Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) today was named “Legislator of the Year” by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce for his work in the 2013 General Assembly session.

“The Virginia Chamber is pleased to honor Speaker William Howell with our 2013 Legislator of the Year Award,” said Barry DuVal, President and CEO of the Virginia Chamber. “Throughout the course of the 2013 General Assembly session, Speaker Howell went above and beyond to take a stand for Virginia businesses. Under Speaker Howell’s leadership, the House advanced a pro-business legislative agenda that will enhance Virginia’s competitiveness in the global economy. We thank him for his commitment to advancing policies that will strengthen Virginia’s economy, establish predictability and stability with Virginia’s business climate and support private-sector job creation.”

“I greatly appreciate the Chamber’s recognition and the support of business leaders across the Commonwealth,” said Howell. “A strong economy is important to all Virginians. I have worked to establish a pro-business, pro-jobs economic climate that creates opportunities for our Commonwealth to grow and our citizens to prosper.”

This year, Speaker Howell sponsored HB2313, the transportation legislation that will invest over $3.5 billion in infrastructure over the next five years. Howell also worked closely with leaders from the business and legal community on the four major tort reform bills passed overwhelmingly by the General Assembly.

“I am incredibly proud of what we were able to accomplish this session. Both the tort reform package and the transportation funding overhaul will go a long way toward improving Virginia’s business climate,” said Howell.