Lawsuit Reform Moving Forward – There are eight separate lawsuit reform bills still alive and moving forward through the legislature.  One of the most important bills deals with placing a sensible cap on noneconomic damages.  The bill (HB 2128) establishes a $350,000 cap on non-economic damages except in cases of gross negligence; or, intentional or malicious conduct.  It allows a lifting of the cap when a judge and jury find by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant’s actions were: 1. In reckless disregard for the rights of others; 2. Grossly negligent; 3. Fraudulent; or 4. Done intentionally or with malice. HB 2128 will be coming up for a vote in the Senate likely next week, so look for an action alert on the issue soon and please let your voice be heard on this important business issue.
Contact Mike Seney.

Governor Fallin Calls For Health Insurance Exchange Support – In a letter addressed to the Oklahoma Legislature, Governor Mary Fallin requested support for the development of an Oklahoma Health Insurance “Exchange” creating a web-based health insurance marketplace for businesses and individuals to review, compare and purchase health insurance policies that meet their needs.  The new federal health care law requires these exchanges to be available in every state.  If a state does not develop one, the federal government under current law will require that state to utilize an exchange that is created by the federal bureaucracy. This being the case, The State Chamber also supports Oklahoma developing our own free-market and competitive based exchange.  To see a copy of Governor Fallin’s letter, click here.  To review a separate memorandum to members of the House of Representatives sent from both the Governor and Insurance Commissioner John Doak, click here.
Contact Matt Robison.

Aerospace Engineering Tax Incentives Bill Passes Committee – The Senate Finance Committee passed HB 1008, (Rep. Skye McNiel), this week by a vote of 10-0 and will now go on to be heard in the full Senate. This bill will remove the aerospace incentives from the list of credits on moratorium as of July 1 this year and work to encourage growth within the Oklahoma aerospace sector, which is currently one of Oklahoma’s top three economic engines.
Contact Chad Warmington.

Good News! Glenpool gets a $70 million full-service hospital. 150 new jobs and a $6.5 million payroll are projected.  Chesapeake plans 4 more campus office buildings for 2,700 more workers. The first 350 jobs should average $105,000 a year in salary. Continental Resources is moving their headquarters to Oklahoma City. They vow to grow Hiland Partners in Enid. Pauls Valley's Covercraft is hiring 5 more sewers for their custom vehicle covers manufacturing plant.  Boeing expands its campus with a $40 million building. They win a $1.7 billion FAA contract and $31 million avionics modernization contract.  6,037 new companies call Oklahoma home to date. 679 formed last week.
Contact Kris Rush.

Supreme Court Rules “Oral Complaints” Protected Under FLSA – In a 6-2 decision issued this week, the U.S. Supreme Court held that employees who lodge oral complaints of violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) – the federal law that governs overtime and minimum wage issues – are protected under the FLSA’s anti-retaliation provision.  In deciding Kasten v. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp. (09-834), the Supreme Court found that oral complaints, like written complaints, are protected under the FLSA’s anti-retaliation provision (i.e., cannot serve as the basis for an adverse employment action), but cautioned that any such complaint “must be sufficiently clear and detailed for a reasonable employer to understand it, in light of both content and context, as an assertion of rights protected by the FLSA and a call for their protection.”
Contact Mike Seney.

California Judge Halts State’s Cap-And-Trade Plan – (Los Angeles Times 3/21)  A San Francisco superior court judge has put California's sweeping plan to curb greenhouse gas pollution on hold, saying the state did not adequately evaluate alternatives to its cap-and-trade program. The potential setback in California, the first state to enact a broad global warming law, comes a year after a greenhouse gas bill passed the U.S. House, but failed in the Senate after intense opposition from the coal and oil industries. To read the full story, click here.
Contact Mike Seney.

Poll Shows Nuclear Problems Mean Gains For Natural Gas – A survey by IBOPE Zogby conducted, March 18-21, indicates support for natural gas over nuclear for the production of energy.  The poll was in the field at a time when the Japanese were struggling to get nuclear reactors under control in the aftermath of the recent earthquake.  The percentage of likely voters who would support the building of a nuclear plant  in their communities rather than some other type of energy production dropped by 16 percent since 2008, with natural gas displacing nuclear as the top choice.  The poll also indicated that compared to identical questions asked in 2008, the percentages believing nuclear power is safe and that more nuclear plants should be built fall slightly, but still number at least 60 percent of likely voters.
Contact Ronn Cupp.

OSU Women Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference Tuesday, April 5th – Join us for a one day event that explores the unique obstacles, demands and challenges women face when creating and growing their own ventures. Issues at all stages of entrepreneurship are explored. The day will feature keynote addresses by leading women entrepreneurs. Governor Mary Fallin will be in attendance to provide the proclamation during lunch. For more information and to register, click here.