SALEM, Ore., March 29, 2016—The voice of Oregon small business today released its legislative voting records, which are used to make campaign endorsements and, more importantly, factually distinguish the true friends of small business from those who say they are.
“The last two legislative sessions were particularly tough for Oregon small businesses,” said Anthony K. Smith, Oregon state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, America’s largest and leading small-business association. “Still, nine senators and 23 state representatives managed to pull through with 100 percent, pro-small-business voting records during the 2015 and 2016 legislative sessions.
“While a voting record cannot tell the whole story, it is an objective measure by which Main Street can determine who stands up for Oregon small businesses in Salem, who doesn’t, and who might be somewhere in between. Our thanks go out to those legislators who clearly made small business a priority when casting their votes.”
The nine state senators with perfect scores were Herman Baertschiger (Grants Pass), Fred Girod (Stayton), Betsy Johnson (Scappoose), Tim Knopp (Bend), Jeff Kruse (Roseburg), Alan Olsen (Canby), Kim Thatcher (Keizer), Chuck Thomsen (Hood River), and Doug Whitsett (Klamath Falls).
The 23 state representatives with 100-percent voting records were Greg Barreto (Cove), Cliff Bentz (Ontario), Knute Buehler (Bend), John Davis (Wilsonville), Sal Esquivel (Medford), Vic Gilliam (Molalla), Jodi Hack (Salem), Cedric Hayden (Roseburg), Dallas Heard (Myrtle Creek), Mark Johnson (Hood River), Bill Kennemer (Oregon City), Wayne Krieger (Gold Beach), Mike McLane (Powell Butte), Mike Nearman (Dallas), Andy Olson (Albany), Julie Parrish (West Linn), Bill Post (Keizer), Greg Smith (Heppner), Sherrie Sprenger (Scio), Duane Stark (Central Point), Gene Whisnant (Sunriver), Gail Whitsett (Klamath Falls), and Carl Wilson (Grants Pass).
NFIB, which has 350,000 dues-paying members nationwide, including nearly 7,000 in Oregon, measured Oregon senators and representatives based on their votes on 10 key bills that will have lasting impacts on small business in Oregon. A brief description of the issue and the vote a legislator took on it can be read here.
The power of the small-business vote is a mighty one. You can read about at this online press kit, Quick Information About Main Street, Oregon. Follow NFIB Oregon on Twitter at NFIB_OR and on the Oregon page of the NFIB website, www.nfib.com/oregon.
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For more than 70 years, the National Federation of Independent Business has been the Voice of Small Business, taking the message from Main Street to the halls of Congress and all 50 state legislatures. NFIB annually surveys its members on state and federal issues vital to their survival as America’s economic engine and biggest creator of jobs. NFIB’s educational mission is to remind policymakers that small businesses are not smaller versions of bigger businesses; they have very different challenges and priorities.
National Federation of Independent Business/Oregon
3340 Commercial St. S.E. Suite 210
Salem, OR 97302
503-364-4450
Twitter NFIB_OR
