Some Bright Spots in Session Overshadowed by Budget Issues
Fundamental restructuring of budget process would be good goal for next year
Oklahoma City (May 22, 2015) – State Chamber President and CEO Fred Morgan says the 2015 legislative session saw some successes for the business community, but dealing with a $611-million budget shortfall prevented any bold actions. His comments came after the legislature adjourned sine die for this year.
“While there wasn’t anything like the monumental Workers’ Comp or lawsuit reforms as in past sessions, legislators did improve the state’s business climate a bit,” Morgan said. “We hope that changes to the state’s budget process can be made so that at a time when revenues are hitting record levels, lawmakers aren’t facing the prospect of cuts to core services like education and transportation.”
Among the pro-business bills that passed are:
- SB 809 – puts the Corporation Commission in charge of oil and gas drilling practices in the state while allowing municipalities to enact reasonable setbacks for public safety reasons.
- SB 411 – sets up a pilot program to allow companies to set up their own Commercial Driver’s License training and examinations in order to fill open positions faster and reduce the backlog for the state.
- SB 782 – allows charter schools to be created in any county in the state and increases accountability for charter schools as well.
- HB 1749 – would no longer allow payroll deductions from teachers’ paychecks that go to unions that lobby state government
- HB 2182 and SB 806 – set up a framework to evaluate tax credits and economic development incentives to make sure they are meeting measurable goals.
Unfortunately, addressing the state’s budget shortfall left some issues important to business unaddressed this year. We look forward to addressing policies such as reforms to the judicial system, lawsuits and unemployment benefits next year.
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