ATLANTA – State Representative Richard Smith (R-Columbus) received an ‘A+’ from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce on its 2014 Legislative Scorecard. The Chamber’s scorecard grades Georgia lawmakers based on their votes on certain pro-business measures considered during the 2014 General Assembly session.
“I am proud to receive this rating from the Georgia Chamber,” said Rep. Smith. “Creating the right kind of economic environment to create and grow jobs is a top priority for me, and I will continue to work to expand business and economic growth in our state.”
Throughout the 2014 Georgia General Assembly session, legislators addressed a number of issues impacting the state’s business community. The Government Affairs Council assigned scorecard status to those bills considered most important to Georgia’s future economic success in areas including economic development, legal reform, business and industry, environment and energy, and education. Each legislator’s grade, given by the Georgia Chamber, reflects an assessment of his or her support for business community priorities.
In addition to the 2014 grades, the scorecard also reflects all legislators’ 2013 midterm assessments and final grades for the 2013-2014 legislative term. Nearly every lawmaker in both the Georgia House and Senate earned a passing grade on this year’s scorecard.
“Decisions Georgia legislators make while serving in the General Assembly have long-term impacts on our state’s economic prospects,” said Georgia Chamber president and CEO Chris Clark. “Receiving a high score on the Georgia Chamber’s scorecard confirms a lawmaker’s commitment to passing job creation and economic development measures. We commend Rep. Smith for his support of Georgia’s business community.”
Legislators were assigned final grades of A, B, C, or U based on their votes for each scorecard bill – nine votes in the state House and 10 in the state Senate. To receive a grade, the legislator must have been present to vote for 50 percent of the total scorecard votes. If the legislator was not present for 50 percent of the votes, they received an ‘N/A’ grade. For some legislators, subjective factors – including but not limited to sponsoring bills, speaking for or against bills, voting in committees, offering amendments, and furthering the Chamber’s legislative priorities – were taken into account.
To view and download the complete 2014 Georgia Chamber Scorecard, please click here.
Representative Richard Smith represents the citizens of District 134, which includes portions of Harris and Muscogee counties. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2004, and is currently the Chairman of the Insurance Committee, and the Secretary of the Rules Committee. He also serves on the Appropriations, Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment, and Natural Resources & Environment committees.
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