Industry group grades Congress on bill votes

The Contract Services Association (CSA), an organization representing more than 200 companies that provides services to federal, state and local governments, unveiled its inaugural Congressional Voting Scorecard today.

The score card rates all members of Congress on issues of importance to association members, according to the CSA statement.

CSA members include small businesses, 8(a)-certified companies, small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned businesses, HUBZone companies, Native American-owned firms and global, multibillion-dollar corporations.

The ratings were based on how lawmakers voted on a number of bills during the 109th Congress. The Senate bills included the War Profiteering Prevention Act, the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, and the Honest Leadership and Accountability in Contracting Act.

The House bills included the Cleanup and Reconstruction Enhancement Act, the Hurricane Katrina Accountability and Contracting Reform Act, and the Acquisition System Improvement Act.

In all, CSA rated 148 House members and 51 senators outstanding, giving them a grade of A. They included Sens. Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.) and Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) and former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas). No Democratic senator received an A.

Four senators received a grade of F: Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).

The Democratic senators from New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chuck Schumer, and from California, Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, received C’s.

CSA gave 37 representatives a grade of F, all of them Democrats with the exception of John McHugh (R-N.Y.).

“Through this score card, individuals can evaluate exactly how Congress is doing in supporting the service contracting industry,” said Chris Jahn, CSA president, in a statement. “Some members of Congress support these vital companies, while others simply don’t make the grade.”