Making the Grade (Or Not): Business Groups Rate Lawmakers

Lawmakers get their report cards from the business community

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By Bill McAllister
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Story Created: May 29, 2012 at 7:01 PM AKDT

Story Updated: May 30, 2012 at 7:47 AM AKDT

ALASKA - Just like school, the legislative session is out for its summer break, but lawmakers are just now getting their report cards from the business community.

The always controversial Alaska Business Report Card gives grades from A+ to F.

Four business groups, primarily Prosperity Alaska, but including the Alaska Chamber of Commerce and the Resource Development Council, come together to do the rankings.

Collectively, they awarded the Republican led House Majority an A and branded the Bipartisan Senate Majority with an F.

The Republican Minority in the Senate got an A; the Democratic Minority in the House a D.

The results for the 60 legislators largely followed that script.

But are the business people judging elected officials on just one issue?

Rachael Petro of the chamber says her group looked at 46 pieces of legislation in determining the basis for grading legislators, while the four groups producing the Alaska Business Report Card considered 60 bills.

"So that is not an insignificant amount, but it is targeted; those were targeted areas in fiscal responsibility, oil tax reform, general business climate, regulatory streamlining, etc."

But one legislator who got an F says it's much more simple than that.

Said Senator Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage: "The top three donors, the top three contributors to the chamber and the RDC are BP, Conoco and Exxon. This all about oil taxes, plain and simple."

In 2011, the House passed Governor Sean Parnell’s bill for a cut in oil production taxes of up to $2 billion per year.

The Bipartisan Majority in the Senate refused to take up that bill this year, and on the last day of the regular session passed a tax break for new fields only, but it did not become law.

Representative Craig Johnson (R-Anchorage), who got an A+ on the report card, says the F's given are deserved.

"Yeah, I think it's warranted. I think there are some people that did a miserable job in the legislature. I think we didn't get a lot accomplished as a result of some of those F's."

Wielechowski says since oil taxes were increased in 2007, 18,000 jobs have been created annually through public works spending by the legislature.

Under the governor's bill he says those capital budgets wouldn't be possible.

“If you really want to kill business in Alaska, if you really want to kill jobs in Alaska, you pass the governor's $2 billion tax giveaway. That will kill thousands and thousands of jobs in the state of Alaska. It'll cripple our economy. It'll make the state broken within a decade."

Petro says legislators do take notice of the report card.

"I will tell you it does have an effect because we have already had phone calls from people that received B's or C's and said why didn't I get a B, why didn't I get an A."

And she says those who got F's are just bad for business.

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Anonymous said on Wednesday, May 30 at 9:43 AM

haha...the only reason they are given good grades is backyard tax breaks and deals and contracts...roll the eyes...who cares!!! monitor your elected leaders and know what is wrong and what is lacking...when you are informed - it makes the rest a cakewalk!

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Vote said on Tuesday, May 29 at 7:43 PM

Vote out all the sub par.

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