Two of the four state lawmakers who represent Starke County earned perfect scores from the Indiana Manufacturers Association for their votes during the 2013 legislative session. Their scorecard measures how often individual members of the Indiana House and Indiana Senate voted in support of positions advocated by the IMA on select bills. “Priority votes” include those in support of the $30 billion state budget, establishment of the Indiana Career Council to better align the various participants in the state’s career training and job skills development system and limits of the financial liability of worker’s compensation payments to hospitals.

Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, and Rep. Doug Gutwein, R-Francesville, both received perfect scores from the IMA. Rep. Tom Dermody, R-LaPorte, scored a 95.4 percent, and Sen. Jim Arnold, D-LaPorte, ranked the highest among Democrats in the Senate with an 83 percent pro-manufacturing voting record.