Business Unfriendly

COOPER, LEATHERMAN GET LOW MARKS ON PRO-BUSINESS LEGISLATIVE SCORECARD

FITSNews – July 10, 2007 - The two Republicans most responsible for setting South Carolina’s fiscal policy earned abysmal rankings from a prominent pro-business group for their performance in the recently-concluded legislative session. According to an analysis by the S.C. Business & Industry Political Education Committee (BIPEC), Senate Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman and House Ways & Means Chairman Dan Cooper voted to support pro-business positions just 31.1% and 46.5% of the time, respectively.

Yikes. And we wonder why a paltry $81 million went toward job-creating income tax relief out of a $1.7 billion budget surplus. Or why the state budget included so much pork for these two gentlemen’s legislative districts.

On the positive side, nine Republicans earned perfect 100% pro-business rankings – Reps. Eric Bedingfield, Nikki Haley, Bobby Harrell, Jim Harrison, Phillip Owens, Rex Rice and Gary Smith on the House side, and Greg Ryberg and Chip Campsen in the State Senate.

Amazingly, two Republican State Senators earned 0% rankings – Jake Knotts and John Hawkins, while party-switching Republican Luke Rankin voted with business interests 1.6% of the time.