Join Us For Our Annual Legislative Reception on February 15 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Oklahoma History Center. Pricing is $100 for members and $150 for non-members. Click here for all the details and registration information.

The State Chamber Of Oklahoma's Business Roundtable is a TV show presented by Cox Communications that tells the business story of Oklahoma and how legislation affects Oklahoma's economy. State Chamber President Fred Morgan hosts weekly Roundtable guests including Oklahoma's business leaders and legislators. This week, David Hill, CEO of Kimray, is the guest (replay).

Watch at 9 a.m. Saturday mornings on Cox channel 3 or 703 in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa Metro areas. The show is also available 24-hours a day on Cox On Demand. Become a fan on Facebook for all the latest updates, behind the scene pics and more! To see all past episodes, visit our website!

Redistricting Lawsuit Finally Concludes – The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Oklahoma’s redistricting plan was constitutional despite challenges raised by Senator Jim Wilson (D–Tahlequah) in two lawsuits.  The first case was settled by the Supreme Court last September.  The second case, on appeal from district court, was settled by the Supreme Court this week.  Both decisions support the current plan, which is already being used for three special elections in the state.

Senator Wilson alleged that the Republican-controlled legislature’s plan did not give adequate consideration to community boundaries, political units and the compactness of districts.  While these issues are among the redistricting considerations specifically listed in the state constitution, the Court ruled that this requirement “is not as restrictive on the Legislature as Senator Wilson argues.”  To see the redistricting plan, click here for State House district maps or click here for State Senate district maps.
Contact Cordon DeKock

2012 HR Day At The Capitol Ties In With State Chamber Legislative Reception – The Oklahoma Human Resource Society and The State Chamber of Oklahoma are working together to put on a Day at the Capitol for human resource managers.  The one-day program, scheduled for February 15 and culminating in The State Chamber’s Legislative Reception, is designed to help you interact with the decision makers in the Oklahoma Legislature and turn their focus toward workplace legislation. We will help you sort through issues, identify trends and show you how to best position your organization at the Capitol.  Click here to learn more about the event, and here to register.
Contact Mike Seney

Feds Approve Oklahoma’s Hospital Provider Fee – The Center of Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) this week approved the state’s hospital provider fee request. Housed within HB 1381 (Cox/Myers), supported by the Oklahoma Hospital Association as well as The State Chamber and called the Supplemental Hospital Offset Payment Program (SHOPP), this measure allows hospitals to provide a percentage of net hospital revenue to generate federal matching funds which will be utilized to reimburse facilities for Medicaid services rendered. This initiative comes to fruition because of the grassroots efforts on the part of many organizations and individuals who came together to bring about this important measure designed to take the pressure off the cost shifting that occurs when hospitals are forced to provide care to those without a means to pay thereby enhancing insurance premiums paid for by the business community.
Contact Matt Robison

Business Groups Push Lawmakers To Act Quickly To Extend Tax Breaks That Expired Last Year - The Hill (1/15, Becker) "On The Money" blog reported, "Business advocates are hoping Congress, which returns for another session in the coming weeks, will be able to quickly extend a number of tax provisions that expired at the end of last year." "I'm as hopeful as I can be that Congress will act, that they want to act," Monica McGuire, the Senior Director Tax Policy, at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), told The Hill. "They recognize the impact of these provisions, and that's encouraging."  The State Chamber has joined associations and chambers across the country in asking for these tax provisions to be extended.  This includes the Former Indian Lands Tax Credit program that has been used by Oklahoma companies for almost ten years.
Contact Mike Seney

NLRB Poster Faces New Legal Challenge - A twice-delayed deadline for the required posting of a National Labor Relations Board-issued “Employee Rights” notice is now at the center of a potential constitutional showdown between the Obama Administration and the U.S. Senate in separate legal challenges filed by the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber.  At present, the NLRB’s “Employee Rights” notice – a poster that purports to outline the right of employees to organize unions under the National Labor Relations Act – must be posted by essentially all private sector employers by April 30, 2012. 

In legal challenges that were originally filed in federal courts in the District of Columbia and South Carolina in September 2011, the NAM and the U.S. Chamber are now arguing that the NLRB lacks the requisite three-member quorum to follow through with the enforcement of the April 30 posting deadline.  Specifically, the business associations contend that President Obama’s appointments of three new members to the NLRB on January 4 – characterized as “recess” appointments by the Obama Administration -- are “unconstitutional, null and void” because the U.S. Senate was not in recess.  The U.S. Constitution requires such appointments to be made with the “advice and consent” of the Senate unless the Senate is in recess.  Oklahoma Congressman James Lankford has joined with 17 other U.S. Representatives in filing a brief in support of the business associations’ position.
Contact Mike Seney

Get Motivated Seminar Returns To Oklahoma – This year’s event will have two sessions, one in Tulsa on February 13 and one in Oklahoma City on February 16.  Speakers include: General Colin Powell; Laura Bush; Rudy Giuliani and Terry Bradshaw.  There will be chances to win door prizes including a big screen TV, two iPads and $3,000 cash.  Everyone attending will receive two FREE tickets to three extra bonus seminars.  Click here for more information.

State Chamber President Fred Morgan has been selected as one of Oklahoma’s Most Admired CEOs by The Journal Record. The Most Admired CEO will be selected at a dinner event, co-sponsored by The State Chamber, February 16 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. For more information about this event and to see the other nominees, click here.

State Chamber Member Companies Make Fortune Top 100 List For 2012 – Chesapeake Energy, ranked #18; Devon Energy, ranked #28; American Fidelity Assurance, ranked #47; Ernst & Young, ranked #59; Microsoft, ranked #76; KPMG, ranked #94. For this year’s list, more than 246,000 employees from 280 firms were surveyed. Two-thirds of a company’s score is based on a trust index survey that analyzes management’s credibility, job satisfaction and camaraderie. The other third is based on results from a culture audit that looks at benefit programs, hiring practices, internal communication, training, recognition programs and diversity efforts. Click here to see the complete list.