Yesterday, the Indiana Chamber released its annual Legislative Vote Analysis scoring state legislators on how they voted on key business legislation in the recent General Assembly. The overall marks are lower this year – ranging from 33% to 90%.
The purpose of the report is to show citizens and employers how their lawmakers voted on issues vital to the state’s economy. The lower scores reflect that this General Assembly simply passed on too many economic opportunities by outright defeating vital legislation or letting the measures die. In addition, an unusually large number of bad bills were filed and moved through at least portions of the legislative process, diverting time and focus away from important business community priorities.
Bills included for examination in the Legislative Vote Analysis can be traced back to the Chamber’s economic development plan, Indiana Vision 2025.
Among the legislation included in the report that became law: tobacco reforms to decrease the state’s smoking/vaping rate, health care cost transparency, unemployment insurance rate schedule certainty (before the current pandemic) and a model for enhancing regional development efforts.
Lawmakers rightly got credit for passing these priority measures, but the report also held them accountable for what they left on the table. Policies like broadly recognizing occupational licenses earned outside Indiana, common sense township reforms and relaxing business personal tax assessment on depreciated equipment. All need to happen.
The scores are available on Chamber’s web site at www.indianachamber.com/lva.
Legislators who scored 70% or greater for the most recent four-year voting period are eligible for endorsement consideration by the Indiana Chamber’s political action committee, Indiana Business for Responsive Government.
Lawmakers are notified of the Indiana Chamber position and reasoning on the bills in this report through various communications during the legislative session – and prior to key votes being taken. Floor votes for which there is a public record are used in the Legislative Vote Analysis.
