The Business Council of New York State, Inc. today released its 2011 Voters’ Guide this afternoon and lawmakers from New York City in both chambers received by far the lowest grades.
Among the most “anti-job” lawmakers are Ruben Diaz of the Bronx, who scored only a 14 percent rating; Tom Duane and Bill Perkins of Manhattan and Kevin Parker of Brooklyn don’t do much better, getting a mere 29 percent rating.
Meanwhile, over on the Assembly side, Brooklyn’s Inez Barron received a score of zero, and fellow Brooklynites Karim Camara and Annette Robinson garnered scores of 33 and 36 percent, respectively.
According to the Business Council, the scorecards measure “New York State legislators’ commitment to improving the state’s economic climate and performance by scoring their support for key business legislation during the 2011 session. All 212 seats will be up for re-election in 2012, and this scorecard provides a mid-term report on legislative actions. The Business Council will be using its combined 2011-2012 rankings in making endorsements in next year’s elections.”
Said Heather Briccetti, acting-president and CEO of The Business Council, “With Governor Cuomo’s leadership, and a responsive legislature, we saw real fiscal reform, spending restraint, and progress on economic development initiatives. However, there were still several anti-growth bills that came to the floor in 2011. Our Voters’ Guide will help give New Yorkers a clearer view of which legislators are truly committed to making our state’s economy more competitive.”
Senators and Assembly members were rated for their stance on 11 two-house bills considered by The Business Council to have a significant impact, either positive or negative, on New York’s economic climate, including the real property tax cap, Medicaid spending reductions and program reforms in the budget, Article X siting legislation, Recharge New York, Excelsior Jobs Program improvements, legislation imposing an open-ended insurance coverage mandate for autism spectrum disorders, a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, extend temporary income tax rates, establish a private cause of action for an alleged “abusive work environment” and erode cost savings from workers’ comp reforms.
“We look forward to working with representatives on both sides of the aisle to help create and retain jobs in the Empire State,” added Ms. Briccetti. “Our priorities for 2012 will include implementing real mandate relief, developing the Marcellus Shale and reducing tax and regulatory costs on businesses.
The full scorecard is available here.
