CCIA Scores Congress on Technology Votes

File Under: 2006, CCIA

Nov 1, 2006

Washington, D.C.  -  A slow-moving 109th Congress yielded little of substance for supporters of technology, according to a report released today by the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA).

CCIA’s High-Tech Scorecard examined seven important votes in the House of Representatives where, o­n average, Members voted with industry and consumers about 60% of the time. Congress failed to move o­n numerous bills of critical importance to high-tech companies. Patent and copyright reform in particular got short shrift, even as junk patents impeded innovators everywhere and outdated copyright laws threatened to cripple the next generation of new media devices.

In the Senate there were too few votes of significance to assemble a useful scorecard for the upper chamber.

“We had some good moments, but this Congress was a real disappointment,” CCIA President & CEO Ed Black said. “Technology is more important than ever, yet our interests and those of the consumers were not addressed and too often sacrificed to election-year politics. The very foundation of our economy is at stake. We hope the 110th Congress will do better.”

On a bright note, CCIA would like to highlight and applaud the Representatives who received perfect scores:

• Rep. Berman (CA-28)
• Rep. Blumenauer (OR-03)
• Rep. Boucher (VA-09)
• Rep. Capuano (MA-08)
• Rep. Eshoo (CA-14)
• Rep. Honda (CA-15)
• Rep. Hoyer (MD-05)
• Rep. Kind (WI-05)
• Rep. Lofgren (CA-16)
• Rep. Murtha (PA-12)
• Rep. Smith (WA-02)
• Rep. Thompson (CA-01)
• Rep. Udall (CO-02)
• Rep. Woolsey (CA-06)
• Rep. Harman (CA-36)

 View the Scorecard here.