On the heels of the three whirlwind legislative sessions held this year, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry has released its annual scorecard grading state lawmakers on how they voted on pro-business issues.
The 2016 Legislative Scorecard, released Thursday afternoon, analyzes 16 votes in each the House and Senate on LABI priority issues.
The state Legislature met for a record-setting 19 weeks this year, tasked with solving budgetary issues that threatened Louisiana’s current and future economic stability. Roughly 2,782 bills and resolutions were filed across the three legislative sessions, LABI says.
“The 2016 legislative sessions were especially challenging for taxpayers,” says LABI President and CEO Stephen Waguespack in a prepared statement. “While private-sector job losses mounted and Louisiana’s recession deepened, actions in the Capitol focused almost exclusively on increasing the role and spending of government. Going forward, LABI urges lawmakers to take a more comprehensive and balanced approach to budget challenges. Our economy will not withstand another legislative cycle where the wants of government trump the needs of taxpayers.”
However, Waguespack says a number of lawmakers deserve praise for consistently voting in favor of pro-business legislation that prioritizes the state’s economy, employers and workers over the needs of state and local governments.
To that end, LABI has named five legislators—including Republican Reps. Rick Edmonds and Barry Ivey of Baton Rouge—as its “Most Valuable Policymakers.” These are lawmakers who received perfect scores for their votes on major pro-business legislation. Each lawmaker voted to prioritize growth in the private-sector economy on 100% of the legislation LABI deemed important, the organization says.
Also, Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge, is counted among a group of four senators and eight representatives recognized as “LABI All-Stars.” These lawmakers scored 90% or higher on legislation selected for the legislative scorecard analysis. The average score for state representatives is 52%, while the average score for state senators is 44%.
The MVPs and All-Stars will be honored at the LABI Free Enterprise Awards on Nov. 17.
Also worth noting is that Republican state Sen. Mack “Bodi” White, who’s also running to be Baton Rouge mayor, received a score of 71%—the highest score a Capital Region senator received.
Democrat Rep. C. Denise Marcelle (16%) is among five Baton Rouge lawmakers who receive scores of less than 20% on the LABI Scorecard. Marcelle also is running for mayor.
The other low scoring lawmakers are Rep. Randal Gaines (18%) and senators Troy Brown (16%), Yvonne Colomb (14%), and Regina Barrow (5%)—all Democrats.
See the complete LABI 2016 Legislative Scorecard, and access the LABI scorecards for each year dating back to 1999.
—Alexandria Burris
