For Immediate
Release: October 18, 2005
Senate President Pro Tem Mike Morgan
Senate Leader Comments on Partisan RIED Report Card
“Senate Democrats were instrumental in passing
an historic workers’ compensation measure that was given
an “A” rating by the State Chamber of Commerce-an
obvious pro business group in the state of Oklahoma.
“The Research Institute for Economic Development (RIED)
report is so arbitrarily put together that when we contacted a
RIED board member, we were unable to get the formula that determines
the rankings given to legislators.
“RIED board members have given more than 93 percent of their
total political contributions to Republican candidates, proving
that the RIED group is certainly a partisan group.
“Despite claims by Senator Coffee that Senate Democrats
opposed pro business and pro growth legislation, members of the
Senate Democratic caucus scored in the 80’s and 90’s
on the report, with one member receiving a perfect score. I think
that proves that economic development in the state of Oklahoma
is not a partisan issue.
“It was members of the Senate Democratic caucus that helped
craft the largest tax cut package in the history of the state,
including an increase in the standard deduction which primarily
benefits small business owners and working families.
“Senate Democrats also pushed through the Higher Education
Bond Issue in the first ten days of the 2005 session-a measure
that will initially pour more than $737 million into the state’s
economy while creating more than 4,000 new construction jobs.
“With a booming Oklahoma economy and the state
bringing in record amounts of revenue, I think our record for
growing Oklahoma speaks for itself. We do not need some highly
partisan think tank to score us on an arbitrary scale to tell
us otherwise.”
