The Virginia Chamber of Commerce today named the recipients of the Free Enterprise Award for their support of pro-business policies during the 2019 legislative session. The Free Enterprise Award recognizes legislators for their support for the principles and initiatives outlined in the Chamber’s long-term economic development plan, Blueprint Virginia 2025.
“At the Virginia Chamber, we recognize the important role that legislators play in bringing the business community together and making Virginia the best state for business,” said Barry DuVal, president and CEO of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. “These legislators have been vital in defending Virginia’s business climate and advancing the goals of Blueprint 2025, to ensure Virginia continues to grow and prosper.”
The Chamber also recognized Senator Tommy Norment as 2019 Senate Legislator of the Year and Speaker Kirk Cox as 2019 House Legislator of the Year. The Virginia Chamber’s Legislator of the Year Award is the business community’s premier legislative award honoring the lawmaker who demonstrates outstanding leadership on pro-business issues.
The following legislators were recognized with the 2019 Free Enterprise Award for their work to advance the policies of Blueprint Virginia 2025 in the following areas:
2019 Free Enterprise Award Recipients:
Business Investment and Opportunity:
House
- Delegate Ronnie Campbell
- Delegate Glenn Davis
- Delegate Chris Peace
Senate
- Senator Jeremy McPike
- Senator Frank Ruff
Tax Reform:
House
- Delegate Tim Hugo
- Delegate Chris Peace
- Delegate Lee Ware
Senate
- Senate Ben Chafin
- Senator Bill DeSteph
- Senator Siobhan Dunnavant
- Senator Emmett Hanger
- Senator Ryan McDougle
- Senator Steve Newman
- Senator Tommy Norment
- Senator Richard Stuart
- Senator Glen Sturtevant
Small Business:
House
- Delegate Tony Wilt
Senate
- Senator Bill DeSteph
- Senator Siobhan Dunnavant
- Senator Jill Vogel
- Senator Frank Wagner
Legal Reform:
House
- Delegate Jeff Bourne
- Delegate Jeff Campbell
- Delegate Todd Gilbert
- Delegate Jay Leftwich
- Delegate Chris Peace
Senate
- Senator Ben Chafin
- Senator Tommy Norment
- Senator Mark Obenshain
- Senator Jill Vogel
Energy and Infrastructure:
House
- Delegate Lamont Bagby
- Delegate Danny Marshall
Senate
- Senator Frank Wagner
Affordable Housing for Virginia’s Workforce:
House
- Delegate Kathleen Murphy
- Delegate Bob Thomas
Senate
- Senator Dick Black
- Senator Barbara Favola
Career Focused K-12 Education:
House
- Delegate Scott Garrett
- Delegate Steve Landes
- Delegate John McGuire
- Delegate Chris Peace
- Delegate Roxann Robinson
Senate
- Senator Jennifer McClellan
- Senator Steve Newman
- Senator Mark Peake
- Senator Chap Petersen
- Senator Bryce Reeves
Career Focused Higher Education:
House
- Delegate Lashrecse Aird
- Speaker Kirk Cox
- Delegate Matthew James
- Delegate Chris Jones
- Delegate Terry Kilgore
- Delegate Nick Rush
Senate
- Senator Ben Chafin
- Senator Siobhan Dunnavant
- Senator Frank Ruff
- Senator Dick Saslaw
Fiscal Stewardship:
House
- Delegate Scott Garrett
- Delegate Chris Jones
- Delegate Barry Knight
- Delegate Steve Landes
- Delegate Chris Peace
- Delegate Mark Sickles
- Delegate Luke Torian
Senate
- Senator Emmett Hanger
- Senator Janet Howell
- Senator Steve Newman
- Senator Tommy Norment
- Senator Frank Ruff
- Senator Dick Saslaw
- Senator Frank Wagner
2019 Lifetime Service Award Recipients:
(Members who have served at least 15 years in the General Assembly or served in a leadership role)
House
- Delegate Riley Ingram
- Delegate Steve Landes
- Delegate David Toscano
Senate
- Senator Dick Black
- Senator Bill Carrico
- Senator Frank Wagner
###
About the Virginia Chamber of Commerce
The Virginia Chamber of Commerce is the largest business advocacy organization in the Commonwealth, with more than 26,000 members. The Chamber is a non-partisan, business advocacy organization that works in the legislative, regulatory and political arenas to act as the catalyst for positive change in all areas of economic development and competitiveness for Virginia. In December 2017, the Chamber released an update to its long-term strategic economic development plan, Blueprint Virginia 2025, which engaged over 6,000 business and community leaders to lay out a plan to getting Virginia back to the top of national business climate rankings. Learn more at www.vachamber.com
