ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County’s two elected representatives in the General Assembly have received high marks for their stance on business-related issues.
The N.C. Free Enterprise Foundation recently released its 2023-2024 Legislative Business Ratings, with Rep. Ben Moss and Sen. Dave Craven each receiving an objective score above 95 out of 100.
According to the report, the objective score “(e)valuates how each lawmaker voted on free enterprise legislation.
“Lawmakers who voted in line with the pro-free enterprise position receive a score of 100 points per bill; those who voted against it receive 0 points,” reads the report. “This year, the Committee evaluated 25 bills for the state Senate and 28 bills for the state House, including bills from both the 2023 Long Session and the 2024 Short Session. Bill scores are averaged for each lawmaker and constitute the ‘Objective’ component of the LBR score.”
For the subjective component, free enterprise leaders — including business executives, trade associations and government affairs professionals — rated lawmakers on a scale of 0 to 100, according to the report.
Lawmakers also were given a quarter of a point of the sponsored pro-free enterprise legislation or were deducted for sponsoring anti-free enterprise legislation.
Craven, R-Randolph, was one of 20 state senators to receive an objective score of 100. Overall, he ranked 12th in the Senate with and LBR score of 98.5. He was listed as one of the primary sponsors of the evaluated bills.
Moss, R-Richmond, was given an objective score of 95.7 and a LBR score of 92.1.
“I’m dedicated to fostering a business-friendly environment that leads to more jobs and greater opportunities for all North Carolinians,” Moss said in a statement. “Together, we’re building a strong economy and a bright future for everyone in our state.”
Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, garnered the top spot in his chamber, with an objective score of 100 and an LBR score of 99.4.
Reps. Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, and Jason Saine, R-Lincoln, received the highest rankings in the House, each with an objective score of 100 and LBR score of 99.7. More than 100 of the House members had an objective score of 100.
Republicans scored higher than Democrats, according to the report.
Sen. Paul Lowe Jr., D-Forsyth, had the highest score among Democrats in the Senate (57.1 objective, 57.8 LBR), behind the lowest-scoring Republican, Sen. Jim Burgin, R-Harnett (95.8, 94.3).
Durham County’s Sen. Natalie Murdock had the lowest objective score (15) and Sen. Natasha Marcus of Mecklenburg County had the lowest LBR score (12.9).
In the House, Rep. Cecil Brockman of Guilford County had the highest score for Democrats (87.5, 83.3) while Rep. Pricey Harrison, also of Guilford, had the lowest (11.1, 10.3). Scotland County Rep. Garland Pierce had the fifth-highest score for a Democrat (70.4, 63.6).
North Carolina has been ranked as one of the best states to do business by CNBC for the past several years.
In July, the state was ranked as the second-best, with northern neighbor Virginia taking the top spot. The Tar Heel state was ranked as No. 1 state consecutively in 2022 and 2023, second in 2021, and third in 2019.
“North Carolina continues to be a powerhouse for business,” Gene McLaurin, chair of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina’s (EDPNC) Board of Directors, said in a July press release.
McLaurin is a former Rockingham mayor and served one term in the state Senate.
“Thanks to strong collaboration between Gov. (Roy) Cooper, the North Carolina Department of Commerce, EDPNC and other public and private partnerships, we are bolstering North Carolina’s economy to make sure companies continue to grow and thrive in our state,” McLaurin said.
