Common Cause Releases Legislative Scorecard

In the eighth Common Cause Rhode Island Legislative Scorecard, lawmakers’ scores fell below their 2006 level, which were the lowest on record. State Senators, on average, backed Common Cause positions at a rate of 64 per cent, while State Representatives averaged 56 per cent. During the 2007-2008 legislative session, state officials were focused on addressing the budget crisis yet still passed legislation that thwarts the voters’ will on two major Constitutional reforms: Separation of Powers (SOP) and Judicial Merit Selection. On the positive side, the General Assembly passed the first significant Open Records bill since 1998.

*Corrections*

* The printed version and earlier version of the legislative scorecard listed Todd R. Brien as State Representative from Woonsocket District 50 when it should have listed Jon D. Brien as State Representative from Woonsocket District 50.
* Two votes cast by Representative Steven John Coaty on January 9, 2008 were accidentally omitted from the printed and earlier versions of the legislative scorecard. Representative Coaty’s overall final score was listed as 76% and should have been listed at 79%. This omission did not change the overall House average score.

Both the electronic newsletter and spreadsheet were updated and labeled 08Aug14CORRECTED. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Below are the links to the legislative scorecard:
Click here for a copy of the 2008 Legislative Scorecard Newsletter (08Aug14CORRECTED)

Click 2008 Scorecard on the left panel to view the full House and Senate Spreadsheets.