RIED: 2016 Business Index

RIED Report Names Legislators Supporting Big Business

   The RIED Report for 2016 was recently released. A couple years back, there was a good article by the Oklahoma Constitution where candidates' scores were compaed to the various indeces.

By: Constitution Staff 

    In June, the Research Institute for Economic Development (RIED) released their legislative scorecard showing that eight members of the state Senate and six members of the state House of Representatives scored a perfect 100 on the 2014 RIED Report. The non-partisan organization produces the annual scorecard, grading Oklahoma legislators’ votes on business issues. But, many challenge RIED’s validity. Rather than being a pro-business scorecard, the RIED Report is better characterized as supporting corporate welfare. The scores were given to lawmakers who served in the second session of the 54th Oklahoma Legislature that adjourned on May 23rd.

  Former state Rep. Susan Winchester, who is RIED president said: “While there were a wide variety of business and non-business issues debated during the 2014 legislative session, economic development, business initiatives and job creation once again remained a key focus for lawmakers.” Greg Love, RIED board chairman said: “As I have said many times during my association with RIED, it is vital the state legislature be proactive in creating a business environment in Oklahoma that ensures economic development and quality employment opportunities for our citizens.” Love is President of Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores.
  Senate members receiving perfect scores from REID are

•  Speaker Pro-Tempore Brian Bingman (R-Sapulpa), Kim David (R-Broken Arrow), Eddie Fields (R-Wynona), David Holt (R-Oklahoma City), Rob Johnson (R-Yukon), Ron Justice (R-Chickasha), Mike Schulz (R-Altus), and Ron Sharp (R-Shawnee). 

House members receiving perfect scores are 

• House Speaker Jeff Hickman (R-Fairview), Scott Biggs (R-Chickasha), Lee Denny (R-Cushing), Scott Martin (R-Norman), Randy McDaniel (R-Edmond), and Harold Wright (R-Weatherford).

 It is interesting to note that all in this group are Republicans. It is also interesting that none of this group received a perfect score on the 2014 Oklahoma Conservative Index published by the Oklahoma Constitution newspaper. In fact, most of those with perfect scores on the RIED Report can be characterized as being RINOs (Republicans In Name Only). For example, in the Senate, Bingman’s Conservative Index score is 53%, David received a 46% rating, Fields 50%, Holt 60%, Johnson 43%, Justice 63%, Schulz 40%, and Sharp 60%. In the House, Speaker Hickman scored 60%, Biggs 60%, Denny 39%, Martin 60%, McDaniel 60%, and Wright 60%.
  The RIED Report claims to “create a profile of each legislator’s individual voting record for bills dealing with business, industry, job creation and economic growth issues deemed important by the private sector.” Significantly, the RIED makes no claim to support the concept of free enterprise, leading to the charge by many legislators that the index actually measures support for corporate welfare instead. Perhaps most importantly, while the report compilers claim their research is “supported by qualified data,” they do not reveal the details.
  The RIED Report has a notorious track record for failing to make information available as to how they score the legislators. In previous years, legislators have told the Oklahoma Constitution that they have been refused when they asked to see how their score was calculated. This year RIED provides a list of 18 bill numbers for legislation supposedly “utilized for final 2014 RIED evaluations.” There is no description of the bills, no explanation or justification for the use of each vote, no indication how a legislator should have voted on the bills, nor how individual legislators voted. There is no indication if all the bills were weighted equally, or if some were worth more points. Under the RIED evaluation system, legislators earn positive points when they support job creation and economic development issues. Points are deducted when they introduce or vote for legislation that negatively impacts Oklahoma’s business climate. They say a score of 70 and above represents a passing grade while 69 and below represents a failing grade.
  RIED was founded in 1997 by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, the Tulsa Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce. In addition to Love and Winchester, other officers of note include Larry Nichols of Devon Energy which built the tallest building in Oklahoma City for its headquarters, and Clayton Bennett of Dorchester Capital,and is also chairman of the ownership group for the Oklahoma City Thunder, an NBA franchise. The complete 2014 RIED Report is available at www.riedreport.com.

Read the rest of the report at: http://www.oklahomaconstitution.com/ns.php?nid=562