Thursday, September 4, 2008

AIM rates state Legislature low on pro-biz votes

By Mass High Tech Staff

The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) has released its third AIM Legislative Scorecard for 2007-2008, and the results are generally weak across the board in the association’s areas of concern.

The business advocacy organization, which claims more than 7,000 businesses and institutions, gave an average rating of 49 percent for members of the Senate, down from 66 percent the previous year. House members received a 47 percent rating this past year, compared to 78 percent in 2005-2006.

Overall, Republicans fared better than their counterparts in the 100-point scoring system. In the Senate, five Republican senators scored the highest rating of 67 percent. In the House, 19 Republicans claimed the highest score of 88 percent.

The biennial scorecard calculates votes for both House and Senate on issues of importance, including economic development, taxation, energy, environment, health insurance and regulatory reform. The results reflect the evaluation of state elected officials in maintaining a pro-business voting record.

While the scorecard may not be complete, given that the Legislature may meet before the end of the year, AIM executive vice president Brian Gilmore stressed the need for improvements.