The sixth annual Elevate Rapid City Pro-Business scorecard tracked the votes on 13 key bills that Elevate took a stance on during the 2025 Legislative session. These bills focused on five key areas: Ellsworth Air Force Base support, Airports, Education, Infrastructure and Economic Development.

Scorecards are a useful, fact-based accountability tool that allows voters to see how their representatives voted on issues that are important to them.

Infrastructure, schools, safety, and amenities all play a crucial role in creating a community people want to live in. Without a sound public policy to support growth and improvement in these areas, a community cannot thrive. This is why Elevate maintains a full-time presence in Pierre, advocating for the region’s business community.

“The scorecard helps voters and constituents understand the track records of current legislators,” said Garth Wadsworth, senior public policy director for Elevate Rapid City. “The scores reflect legislators’ support or opposition for investments and policy changes that will help the region accommodate quality growth and support the livelihoods and opportunities in the future.”

This year, 9 of the 15 area legislators were identified as Pro-Business Champions – this means more than 80% of their votes were in line with pro-business policies.

The full scorecard, in addition to Elevate Rapid City’s public policy guide and resources, can be found here.

About Elevate Rapid City

Elevate Rapid City is a public-private partnership organization leading the economic development and small business efforts in the Black Hills region. We work to elevate the Rapid City region for all with the strong vision of making Rapid City and the Black Hills region the place people want to be. Visit elevaterapidcity.com to learn more.