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| 03.04.2011 |
Federal IssuesU.S. House of Representatives approves transportation funding extensionThis week, both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly extended funding for the Surface Transportation Act (H.R. 662), providing vital transportation funding to states through September 2011. Congressman John Mica (R-FL), the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee who met with the Tulsa Metro Chamber’s D.C. Fly-In delegation and visited Tulsa in February for the dedication of our Inner-Dispersal Loop, spearheaded the initiative to continue funding critical state transportation projects. Without this reauthorization, construction projects statewide would have ground to a halt. “The continued, sustained maintenance of our infrastructure is a vital component for regional economic development,” said Mike Neal, President and CEO of the Tulsa Metro Chamber. “As we work to grow, attract and retain business in the Tulsa region, it is absolutely imperative that we have a fully-functioning, safe and efficient transportation system with a proper plan for timely maintenance and rehabilitation in place.” While a short-term extension is helpful, the Chamber continues to advocate for a multi-year extension of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). SAFETEA-LU provides funding authorization for much of our nation’s transportation projects, and long-term authorization is essential in allowing states to effectively and orderly plan to meet their transportation infrastructure needs. “The current system of an unsecured and unpredictable revenue stream often forces states to delay projects until adequate funding is "built up" for each project. A multi-year surface transportation reauthorization bill would allow more predictable revenue streams, and allow for an efficient and orderly project planning process,” said Neal. U.S. Representative Boren joins fight against EPA regulations On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Dan Boren joined 42 Senate and seven House Republicans in sponsoring an effort to block EPA restrictions on power plants, refineries, and other industrial facilities. These regulations would force high carbon-emitting industries like coal-based energy production, steelmakers, chemical producers, and other vital sectors of the American economy to pay a premium for continuing operations. These higher costs of operation would almost certainly be passed on to consumers, raising energy and production costs for small businesses across the nation — particularly in the Midwest, which relies heavily on coal-based energy. State Capitol Activity RecapSeveral OneVoice priority bills passed large hurdles this week. The SHOPP Act (Supplemental Hospital Payment Program) passed the full House Appropriations and Budget (A&B) committee. Both vehicles for the Aerospace tax credit took significant strides as well by passing off the Senate floor and out of the full House A&B committee.Committee deadline has passed, therefore most action is focused on the chamber floors for the next two weeks. Bills that did not receive a hearing in committee will not proceed through the process and are considered dead for the remainder of the 2011 legislative session. HealthcareSupplemental Hospital Offset Payment Program (SHOPP)HB1381, Cox; Passed out of House A & B Committee OneVoice Priority, Tulsa/OKC Chamber Joint Agenda, Tulsa/State Chamber Jobs Agenda Oklahoma needs to maximize federal opportunities for Medicaid, to achieve the Upper Payment Limit (UPL) for hospitals and to provide durable, consistent and predictable funding for Medicaid and indigent care providers. Physician Loan Repayment Program HB2017, Cox; Set on House floor agenda Tulsa Metro Chamber Priority, Tulsa/OKC Chamber Joint Agenda Restructures the moist smokeless tobacco tax with funds to be utilized for a "physician loan repayment program" for physicians serving rural and underserved areas of the state. Smoking in Public Places HB2135, Steele/Myers; On House floor agenda Tulsa Metro Chamber Priority, Tulsa/OKC Chamber Joint Agenda Allows local municipalities to address issues related to smoking in public places and indoor workplaces. Municipal GovernmentHB1210, Kirby; Sent to House floorSB750, Marlatt; Sent to Senate floor SB826, Holt; Sent to Senate floor HB1576, Martin/Holt; Sent to House floor HB1993, Sullivan; Sent to House floor HB1992, Sullivan; Sent to House floor OneVoice Priority The OneVoice regional partners support legislation allowing municipalities to diversify their sources of revenues to fund essential local government operations. EducationTulsa Metro Chamber PriorityThere are several bills that reform the current education system: SB1, Ford; Sent to Senate floor Eliminates a procedure known as "trial de novo" SB348, Jolley/Denney; Sent to Senate floor HB1456, Denney/Jolley; Passed House floor 65-32 Creates an evaluation system for individual school districts, with an emphasis on student performance data, in a letter grade (A - F) format. Education Funding SJR5, Reynolds; Sent to Senate floor HJR1001, Dank/Reynolds; Sent to House floor HJR1002, Dank/Reynolds; Sent to House floor OneVoice Priority Oppose cuts to education funding and oppose further reductions in the cap on annual property tax valuations. Economic DevelopmentDeal Closing FundHB1953, McNiel; Sent to House floor OneVoice Priority, Tulsa/OKC Chamber Joint Agenda, Tulsa/State/OKC Chamber Jobs Agenda Support investment in a project or "deal closing" fund to attract, grow and retain businesses in Oklahoma. Without a "deal closing" fund, Oklahoma lacks a competitive advantage and continues to lose business to Texas, Arkansas and other states. Aerospace Tax Credit HB1008 McNiel; Passed out of House Committee on Appropriations and Budget SB3, Mazzei; Passed Senate floor 45-2 OneVoice Priority, Tulsa/OKC Chamber Joint Agenda, Tulsa/State/OKC Chamber Jobs Agenda Reinstate the aerospace and other effective tax incentives. Protect effective tax credits and eliminate ineffective tax credits through a process of annual review. Lawsuit Reform Tulsa Metro Chamber Priority, Tulsa/OKC Chamber Joint Agenda, Tulsa/State/OKC Chamber Jobs Agenda There are several bills dealing with lawsuit reform: SB 862, Sykes/Sullivan; Passed Senate 32-15 Eliminates joint and several liability, protecting defendants from judgments that exceed the degree to which they are at fault. SB 863, Sykes/Sullivan; Passed Senate 29-18 Limits non-economic damages in lawsuits to $250,000. SB 864, Sykes/Sullivan; Sent to Senate floor Requires compensation from sources independent of a defendant, such as a plaintiff's insurance, be submitted. SB 865, Sykes/Sullivan; Passed Senate 30-17 Requires a jury to receive accurate information about how much in taxes the plaintiff would have to pay based on the award, if taxes are due. SB 866, Sykes/Sullivan; Passed Senate 30-17 Allows for the periodic payment of future damages rather than requiring lump-sum awards. HB 2128 by Speaker Kris Steele passed out of House Judiciary and will be considered on the House Floor Workers' Compensation Reform Tulsa Metro Chamber Priority, Tulsa/OKC Chamber Joint Agenda, Tulsa/State OKC Chamber Jobs Agenda HB2038, Sullivan; Passed House Judiciary Committee HB1286, Dank; Assigned to House Judiciary Committee SB878, Sykes; Sent to Senate floor Support an overall restructuring of the state workers' compensation system to: eliminate joint and several liability, hard cap on non-economic damages, class action lawsuit reform, and product liability reform. Enabling Beer and Wine be sold in Grocery Stores and Convenience Stores Tulsa Metro Chamber Priority, Tulsa/OKC Chamber Joint Agenda SB 658, Jolley; Sent to Senate floor TransportationRoad FundingHB1514, Liebmann; Set on House floor agenda OneVoice Agenda, Tulsa/OKC Chamber Joint Agenda, Tulsa/State/OKC Chamber Jobs Agenda Defend all existing road funding; prevent any diversion of monies; and support increased funding for transportation by developing an adequate, comprehensive funding strategy to broaden the sources of funds and increase the total amount going to transportation statewide. HB1990, Sullivan; Sent to House floor Creates the Oklahoma Intermodal Transportation Act. ImmigrationHB1571, Vaughan/Shortey; Passed House Committee on Public HealthHB2083, Terrill; Passed House Committee on General Government SB575, Shortey/Terrill; Passed Senate Education Committee SB820, Allen/Christian; Passed Senate Appropriations Committee SB898, Shorty/Terrill; Passed Senate Judiciary Committee SB904, Shortey/Terrill; Passed Senate Public Safety Committee SB905, Shortey/Terrill; Passed Senate Judiciary Committee SB908, Shortey/Terrill; Passed Senate Appropriations Committee Tulsa/OKC Chamber Joint Agenda The Chambers oppose illegal immigration. The Chambers support an improved immigration process that promotes the ability of students and workers/employees to enter the United States lawfully and allows employers to accurately verify the status of employees through a federal database. The Chambers believe that immigration policy should be set by the federal government and support comprehensive reform at that level. Accordingly, the Chambers oppose additional immigration reform at the state level. For more information on the Tulsa Metro Chamber’s legislative agenda and priorities, contact the Government Affairs office at 560-0211 or email Vice President of Government Affairs Gwendolyn Caldwell at gwendolyncaldwell@tulsachamber.com To view the 2011 Legislative Agenda: click here.
We would like to acknowledge the Chamber's Partners in Legislative Success who have shown a continued commitment to the communities within the Tulsa region:
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