The Business Council of New York State, Inc. released its 2011 Voters’ Guide

The Business Council of New York State, Inc. released its 2011 Voters’ Guide, which measures New York State legislators' “commitment to improving the state's economic climate and performance by scoring their support for key business legislation during the 2011 session.”

Senator Owen H. Johnson, R-Babylon, received the Business Council’s highest score.

“I am pleased to learn that The Business Council of New York State approves of our strategy in the Republican Senate Majority to improve the business climate in New York State,” Senator Johnson said.  “We will continue to work toward our goals of meaningful mandate relief and job creation during the 2012 Legislative Session.”

Legislators were rated by their stance on 11 important two-house bills considered by The Business Council to have significant impact, either positive or negative, on New York’s economic climate.  Legislators were graded on important bills such as the real property tax cap, Medicaid spending reductions, and program reforms in the budget, Article X siting legislation, Recharge New York and an improved Excelsior Jobs Program.  These bills were signed into law this year and included on the scorecard.

As was the case in our 2009-10 guide, this year's scorecard shows Senate Republicans as the strongest supporters of The Business Council agenda. It also showed improved scores in general among all legislative caucuses.