ALBANY (August 20, 2014) – The
National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), New York’s leading small
business advocacy organization, released its 2013-2014 Legislative Voting
Record today. The Voting Record
identifies the top issues for New
York small business owners, tracks the votes of every
legislator and calculates a score on a scale of 100. The Voting Record is a tool that lets voters
measure the rhetorical support that lawmakers often give to small business
against their actual voting record. It
is also is a key component in NFIB’s decision to endorse incumbent legislators.
“This
legislative record shows an unfortunate reality,” said Mike Durant, NFIB New York State Director. “The scores, particularly within the State
Senate, trend lower when compared to the 2011-2012 Voting Record. There were eleven Senators two years ago that
received a perfect score and zero this session which is a concern.”
Durant
pointed out that while the agenda in Albany has rightly focused on tax cuts and
job creation, the legislative outcome largely misses the mark with Main Street
businesses.
“Albany
has focused on tax reform and job creation the last two years, yet existing
small businesses have been unfortunately left out of most of the enacted
reform,” he said. “We applaud the legislators
that scored well this cycle and appreciate their effort on behalf of small
business. That said, Albany needs to be
more mindful of the tremendous impact small business has on our economy and
that fully supporting Main Street will go a long way to producing the economic
resurgence New York needs.”
The Voting Record examines eleven key bills in the
Assembly and Senate. They were among the
more than one hundred pieces of legislation monitored by NFIB. All lawmakers are listed in the Voting Record,
but it should be noted that in order to receive credit for the score, legislators
must have recorded a vote for a majority of the legislation identified in the
Voting Record. In order to receive a
passing grade from NFIB, a lawmaker must have scored at least a 70 percent.
Senators Zeldin and Seward lead the Senate Majority
Coalition with scores of 91 percent. In
the Assembly, numerous members of the Minority Conference scored a perfect 100
percent, led by Leader Brian Kolb.
Assemblyman Robin Schimminger recorded the highest score in the Assembly
Majority with an 82 percent.
To view and/or download the
2013-2014 NFIB/NY Voting Record, click here.
