For Immediate Release:
October 18, 2005
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.”