Oklahoma City (May 26, 2017) – State Chamber of Oklahoma President and CEO, Fred Morgan, released the following statement:

“While we understand the difficulty this session presented, the budget process in the Legislature this year has been extremely frustrating. Like many Oklahomans, the business community has been disappointed by the political gamesmanship and dysfunctional approach to the formulation of the budget. Hospitals are closing, school weeks are being shortened due to lack of funding and economic development opportunities are being missed. Structural deficits were not addressed, so the revenue and spending problems will reoccur next year, if not sooner.

This is not what Oklahomans deserve. We need long-term vision and strong leadership from our elected officials. The State Chamber stands ready to work with the Legislature, the Governor and leadership to develop budgetary and policy solutions. These discussions need to begin immediately, not in the final hours of a hectic legislative session.

While this session fell short of expectations, the business community saw a number of positive policy advances. Through the passage of the Oklahoma Energy Jobs Act, the Aerospace Engineering Incentives and the much-needed reforms to the A-F grading scale, key legislation passed that will set the groundwork for the heavy-lifting needed next session. In addition, the bill to review agency spending will promote efficient government, and important reforms to the General Corporation Act will align Oklahoma with the national gold standard for business incorporation practices.

Our focus at the State Chamber is on ensuring that businesses in Oklahoma are able to thrive and create jobs, now and for the future. A competitive tax structure, stable funding and an educated workforce are vital to our success as a business community and as a state. It would be a travesty if we continue to operate in this manner, and we are hopeful that the Governor and the Legislature will work with the business community to develop a bold agenda and a sustainable budget for next year.”