OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) – A state representative from Newalla, Okla., was honored this week for his consistent support of bills that were created to help Oklahoma businesses prosper and the state’s economy grow.
The State Chamber of Oklahoma awarded its Business All-Star Award to Rep. John George for his perfect score in the 2024 Research Institute for Economic Development (RIED) Report, which is released annually by the State Chamber Research Foundation.
State Chamber officials are traveling throughout the state, visiting members and presenting its Business All-Star Awards to legislators who achieved a perfect 2024 RIED Report score. The award was presented to George at Tinker Federal Credit Union’s Choctaw branch.
Business growth is essential to Oklahoma’s future success and prosperity, according to George.
“Growing our economy is important to everyone in this state. We want pro-growth, we want to support our businesses,” George said. “When we have growth, that means we have a good workforce growth. And if we have a good workforce growth and we have Oklahoma growth, it’s a win-win.”
George understands what businesses like Tinker Federal Credit Union need to thrive, according to Keili McEwen, vice president of Government Affairs for the credit union.
“He also recognizes how important it is for us to thrive to lend to small businesses in his district,” McEwen said. “He’s been a great partner of ours. We commend him for winning this great award.”
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. George 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.
