Senate Ratings

Guest Column

Clayton Roberts


Virginia FREE Senate Ratings
District	Senator	Cum. Business Rating	2005 Business Rating	Vote %	Steward- ship	Effective- ness
22	Bell, J. Brandon	79	83	100%	66	57
14	Blevins, Harry B.	77	82	91%	72	60
4	Bolling, William T.	78	79	100%	57	61
28	Chichester, John H.	82	85	82%	87	94
29	Colgan, Charles J.	77	78	69%	87	83
37	Cuccinelli, Ken	65	64	82%	46	42
25	Deeds, R. Creigh	61	68	70%	65	60
34	Devolites Davis, J.	78	75	80%	69	64
21	Edwards, John S.	53	64	69%	58	50
24	Hanger, Emmett	80	83	91%	75	69
19	Hawkins, Charles R.	83	81	82%	80	75
17	Houck, R. Edward	65	74	73%	74	71
32	Howell, Janet D.	59	67	67%	67	61
9	Lambert, Benjamin J.	63	64	60%	67	61
2	Locke, Mamie	62	60	67%	53	44
18	Lucas, L. Louise	57	59	64%	54	49
16	Marsh, Henry L.	52	54	60%	47	45
11	Martin, Stephen H.	79	72	90%	53	48
5	Miller, Yvonne B.	40	57	67%	46	40
33	Mims, William C.	75	83	90%	75	74
23	Newman, Stephen D.	81	80	91%	68	65
3	Norment, Thomas K.	85	80	71%	88	88
39	O'Brien, Jay	80	72	80%	63	55
26	Obenshain, Mark	72	78	100%	55	50
27	Potts, H. Russell	74	79	83%	75	68
38	Puckett, Phillip	69	80	90%	69	61
36	Puller, Linda T. Toddy	59	66	64%	67	55
13	Quayle, Frederick M.	76	75	73%	76	70
6	Rerras, Nick	75	71	83%	58	51
20	Reynolds, Roscoe	69	69	73%	65	62
15	Ruff, Frank M.	80	79	90%	68	59
35	Saslaw, Richard L.	68	67	64%	70	74
8	Stolle, Kenneth W.	84	85	85%	85	88
12	Stosch, Walter A.	87	88	85%	91	90
30	Ticer, Patricia S.	56	62	70%	53	49
7	Wagner, Frank W.	85	85	92%	77	71
40	Wampler, William C.	76	76	75%	77	88
10	Watkins, John	86	88	92%	83	80
31	Whipple, Mary Margaret	55	67	80%	54	52
1	Williams, Martin E.	83	82	83%	81	77

Definition of Categories

Cumulative Business Rating

Virginia FREE's Cumulative Business Rating indicates the average of each legislator’s Virginia FREE Business Ratings from 1995 through 2005 or, for those taking office after 1995, the average from the legislator’s first year in office through 2005. For several senators, the Cumulative Business Rating includes prior service in the House of Delegates.

Business Rating:

The Virginia FREE Business Rating is the legislator's score based on Virginia FREE evaluations of incumbent performance on important business issues. Each legislator's Business Rating is determined by averaging the results of two tests:

1) Incumbent Voting Records on important business issues

2) The Virginia FREE Stewardship Evaluation of legislators

The Business Rating is on a 100-point scale where 100 is the highest possible rating.

Business Rating Scale

Base - Legislators with a Business Rating of 75 or above; consistent supporters of pro-business views.

Swing - Legislators with a Business Rating of 74-55; frequent supporters of pro-business views.

Occasional - Legislators with a Business Rating below 55; occasional supporters of pro-business views.

Voting Records:

Virginia FREE compiles annual voting records of all General Assembly members on important legislation affecting business and industry. This evaluation does not portray a legislator's complete performance on important business issues. Nor does it include all legislation affecting business and industry. Rather, it provides a representative sample of important bills and votes affecting Virginia's business environment. Voting Record scores are combined with Stewardship Evaluations to determine each legislator's Business Rating.

To compile Voting Records, all Virginia FREE members are asked to submit at least five bills from each legislative session affecting their business interests and to indicate whether they favor or oppose each one. Virginia FREE takes no position on legislation and therefore stringently follows the consensus position of its members. Members submit hundreds of bills each year to be considered for use in Voting Records. Bills and votes are then reviewed and selected by the Virginia FREE Evaluations Committee and approved by the Board of Directors.

To be included in Voting Record evaluations, a bill must meet the following criteria:

1) A meaningful vote must be recorded on the bill.

2) The bill must be of substantial concern to a broad base of business interests.

3) There must be a consensus position on the bill among Virginia FREE members & the board of directors.

Stewardship

The Stewardship Evaluation is the result of an annual survey of about 100 Virginia FREE member government affairs professionals to determine, in their informed opinions, the percentage of time each legislator can be counted on to advocate the best interests of business and industry. Stewardship Evaluation ratings are combined with Voting Records to determine a legislator's Business Rating.

To determine Stewardship Evaluations, Virginia FREE member government affairs professionals are asked to complete a confidential, anonymous survey in which they subjectively evaluate legislators on a 10-point scale from 0 - 100. In gauging the level of stewardship displayed by an individual legislator, survey participants are asked to consider the percentage of time each legislator can be counted on to advocate the best interests of business and industry in Virginia. They are asked to take into account each legislator’s commitment to responsible governance that rises above partisanship and serves the long-term economic health and competitiveness of the Commonwealth. Survey participants are asked to also consider each legislator’s willingness to advance measures that:

Encourage economic development, business investment, job creation, and the efficient, productive use of government resources
Protect Virginia’s tradition of sound financial management and our favorable business environment

Effectiveness

The Effectiveness Rating is the result of an annual survey of Virginia FREE member government affairs professionals to determine, in their informed opinions, how effective each legislator is in accomplishing his or her legislative objectives - without regard to the legislator’s position on business issues.

To determine the Effectiveness Rating, Virginia FREE member government affairs professionals are asked to complete a confidential, anonymous survey in which they rate the level of effectiveness of each legislator on a 10-point scale from 10-100 where 100 represents extremely effective. The results of all survey forms are averaged to determine each legislator’s Effectiveness Rating.

Virginia FREE

2005 Legislator Rankings

Commentary

House of Delegates

Clayton Roberts is President of Virginia FREE, the Virginia Foundation for Research & Economic Education, Inc., a statewide organization providing non-partisan political research and analysis to business and industry. His e-mail address is croberts@vafree.com.

Virginia Free