NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WMOT) -- The Nashville Chamber of Commerce has released its annual legislative score card, and it reflects a surprising disconnect with the Republican majority in the Tennessee General Assembly.
The Chamber rated the legislature on 23 issues it says are top priorities for the mid-state business community. The report concludes legislators voted with business interests on 15 issues, against on 4 pieces of legislation, with 4 issues rated business neutral.
A surprising trend emerges when looking at the ratings the chamber assigns to individual representatives and senators. The legislators receiving the highest ratings from the business community are the handful of Democrats remaining in the General Assembly.
In the State Senate, for example, Thelma Harper and Jeff Yarbro were the only mid-state Senators voting with the chamber on all 23 of its key issues. Democrats in the Tennessee House also received some of the chamber’s best scores.
The disconnect between the chamber and the Republican super majority was especially evident on three issues. The first was passage of the so-called “guns in trunks” bill that allowed gun owners to store firearms in their vehicles at work even if the employer objects.
The chamber opposed school vouchers while the GOP favored it. Most Republicans panned Gov. Bill Haslam’s Medicaid expansion plan, while the Chamber endorsed it.
Historically, business interests are most closely aligned with the GOP.