Maryland Business for Responsive Government deserves to enter the business hall of fame for tracking and evaluating how state legislators vote on key economic issues.
Knowing how our elected representatives help or hinder building a business friendly environment is essential to evaluating their performance and holding them accountable to their actions.
Its annual Roll Call, published recently, ranks legislators by their votes, providing a handy voter guide for those ? hopefully everyone ?who care whether this state thrives or whether it loses jobs and businesses to states with better business climates, like Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania.
As Roll Call notes, “Businesses gravitate to stability. The more instability; the more difficulty in making a reliable business plan ? and greater the cost.”
Unfortunately, the General Assembly often demonstrated a contempt for stability over the past year. Legislation to force Wal-Mart to pay 8 percent of its payroll toward health care or make up the difference in payments to the state is one example. Changing the terms of the electricity rate structure at Baltimore Gas & Electric for consumers is another. Punishing Wal-Mart and BGE sends a “enter at your own risk” message to businesses considering entering or expanding in the state.
Visit www.mbrg.org to download a copy of Roll Call. Find out how your legislators voted this year. If they voted against jobs and business in Maryland, ask them why. We need elected officials who understand what makes the state work.
Here is a list of those voting for business less than half of the time in our region:
Maryland Senate: Democrats Normon Stone Jr. (Baltimore County); Delores Kelley (Baltimore County); Paula Hollinger (Baltimore County); John Giannetti Jr. (Anne Arundel and Prince George?s counties); Ralph Hughes (Baltimore City); Lisa Gladden (Baltimore City); Jim Brochin (Baltimore County); Joan Carter Conway (Baltimore City); Verna Jones (Baltimore City); Nathaniel McFadden (Baltimore City); George Della Jr. (Baltimore City).
Maryland House of Delegates: Baltimore County Democrats Emmett Burns Jr., Adrienne Jones, Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, Jon Cardin, Dan Morhaim and Robert Zirkin. Baltimore and Howard counties Democrats Steven DeBoy Sr. and James Malone Jr.. Howard County Democrats Elizabeth Bobo, Shane Pendergrass, Neil Quinter and Frank Turner. Anne Arundel and Prince George?s counties DemocratsBarbara Frush, Pauline Menes and Brian Moe. Anne Arundel County Democrat Virginia Clagett. Baltimore City Democrats Salima Marriott, Jill Carter, Nathaniel Oaks, Samuel Rosenberg, Curt Anderson, Anne Marie Doory, Maggie McIntosh, Keith Haynes, Ruth Kirk, Jeffrey Paige, Talmadge Branch, Clarence Davis, Hattie Harrison, Peter Hammen, Carolyn Krysiak and Brian McHale.
