More than half of representatives in the House received a 100% grade in a Monday scorecard from the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, which tracked the votes of state lawmakers on 10 bills during the 2023 session.
The business association’s annual scorecard graded lawmakers in both the House and the Senate on their votes related to a handful of proposals considered this session, which the group expected would impact Connecticut’s business climate and economy.
For instance, votes in favor of a bill creating a first-time homebuyers savings account or legislation intended to boost workforce development improved a lawmaker’s score while support for an unsuccessful bill to expand Connecticut’s sick leave program or legislation requiring the disclosure of salary ranges in job postings worsened the score.
Of the five bills the association supported, two — a bill repealing certain unemployment reporting requirements and a workforce development bill — were eventually signed into law by the governor.
Meanwhile, none of the five bills the group opposed saw final passage.
They included several bills passed out of the legislature’s Labor and Public Employees Committee like the paid sick leave bill, which would have extended benefits to employees of currently exempted small businesses. The bill advanced out of the Senate but stalled in the House to the disappointment of labor advocates.
“Connecticut is often rated as a higher cost state to do business and the 2023 session featured a number of bills that would have made that situation worse,” Chris DiPentima, CBIA president and CEO, said in a press release. “We’re grateful that lawmakers from both parties were willing to reject these mandates.”
In the House, 86 of the chamber’s 151 lawmakers scored a 100%, according to the business group’s rankings. Among them was every Republican as well as many Democrats including House Speaker Matt Ritter and Majority Leader Jason Rojas.
Scores appeared more partisan in the Senate, where nearly every Republican scored a 100% on the business group’s scorecard with just Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, receiving an 83%. Meanwhile, no Democrat received a 100% from the business lobby in the upper chamber. Sen. Joan Hartley, D-Waterbury, came the closest with an 80%.
The business and industry association is not the first advocacy group to rate state lawmakers ahead of the 2024 session. Last week, the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters released a similar scorecard, which tracked how legislators voted on a handful of environmental issues.
