengthens requirement ensuring that only legal voters can cast ballots. The Indiana State Senate passed HB1264 on February 29, 2024 by a vote of 34 to 13. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because states should exercise their authority under Article I, Section 4, of the U.S. Constitution to ensure free, fair, and secure elections, thereby guaranteeing equal protection of the voting rights of U.S. citizens. Additionally, Article IV, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution stipulates that U.S. citizens are entitled to all privileges and immunities, including the right to vote as established by the 26th Amendment. Read more about this rollcall. HB1264 prohibits political subdivisions from joining or participating in programs offered by those who have directly financed certain election activities. It specifies proof-of-residency requirements for in-person voter registration and requires the statewide voter registration system to flag potential nonresidential addresses. It outlines the process county officials must follow if a nonresidential address is identified. The Indiana State Senate passed HB1264 on February 29, 2024 by a vote of 34 to 13. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because states should exercise their authority under Article I, Section 4, of the U.S. Constitution to ensure free, fair, and secure elections, thereby guaranteeing equal protection of the voting rights of U.S. citizens. Additionally, Article IV, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution stipulates that U.S. citizens are entitled to all privileges and immunities, including the right to vote as established by the 26th Amendment. View vote details at iga.in.gov/legislative/2024/bills/house/1264/details |