The Business Council's Board of Directors Wednesday approved the preparation and release of new legislative report cards to help voters and businesses evaluate the voting records of individual legislators on issues that affect the health of New York's business climate.

The Council is developing its first report cards and expects to post them on its Web site, www.bcnys.org, in the weeks ahead.

The Council is creating the report cards in response to its 2003 survey of its members in which respondents emphasized the importance of state government action on high-priority business issues and more aggressive actions by The Council in support of appropriate action on these issues.

Report cards will rate each state legislator individually based on their votes for and against bills that The Council supports, as well as on bills that The Council opposes. The report cards will also consider legislative inaction, and will award (or deduct) points for strong support of bills that The Council supports (or opposes).