The Georgia Chamber of Commerce has released its 2013 Legislative Scorecard on on which members of the Georgia General Assembly were graded based on their votes related to certain pro-business measures addressed during the 2013 legislative session.
Nearly every lawmaker in both the Georgia House and Senate earned a passing grade, with an 18-percent increase in passing scores as compared to the Chamber’s 2012 report.
“What is clear from this year’s scorecard is that lawmakers – both Democrat and Republican – are taking private-sector growth seriously. They realize how important these issues are to the state and to their constituents and that we must take action to encourage investment and job creation,” said Georgia Chamber President and CEO Chris Clark.
“We are proud that there was such broad-based, bipartisan support for each of the scorecard bills. As a result, we will improve Georgia’s overall competitiveness and reputation as a state that is open for business. We commend the members of the General Assembly for their dedication and commitment to the betterment of our state.”
The 2013 Legislative Scorecard is based on legislation that the Georgia Chamber believes will directly impact the business community in areas including education and workforce, civil justice reform, business climate, health care, and economic development. Prior to votes being taken, the Chamber communicated its position on each bill to members of the General Assembly as well as the fact that the bills were eligible to be designated as “scorecard issues.”
Legislators were assigned final grades of A, B, C, or U based on their votes for each scorecard bill – nine votes in the state House and 10 in the state Senate. To receive a grade, the legislator must have been present to vote for 50 percent of the total scorecard votes. If the legislator was not present for 50 percent of the votes, they received an ‘N/A’ grade.
For some legislators, subjective factors – including but not limited to sponsoring bills, speaking for or against bills, voting in committees, offering amendments, and furthering the Chamber’s legislative priorities – were taken into account.
Each legislator’s grade on the 2013 Scorecard reflects a midterm assessment of their support for the business community. A final grade for their two-year term in office will be given following the 2014 session of the Georgia General Assembly.
To view and download the complete 2013 Georgia Chamber Scorecard, please visit www.gachamber.com.
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