Tech Scorecard Gives Sen Sessions High Marks

Sen Arlen Specter's (D-PA) departure from the GOP last week left the Senate Judiciary Committee without a ranking member. Over the weekend, Sens Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) reached an agreement allowing Sen Sessions to become ranking member even though Sen Grassley has more seniority. Under terms of the deal, Sessions will serve as ranking member until the 112th Congress, when he will take over the ranking member post on the Senate Budget Committee. Current Budget Committee ranking member Judd Gregg (R-NH) is retiring at the end of the 111th Congress. Sen Grassley, the top Republican on the Finance Committee, will then become ranking member on the Judiciary Committee. The Information Technology Industry Council's congressional scorecard, which has been rating members since 1998, says Sessions had an 80 percent voting record in the 110th Congress. Sen Sessions voted in lockstep with ITI in favor of the America Competes Act; the U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement; comprehensive energy legislation; and a Senate Finance Committee tax extended package, which included a provision to expand the research and development tax credit for two years. But Sessions voted against the financial bailout package.