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Union protestors gather outside the Statehouse after the Senate voted to pass the right-to-work bill in Indianapolis on Feb. 1.
Last updated: August 1, 2012 9:58 a.m.

Chamber ranks local legislators

Niki Kelly | The Journal Gazette

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce recently released its annual Legislative Vote Analysis in which it tracks whether lawmakers support chamber positions on a myriad of bills.

The publication details the pro-economy, pro-jobs voting records for state lawmakers during the 2012 session. Some of the key votes this year included making Indiana a right-to-work state; implementing a statewide smoking ban and eliminating the inheritance tax.

"The thing that really stands out is how much the vote scores have gone up in recent years – Democrats and Republicans alike. In fact, this year a total of 15 legislators scored 100%. Overall what this shows is the support for prosperity issues continues to grow, and that reflects where Hoosiers are," states Indiana Chamber President Kevin Brinegar.

Legislators who score 70% or greater for the most recent two-year voting period are eligible for endorsement by the Chamber's political action committee, Indiana Business for Responsive Government.

Interestingly, the right-to-work vote was so important that the chamber decided to count it twice.

Not surprisingly, local Democrats fared much worse than Republicans. But some GOP lawmakers from northeast Indiana also had lower scores.

Here is how local legislators fared:

  • Rep. Dick Dodge, R-Pleasant Lake - 2012: 100 percent; two-year average: 94 percent.
  • Rep. Jeffrey Espich, R-Uniondale - 2012: 100 percent; two-year average: 95 percent.
  • Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne - 2012: 57 percent; two-year average: 54 percent.
  • Rep. Kathy Heuer, R-Columbia City – 2012: 100 percent; two-year average: 93 percent.
  • Rep. Rebecca Kubacki, R-Syracuse - 2012: 97 percent; two-year average: 93 percent.
  • Rep. Matthew Lehman, R-Berne – 2012: 88 percent; two-year average: 91 percent.
  • Rep. Dan Leonard, R-Huntington - 2012: 93 percent; two-year average: 95 percent
  • Rep. Bob Morris, R-Fort Wayne– 2012: 93 percent; two-year average: 92 percent.
  • Rep. Winfield Moses, D-Fort Wayne – 2012: 61 percent; two-year average: 46 percent.
  • Rep. Phyllis Pond, R-New Haven – 2012: 100 percent; two-year average: 94 percent.
  • Rep. David Wolkins, R-Winona Lake - 2012: 95 percent; two-year average: 93 percent.
  • Rep. David Yarde, R-Garrett - 2012: 97 percent; two-year average: 95 percent.
  • Sen. Jim Banks, R-Columbia City – 2012: 85 percent; two-year average: 79 percent.
  • Sen. Sue Glick, R-LaGrange - 2012: 78 percent; two-year average: 83 percent.
  • Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle – 2012: 89 percent; two-year average: 91 percent.
  • Sen. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn – 2012: 86 percent; two-year average: 87 percent.
  • Sen. David Long, R-Fort Wayne – 2012: 92%; two-year average: 93 percent.
  • Sen. Thomas Wyss, R-Fort Wayne – 2012: 94 percent; two-year average: 94 percent.

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