OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) – An Oklahoma representative was honored in her hometown of Ardmore for her enduring legislative efforts in support of the business community.
The State Chamber of Oklahoma presented Rep. Tammy Townley, R-Ardmore, its Business All-Star Award for her perfect score in the 2024 Research Institute for Economic Development (RIED) Report, which is released each year by the State Chamber Research Foundation.
State Chamber officials have been driving across Oklahoma, visiting Chamber members and presenting Business All-Star Awards to legislators who achieved a perfect 2024 RIED Report score.
Townley received the award at Valero Energy Corporation’s refinery in Ardmore.
Voting in support of businesses helps Ardmore and other communities across the state, Townley said.
“We are in touch with the people of Oklahoma and the business leaders. We always want to make sure that we are making pro-business decisions for economic development for our area,” Townley said. “Anytime I make a vote, that’s what I always keep in mind.”
Townley cares about the needs of her community and gives voice to those needs in the Oklahoma Legislature, said Vic Rhodes, general manager at Valero-Ardmore.
“We appreciate Rep. Townley looking out for the Ardmore community through her work at the Capitol. She is always available,” Rhodes said. “She continues to take the time to learn about our business and to meet our people. Rep. Townley is taking that understanding back to Oklahoma City on behalf of our community.”
SCRF – a division of The State Chamber of Oklahoma – issued the 2024 RIED Report in early August, giving the Oklahoma Legislature as a whole a score of just over 75 percent for its voting record on pro-growth legislation during this past legislative session.
RIED also profiles each state legislator’s individual voting record on bills that impact business, industry, job creation and economic growth issues that matter most to the private sector. Each legislator is graded on his or her vote on each bill.
“The 2024 report shows that overall, Oklahoma has moved in an appropriate direction legislatively. The report details all of the pro- and anti-growth measures that we track, and where each legislator stands,” said Ben Lepak, SCRF Executive Director “I think there were a lot of missed opportunities this session. There are ways that the legislature could position our state to better compete with other states, with more and better targeted legislation.”
This year’s report rated legislators based on their votes for 13 bills. Coleman was one of seven legislators who voted 100 percent “pro-growth” on those 13 bills, while 38 legislators voted over 90 percent pro-growth.
“This session was an important one for the state’s economy. We identified some leaders in both the Senate and the House, some true pro-growth champions, that can lead our state to greater heights,” said State Chamber President and CEO Chad Warmington. “We look forward to having their support as we head into 2025 and continue to push for reforms that will help grow our state’s economy.”
RIED is an SCRF program that promotes economic growth through the evaluation of business, job and economic growth issues considered by the legislature.
The report scores legislators on their votes on economic bills at the end of each legislative session. Absences are not counted against the final score.
