Press Release – 2015-2016 Legislative Scorecard Released
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 12, 2016
Conservation Voters of SC Releases 2015-2016 Legislative Scorecard
CONTACT: Rebecca Haynes, 803-403-5470 or 803-799-0716, [email protected]
COLUMBIA – Conservation Voters of South Carolina (CVSC) has released its biennial Legislative Scorecard for 2015-2016. Since 2002, Conservation Voters has held legislators accountable through bipartisan advocacy for the protection of South Carolina’s air, land and water.
Scores for the 2015-2016 Scorecard are remarkably high across both chambers and parties (averaging at 87%), with a range of 35% to 117%. In 2004, the House Republicans lagged 42 points behind Democrats; this Year the gap narrowed to only 8 points in the House and 5 points in the Senate with regional differences less pronounced.
CVSC’s Executive Director, Ann Timberlake, explained “Conservation is now truly bipartisan at the State House. We have champions on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers, who are able to broker compromises on nearly every bill that makes it to the floor. This results in nearly every vote that we scored being a unanimous or nearly unanimous vote.”
Success highlighted in the Scorecard include efforts to protect South Carolina’s shoreline, clean up coal ash and fund land protection through the Conservation Bank. Conservation groups also worked with our legislative champions to defeat attempts to weaken the rights of citizens to hold polluters responsible.
When contested issues are not voted upon, however, it is important to note who sponsors “pro” and “anti” conservation legislation and who steps up to perform “good green deeds” behind the scenes. Conservation Voters communicates with our supporters during session to let constituents know when and how to express support for issues that impact our quality of life.
Timberlake urged citizens to congratulate the 22 Senators and 26 Representatives who scored 100% or higher.
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Conservation Voters of South Carolina is a bi-partisan, statewide, nonprofit organization that fights for clean air, water, and land in South Carolina by holding elected leaders directly accountable for a safe and healthy South Carolina.
Learn more at www.cvsc.org or follow CVSC on Facebook and Twitter.