Senator Chris McDaniel was honored with the Kentucky Chamber MVP Award by business leaders from Northern Kentucky.
Sen. McDaniel was among a select group of legislators who “went to bat” for Kentucky business during the 2025 Kentucky General Assembly by displaying conspicuous actions to strengthen business, improve competitiveness, and ensure growth.
Recipients of the Kentucky Chamber MVP Award show strong leadership for the business community by sponsoring or carrying Chamber priority legislation to final passage, showing leadership on passage of critical legislation to improve Kentucky, or by taking hard votes in defense of business.
Sen. McDaniel was influential in passing House Bill 1 as chair of the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee, reducing the state individual income tax from 4% to 3.5%. He carried the measure on the Senate floor, gaining bipartisan support for the reduction. The measure goes into effect January 1, 2026, and will cut $718 million in taxes for hard-working Kentuckians.
“Senator Chris McDaniel has been a consistent voice for responsible fiscal policy and economic growth in Kentucky. His work to lower the individual income tax reflects a thoughtful approach to strengthening our economy and supporting Kentucky’s workforce. We’re pleased to recognize his efforts with the Kentucky Chamber MVP Award,” said Kentucky Chamber President and CEO Ashli Watts.
The 2025 General Assembly advanced many top priorities of the Kentucky business community, and the pro-growth policies that passed saved Kentucky businesses an estimated $1.084 billion, or $629 for each employer in the Commonwealth.
While monitoring the progress of bills that create a better business climate and advance the Commonwealth, the Chamber tracks how each legislator votes on these bills. The Chamber’s MVP Award recipients displayed more than just a business-friendly voting record, but also went out of their way, and at times across party lines, to support or oppose an issue critical to the business climate in Kentucky.
Learn more about business issues during the 2025 Kentucky General Assembly in the Kentucky Chamber’s “Results for Business” publication.
Kentucky Chamber of Commerce