Federal Issues
- Work with Oklahoma's Congressional delegation for the re-authorization of the Tribal Lands Tax Incentives for businesses located on former Indian lands and seek to make the incentives permanent
- Press Congress to make the tax cuts passed in the early 2000's permanent and work with the state's Congressional delegation to retain the lower maximum tax rate on dividend income that was passed in 2003
- Support the revision of the New Markets Tax Credit to include a five-year extension
- Oppose energy tax increase proposals which will reduce exploration and production investment, as well as decrease natural gas supplies for all U.S. consumers
- Oppose the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) attempts to regulate CO2 emissions without clear statutory authority
- Support the quick approval of the TransCanada Keystone XL crude oil pipeline
- Oppose a new government-sponsored public option health insurance plan that would compete unfairly with private insurers
- Maintain state regulatory oversight over all non-ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) private health insurance plans
- Support the retention of viable employer-sponsored health care while opposing the taxation of employer-provided health care
- Limit liability for all medical providers to the same level as those entities covered under the federal tort claims act
- Maintain current ERISA provisions, allowing employers to self-insure and to avoid mandates
- Oppose legislation allowing drug re-importation into the United States
- Support tax incentives and public sector pilot projects for implementing evidence-based medicine, electronic medical records and alignment of interest models that are incorporated into health care delivery systems
- Support employer-owned health reimbursement arrangements
- Support the enhancement and implementation of the Health Savings Account Act
- Oppose any efforts that may result in the destabilization of the health insurance market
- Support ways to enhance Oklahoma's attractiveness to the military to ensure our state is not negatively impacted by the next Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round and is poised for growth; as such, work with Oklahoma's Congressional delegation on the Budget Control Act and other federal legislation to protect and grow Oklahoma's military installations
- Work with lawmakers to ensure Oklahoma is collecting all taxes owed to the state, including taxes for on-line and mail order sales, in an effort to level the playing field for local businesses
- Support legislation creating transparency of credit card company "interchange fees" charged to retailers
- Oppose efforts to incorporate an importation tax on international goods taht would increase the cost of such goods and encourage retaliatory sanctions, thereby limiting free trade
- Oppose any tax on Internet access
- Support legislation to allow states that are not a part of the Streamlined Sales Tax Agreement to collect sales taxes on mail order sales, preserving the competitiveness of Oklahoma businesses
- Advocate for a timely re-authorization of the federal highway bill that permanently reverses Oklahoma's donor state status to ensure Oklahoma rceives its full share of federal motor fees.