NOTE: Due to the Labor Day Holiday, There will be NO CEO Briefing on September 3rd.

Washington Fly-In Registrations Due TODAY – There is still time to join us in the Nation’s Capitol, Sept. 13 -14, but registrations for the 2010 Washington Fly-In are due TODAY. If you plan on attending, fill out the form and fax/mail back to the Chamber, so we can get you registered. Click here for a printable brochure and/or printable registration form. NOTE: Due to security requirements, registration forms must be mailed or faxed. Online registration is not available.
Contact Ronn Cupp or Karen Cagle.

1% Tax On Health Care Claims Ruled Unconstitutional - Earlier this week the Oklahoma Supreme Court voted 6-3 to declare HB 2437 unconstitutional and “not to be enforced.”  Those Justices voting to declare the legislation unconstitutional were:  Edmondson, Taylor, Kauger, Watt, Winchester, and Colbert.  Those dissenting were:  Opala and Hargrave. Justice Reif concurred in part and dissented in part. To read the press release, click here.
Contact Mike Seney.

Commissioner Holland Presents The Requirements Of The New Federal Health Care Law – This week, Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland made a presentation to The State Chamber’s Small Business Council regarding the timeline and business responsibilities tied to the new federal health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The business community is faced with MANY challenges in the method by which health care will be distributed, delivered and funded. Although health insurance plans in existence and utilized by a business or individual on or before March 23, 2010 are grandfathered under the law, ANY change in the plan (benefits, co-pays, deductibles, etc.) will require the revised plan to follow the new law’s provisions. For a copy of Commissioner Holland’s power point presentation, click here. For a one-page timeline of all the law’s provisions, click here.
Contact Matt Robison.

Pictured: Doug Schones, Small Business Council Chairman, Commissioner Kim Holland
and Matt Robison, VP of Small Business and Workforce Development for The State Chamber.

Do You Know Where Your Candidates Really Stand?  Now that the Runoff Election is behind us, more candidates are completing their Prosperity Project Voters’ Guides in time for the General Election. To find out who has – and who has not – click here. Know a candidate without a survey?  Click here for a copy. Click here for all the Voters' Guides.
Contact Kris Rush.

Good News! OK City voters invest $135 million to convert GM plant to new Tinker Aerospace Complex. 700 employees work in highly efficient, 3.8 million square-foot space.  Tinker's 76th Maintenance Wing employs 9,000 OK civilians. 1,000 more new jobs next year. 

511 new businesses incorporated last week. 16,621 year to date.  This week, OK is home to 400 USA Canoe/Kayak Spring National Championship competitors.  For more good news, click here.
Contact Kris Rush.

IRS Survey Requested – The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has developed an online survey which will provide insight on how small business owners prefer to receive information to more easily understand and meet their tax obligations.  The IRS has indicated that small business input is very important to the overall success of this project.  The survey deadline is August 31st.  To review and respond to this survey, please open this link: On-Line Survey. Opening the link will take each participant directly to the MITRE Corporation (survey administrator) web page.  All participant information collected from this survey is to be kept strictly confidential and not be shared with MITRE or with the IRS.
Contact Matt Robison.

Fall “Public Health Grand Round” Speaker Series Scheduled – The University of Oklahoma College of Public Health has scheduled the 2010 Public Health Grand Rounds Speaker Series. These speaking engagements are free and open to the public and begin with a light lunch at 11:30 a.m.  The formal presentation runs from 12-1 p.m. Events are held in the College of Health building, 801 NE 13th Street, Room 150, in Oklahoma City, and webcast live to the Schusterman Academic Center, 4502 East 41st Street, Room LC138, Tulsa. No reservations for lunch are needed.  For a list of dates and the speakers presenting throughout the fall, click here.
Contact Matt Robison.

State Chamber Honored With Visit From U.S. Senator Tom Coburn – Members of The State Chamber and guests visited with U.S. Senator Tom Coburn this week.  Dr. Coburn is Oklahoma’s junior Senator and serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Intelligence Committee, the Indian Affairs Committee and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Pictured: Senator Tom Coburn, Fred Morgan, President & CEO of The State Chamber
and Ronn Cupp, Senior VP of Government Affairs for The State Chamber

New State Chamber Tulsa Office Grand Opening August 31st! – Mark your calendar now for August 31, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. The Ribbon Cutting Celebration will be held at the new Tulsa office located at 511 South Boston, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 74103.  Reception to follow across the street at the Schnake Turnbo Frank | PR offices located at 20 E. Fifth Street, Suite 1500, from 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Click here for a printable invitation. Send RSVP to Mark Rathe or Heather Sparkman. Hope to see you there!
Contact Mark Rathe.

Plan NOW - Technology Issues Summit Tentative Date Is Thursday, October 21st - The Technology Council Advisory Board will meet at The State Chamber to finalize plans for the Annual Oklahoma Technology Issues Summit which is tentatively set for Thursday, October 21st. The Oklahoma Technology Issues Summit is an opportunity for The State Chamber’s technology companies to provide input for consideration in The State Chamber’s legislative agenda. Specifics on location and time will be announced soon.
Contact Jim Mason or Sandy Cagle.

Oklahoma’s Race For Governor Will MAKE HISTORY! – The State Chamber’s Fall Forum Luncheon, sponsored by our Small Business Council, will be a Gubernatorial Candidate Forum and is scheduled for Tuesday, October 26th (exactly ONE WEEK before the General Election!) and will feature Oklahoma’s Gubernatorial Candidates: Congresswoman Mary Fallin and Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins.  The event will be held from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Cox Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City, and will be moderated by Dick Pryor, host of the Oklahoma Forum on OETA-TV.  For the first time in our state’s history, a woman will become our state’s chief executive. The State Chamber would like to thank the Oklahoma City Club 29 Rotary for making this one of their official weekly luncheons. Registration coming soon…You WANT to be there!
Contact Matt Robison.

Ponca City Career Tech Brings Manufacturing Skills To Students – Pioneer Tech’s Mobil Manufacturing Education Training System (METS) skills trailer has caught the attention of prestigious MIT.  The METS trailer is designed to help students connect the importance of math and science to their future workplace.  The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has invited PTC’s METS skills lab to be a part of their Fab Lab group. The Fab Lab program encourages outreach to individuals to not just learn about science and engineering, but to actually engage in it. Fab Labs provide widespread access to modern means for invention. They began as an outreach project from MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA). Fab Labs comprise roughly fifty thousand dollars in equipment and materials that can be used today to do what will be possible with tomorrow's personal fabricators. To find out more about the Fab Labs, click here.  To read an article about the Pioneer Tech METS trailer, click here.
Contact Matt Robison.