Award Honors Strong Record of Support for Business Community

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce honored Eighth District Congressman Larry Bucshon, M.D. this week with its annual Spirit of Enterprise Award, given in recognition of his support for pro-growth policies in the second session of the 114th Congress.

“Small businesses employ nearly 1.2 million Hoosiers and represent over 97 percent of businesses in our state, said Bucshon. “This hardworking workforce is the lifeblood of our local economies. I’m proud of my record of supporting free market policies in Congress that help small businesses here in Southern Indiana and the Wabash Valley grow, thrive, and hire our neighbors.” 

“Businesses of all shapes and sizes need sound, commonsense policy in place in order to get off the ground, grow, and succeed,” said Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “The Spirit of Enterprise Award recognizes those members of Congress who have done what’s right for our friends, family, and neighbors running businesses across the country. We applaud Dr. Bucshon for his commitment to free enterprise and economic growth.”

The Chamber’s prestigious Spirit of Enterprise Award is given annually to members of Congress based on their votes on critical business legislation as outlined in the Chamber’s annual scorecard, How They Voted. Members who supported the Chamber’s position on at least 70 percent of those votes qualify to receive the award.

During the second session of the 114th Congress, the Chamber scored members on 8 Senate votes and 14 House votes related to access to capital for small businesses, ensuring our workforce has the skills necessary for the jobs of tomorrow, and helping American manufacturers compete in a global economy. In addition, votes in support of building the U.S. water infrastructure system, protecting intellectual property, and updating energy policy also factored into scoring.

This is the 29th year that the U.S. Chamber has formally honored the accomplishments of this select group of members of Congress.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

State Rep. Ryan Hatfield (D-Evansville) invited area residents to join him at a town hall at 7 p.m. Thursday (March 23) to discuss the 2017 session of the Indiana General Assembly.

The event will take place at the St. James Baptist Church, 1808 N. 4^th Avenue.

“As we head into the final weeks of the 2017 session, I want to give the people of Evansville a chance to make their feelings known about some of the major issues we are facing this session, including a new state budget, an infrastructure improvement plan, and improvements in public education,” Hatfield said.

“I plan on giving those who attend an update on these critical issues, and hear from them about what they would like to see the Legislature accomplish before we finish our work in mid-April,” he continued.

Hatfield has two more town halls scheduled in the weeks to come:

April 8 at the Vanderburgh County Central Library, 200 SE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

April 25 at the Potter’s Wheel, 333 Jefferson Avenue.

“We — all commission members — are disappointed to hear of Pat Tuley’s decision to remove his name from consideration as manager of Burdette Park. We will resume our search for the best qualified candidate, and announce that selection at the appropriate time.”