Missouri Chamber releases ratings of state legislators

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Most lawmakers in the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives are supportive of employers, according to the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry's 2004 Legislative Vote Records.|ret||ret||tab|

The records are a series of ratings for each Missouri legislator based on the most critical business votes of the last legislative cycle. |ret||ret||tab|

The Chamber gave an "A" grade to more than 84 lawmakers who voted with the Chamber's position 90 percent of the time, or greater, during critical employer votes. The records also show 70 lawmakers received a failing grade for voting against the Chamber's position more than 50 percent of the time. |ret||ret||tab|

President and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry Daniel P. Mehan said the records were created to show Missouri employers which legislators supported growth in business and Missouri jobs. |ret||ret||tab|

"Lawmakers cast many critical votes on issues that impact employers' bottom line," Mehan said in a news release. |ret||ret||tab|

"They need to be held accountable for these votes."|ret||ret||tab|

Mehan said the rating system helps measure the performance of legislators on employer issues and determines which of them support the Chamber's agenda. |ret||ret||tab|

"It's also a strategic tool, enabling the Missouri Chamber to get information out to employers throughout the state so they can make informed votes when they go to the polls," Mehan said in a news release.|ret||ret||tab|

The records were created by selecting critical business votes of the last legislative cycle based on their importance to Missouri's employers. Each lawmaker was given a rating. |ret||ret||tab|

The Chamber has conducted these ratings for more than 40 years.|ret||ret||tab|

The Chamber recently added an online vote record, which tracked 40 business votes during the 2004 legislative session. The lists of votes are available on the Chamber's Web site at www.mochamber.com, under the "Hot Topics" link.|ret||ret||tab|

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