Business Group Gives Low Marks To Many Md. Lawmakers, Mostly Democrats

A Maryland business group rating state lawmakers in its annual scorecard released Tuesday gave low marks to the two Democrats leading the Maryland General Assembly, typifying how business organizations view the legislature as a whole.

In the Roll Call report its being doing since 1987, Maryland Business for Responsive Government gave House Speaker Michael Busch a 29% in 2013, and Senate President Mike Miller fared slightly better at 40%. Busch has a 47% cumulative score, and Miller has 56%.

“Technology companies, cybersecurity companies and other select special commercial interests declared 2013 to be a victorious legislative session for business,” said the report. “For them, it meant more government investment in their industries, which breeds more innovation and more jobs, as the argument goes.

“But to other businesses in Maryland, 2013 meant higher taxes, more overburdensome regulations, fewer employees and a bigger bottom-line struggle to remain a going concern. It’s a deep divide in the underpinning of Maryland’s economic development climate.”
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