Tulsa Metro Chamber and regional partners announce 2012 legislative priorities

1.30.2012
The Tulsa Metro Chamber and 54 regional partners announced today the top OneVoice state and federal legislative agenda items to advocate for the 2012 session.

“Each year the Tulsa Metro Chamber-led OneVoice Agenda gains more momentum in uniting the region and making an undeniable impact in the area of political gain for the region’s benefit,” said Mike Neal, president and CEO of the Tulsa Metro Chamber.

Senate Pro Tempore Brian Bingman and members of the Tulsa regional legislative delegation were also present to highlight their support for certain OneVoice agenda items. Representative Skye McNiel encouraged support for the Quick Action Closing Fund to be fully funded; Representative Ron Peters extolled the importance of the OK Pop Musuem; Representative Glen Mulready advocated healthcare issues; and Senator Gary Stanislawski encouraged support for transportation funding.

Chamber leaders, including Becky J. Frank, chair of the Tulsa Metro Chamber Board and chairman and CEO of Schnake Turnbo Frank | PR, announced the following state priorities:

• Increase funding for public PK-12, career and higher education and oppose any diversion of educational revenue sources such as property tax caps and tax exemptions and further reductions in the income tax rate.

• Fund the Quick Action Closing Fund created in 2011.

• Support the building of the Gilcrease Expressway and Bridge through any funding mechanism available in order to expedite this long overdue transportation system.

• Support legislative action to preserve, expand and diversify sources of revenue available to municipalities / locally elected city councils.

• Support currently unavailable specialty care services to the uninsured through new funding of $7 million annually to OU’s Tisdale Specialty Health Clinic and $2 million annually to the OSU Center for Health Sciences.

• Defend all existing road funding; prevent any diversion of monies; and support increased funding for transportation. Additionally, support moving the remaining thirty percent of motor vehicle fees, which currently go into the state general revenue fund, to transportation priority areas.

• Support continued funding for the OSU Medical Center ($5 million annually).

• Support a state bond issue for capital investment in the Oklahoma Historical Society's planned Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture to maximize private monetary and land donations.

• Support ways to leverage and maximize federal funding of reimbursement programs such as Insure Oklahoma, SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program), Medicaid, Upper Payment Limit (UPL), Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) and Graduate Medical Education (GME).

• Support $2 million in funding for the Tulsa Community Supercomputer to help foster, retain and attract high paying research jobs while supporting the regions existing health, energy, aerospace, nano and cyber business clusters.
 
OneVoice partners will also advocate for 10 federal priorities, including:

• Support efforts to expedite the implementation of the Arkansas River Corridor Project for river infrastructure improvements.

• Support fair and equal treatment of local businesses through passage of the Main Street Fairness Act, allowing collection of sales tax from online sales.

• Support timely reauthorization of the federal surface transportation programs, including measures to permanently and adequately fund the Highway Trust Fund. Include funding for regional high priority projects.

• Support Congressional appropriations for dredging and maintenance of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System and the lower Mississippi River.

• Secure public funding for hospital services, urgent care, outpatient and specialty care services, FQHCs (Federally Qualified Health Centers) and graduate medical education at Tulsa based medical schools and academic medical centers.

• Attain approval of the Supplemental Hospital Offset Payment Program (SHOPP).

• Encourage members of Congress to restrict federal agency rulemaking authority so that rules potentially resulting in a strong detrimental economic impact to the business community are required to produce a proven environmental benefit in order to be passed.

• Support development of an intermodal freight transportation facility including port, airport, rail and highway access.

• Reauthorize the ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) this year.

• Support federal measures to secure borders, establish reasonable and efficient visa policies and procedures, and comprehensive reform at the federal level.

The Chamber began the process of identifying legislative agenda items during the Regional Legislative Summit in August 2011, where more than 300 community leaders and representatives selected their top issues for consideration.

“As we report our successes at the close of each legislative session, we are reminded of how far we have come as a region to unite our needs, our vision and our voices so that we can be heard by our elected officials and ultimately rewarded through passage of positive, business-friendly legislation,” said Becky J. Frank.

In addition to staff advocacy efforts, the Chamber contracts with two full-time lobbyists, Margaret Erling and Jami Longacre, as well as enlisting private sector lobbyists to include the Chamber’s legislative agenda in its efforts at the state Capitol.

The OneVoice Legislative Agenda is endorsed by the following cities and organizations: City of Bixby; City of Broken Arrow; City of Catoosa; City of Collinsville; City of Glenpool; City of Mannford; City of Jenks; City of Owasso; City of Sand Springs; City of Sapulpa; City of Skiatook; City of Tulsa; Tulsa County; Rogers County; Creek County; CTAG; INCOG; TYPros Leadership Team; Tulsa’s Future II; Broken Arrow Economic Development Authority; Tulsa Economic Development Commission; Port of Catoosa; Tulsa Small Business Council; Tulsa Area Partnership; Sand Springs Economic Development Authority; Sand Springs Planning Commission; Bartlesville Regional Chamber of Commerce; Bixby Metro Chamber of Commerce; Broken Arrow Area Chamber of Commerce; Catoosa Chamber of Commerce; Collinsville Chamber of Commerce; Glenpool Chamber of Commerce; Indo-American Chamber of Commerce; Jenks Chamber of Commerce; Okmulgee Chamber of Commerce; Owasso Chamber of Commerce; SW Tulsa Chamber of Commerce; Sand Springs Area Chamber of Commerce; Sapulpa Chamber of Commerce; Skiatook Chamber of Commerce; Tulsa Hispanic Chamber; Tulsa Metro Chamber; Jenks Public School District; Keystone Public School District; Liberty Public School District; Northeastern State University; Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences; Oklahoma State University – Tulsa; Owasso Public School District; Sand Springs School District; Tulsa Community College; Tulsa Public School District; Tulsa Technology Center; Union Public School District; and University of Oklahoma – Tulsa.



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