State Chamber of Oklahoma Comments on Passage of House Bill 1841 Out of Committee

Oklahoma City (February 13, 2017) –  State Chamber Vice President of Government Affairs, Jennifer Lepard, made the following statement on the passage of House Bill 1841 out of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee: 

“We applaud the passage of House Bill 1841 out of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee. House Bill 1841 increases cigarette taxes in the state of Oklahoma, which are well below the national average. Oklahoma currently has the sixth highest smoking rate in the nation. This increases health care costs for businesses across the state, which are estimated to total $1.75 billion each year. This proposal will improve the overall health of our workforce as well as all Oklahoma citizens, while providing a critical revenue source for health care. We thank Representative Leslie Osborn for her leadership in authoring this important legislation.”