International Franchise Association Commends State Chamber On Workers’ Compensation Reform – During the push for workers’ compensation reform this year, The State Chamber was asked for assistance from the International Franchise Association (IFA) to clarify the definition of what is, and what isn’t, an "employee".  This week the IFA sent The State Chamber a letter of thanks “for its efforts on the recently enacted workers’ compensation reforms. Your work not only helped to protect the business community, but the fate of the more than 12,000 franchised businesses in Oklahoma is more secure today.”  To read the letter, click here.
Contact Mike Seney.

Good News – Oklahoma’s population hits nearly 3.7 million; 519 new companies incorporated last week; Bartlesville in “Top Ten Small Markets of the Decade”; Roland gets Citi Trends distribution center and 200 jobs; Oklahoma City’s Paycom breaks ground on new headquarters and plans for 400 more employees; 32 health research projects net $4 million in OCAST scientific support; Oklahoma National Stockyards celebrates 100th birthday; and, the Tulsa Young Professionals launch their own business incubator.  For more Good News in Oklahoma this week, see our daily Prosperity Report.
Contact Kris Rush.

Oklahoma Compensation To Increase 3% In The Midst Of Economic Turmoil - Sounds crazy in the current environment?! Quorum Compensation Group, Inc. conducted its 2010 Compensation & Employment Outlook in January and the response for all Oklahoma participants indicated more than one-third of respondents had a planned compensation budget increase of 2.5 to 3.5% with some moving up as much as 5%. So, the question is, What is really happening in Oklahoma? The most effective way to find out is participation in the 2010 Oklahoma Compensation & Benefits Survey™. Click here, for more information.
Contact Linda Story.

Attorney General Sunshine Program Moves Forward – The State Chamber, working with our allies the American Tort Reform Association and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), has been working with legislators to develop a framework for how Oklahoma’s Attorney General addresses issues surrounding the hiring and management of outside contingency fee counsel.  While we have had one bill vetoed and another blocked on the last day of the legislative session, we will continue to actively work to help enact legislation modeled after ALEC’s Private Attorney Retention Sunshine Act.  To that end, this year’s Attorney General Candidate Survey (put out by the Prosperity Project) includes the following questions: 

Will you support legislation that will:

1. Require that all contracts with outside counsel, who perform legal work in the name of the state, be posted on the Internet?                                                                             
2. Require that, except for extraordinary situations, contracts with outside counsel shall be competitively bid?
3. Require that all contingent fee-based contracts used by the Attorney General’s office be subject to review and prior approval by the Legislature?                                                           
4. Require that outside counsel providing services to the Attorney General on a contingent fee basis be required to disclose detailed information on the hours worked, services performed, and fees received from the state?

Contact Mike Seney. 

Help Others Register To Vote!  Deadline Set For Friday, July 2nd – You and your team can vote in the July 27th Primary election for your preferred party’s candidates only if you register to vote by next Friday!  Everything you need is in this week’s Prosperity Project Voter Registration Toolkit.  Also sign up for the July 8th “Be Informed about Your Candidates” Toolkit by clicking here.
Contact Kris Rush.

FRAUD ALERT From Oklahoma Bankers Association - A rash of counterfeit checks posing as Tyson Foods payroll checks are moving through the state. Watch for: Checks are $300 to $500; Any check with a Dennis Leatherby's signature is NOT VALID. The micro line when held under a magnifying glass says Tyson Foods repeatedly; Logo on back by endorsement signature is of very light red and when touched disappears; On the back of the check, there are a list of security features; please read carefully. If you have any questions, contact the Manager of Tyson Corporate Security - Woody Doss at 479-290-2081. Click here to go to the OBA's website.

Senator Wants Loans And Tax Credits For U.S. Manufacturers In Energy Bill – According to an article in Bloomberg News (6/22, Drajem, Snyder), "Senator Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat wary of the impact of climate legislation on U.S. manufacturers, says he is pushing to include billions of dollars of loans and tax credits in any energy measure." Brown would like the Senate to add $30 billion in government-backed loans for manufacturers in addition to a $5 billion in tax credits for companies that decide to invest in clean-energy facilities. "There are certainly ways to encourage companies to invest here, and hire Americans," said Brown. "We can't continue to be a prosperous, middle-class society if we don't keep making things." Brown organized "a bipartisan group of Midwestern lawmakers worried that climate legislation would undercut local manufacturers and give an advantage to overseas competitors in countries such as China." He also proposed a Buy America provision be included in any climate bill.
Contact Mike Seney.

New Federal Lead Paint Regulation Delayed – Thanks to the work of Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe and others, enforcement of a new proposed EPA regulation on lead paint removal has been delayed.  The new rule requires contractors who work in older homes – those built prior to 1978 – and renovations of more than 6 square feet of space, to be certified by a government approved trainer.  Enforcement of the regulation, which actually took effect in April, has now been delayed until October.  Inhofe and others had argued that the EPA hadn’t allowed enough time for contractors and renovators to secure the appropriate certification. The EPA has also come under fire from trade groups, businesses and Congress.  The Wall Street Journal reports that “Last month, the Senate voted 60 to 37 to bar the EPA from fining companies or individuals found to have violated the rule . . .”  Senator Inhofe’s office reports that fines for violation of the rule were up to $37,500 per day. 
Contact Ronn Cupp.

Supreme Court Rules NLRB Did Not Have Quorum - In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that two remaining members of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) did not form a quorum and so could not issue decisions during periods when three or more of the five seats on the board were vacant.  According to a news release from the NLRB, the Agency expects that approximately 75 cases now pending in the Courts of Appeal and Supreme Court will be remanded, and that “the now-four member Board will decide the appropriate means for further considering and resolving them.” However, it is unclear whether the Board’s rulings in the nearly 500 additional cases -- where the issue of the two-member Board’s authority was not raised -- will be subject to reconsideration if the aggrieved party makes such an application.
Contact Mike Seney.

Register Now For the Girl Scouts Leadership Conference - Oklahomans understand the role that girls and women play to create a healthy and prosperous Oklahoma and how Girl Scouts is the key to making that happen; so we would like to invite you and your Members to our Leadership Summit 2010!   This event will be held on July 23rd and 24th at the NCED/Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Norman, OK. Your participation will help Oklahoma set a new course of leadership!  Attendees will meet other key leaders in their communities and help make a difference in reversing some of the negative statistics of Oklahoma.  Begin the dialog that will truly make a change for women and girls in our state. Click here for registration information.

2010 Washington D.C. Fly-In To Be September 13th  – 14th  – The State Chamber’s 2010 Washington Fly-in is set for September 13th & 14th, with the Liaison Capitol Hill as the headquarters hotel.  Reservations can be made by calling 202/638-1616 or 866/233-4642.  Be sure to tell them that you are with the Oklahoma State Chamber Annual Fly-In group to guarantee the special group rate of $230. The cut-off date for reservations is Monday, August 16th!  The State Chamber’s Congressional Activities Committee met yesterday to begin planning the program for this year’s Fly-in.  Events include the popular Congressional Breakfast, Congressional Reception and meetings with Oklahoma’s U.S. senators and representatives.  More details coming soon!
Contact Ronn Cupp.