Your voice in Washington

With the presidential election less than four months away and two candidates with dramatically opposing views on the issues facing business, now is the time for the business community to be especially engaged and informed.

A major obstacle to recovery from the Great Recession has been the uncertainty created by federal government policies on taxation, health care, regulatory rules, energy, education, trade policy and immigration. In this time of uncertainty, it is vitally important that business leaders communicate their priorities to our federal elected officials.

On Sept. 6–8, the State Chamber of Oklahoma will again host more than 120 business leaders at our annual Washington, D.C. Fly-In to hear directly from our congressional delegation, federal agencies and issue experts on the upcoming political elections, the future of health care, education energy, trade policy and the Supreme Court.

While it is important that the business community be informed on these critical issues, it is equally crucial that business leaders voice their concerns to those influential elected officials.

In addition to the political and economic uncertainties of an election year, businesses are also facing the enormously expensive challenge of rising government regulation. In the first seven years of the Obama administration, 392 major regulations were issued, surpassing the eight-year totals of the previous two administrations. The anticipated economic effect of these regulations is more than $100 million per year, and many businesses will feel the impact of these regulatory changes.

The State Chamber’s D.C. Fly-In provides Oklahoma businesses the opportunity to directly communicate with government leaders and candidly discuss the issues – including excessive regulation – that can affect their ability to generate jobs and revenue. To register, visit www.okstatechamber.com/events.

In this pivotal election year, let your voice be heard.

Column by Fred Morgan, President and CEO of the State Chamber of Oklahoma, printed in The Journal Record on August 12, 2016