State Issues
State Legislative Priorities for 2011
1. Support a Supplemental Hospital Offset Payment Program Acts (SHOPP) or other options to maximize federal opportunities for Medicaid, to achieve the Upper Payment Limit (UPL) for hospitals and to provide durable, consistent and predictable funding for Medicaid and indigent care providers.
2. Support legislation allowing municipalities to diversify their sources of revenues to fund essential local government operations.
3. Oppose cuts to education funding and oppose further reductions in the cap on annual property tax valuations.
4. Support currently unavailable specialty care services to the uninsured through new funding of $7 million annually to OU'S Tisdale Specialty Health Center and $2 million annually to the OSU Center for Health Sciences to provide an additional primary care treatment and referral system to support north Tulsa's uninsured and the specialty care clinic.
5. Support investment in a project or "deal closing" fund to attract, grow and retain businesses in Oklahoma. Without a "deal closing" fund, Oklahoma lacks a competitive advantage and continues to lose business to Texas, Arkansas, and other states.
6. Defend all existing road funding; prevent any diversion of monies; and support increased funding for transportation by developing an adequate, comprehensive funding strategy to broaden the sources of funds and increase the total amount going to transportation statewide.
7. Support the building of the Gilcrease Expressway and Bridge through any funding mechanism available in order to expedite this long overdue transportation system; a partnership with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation may be beneficial.
8. Maximize private donations by supporting a state bond issue for capital investment in cultural, historical and entertainment venues in the Tulsa region.
9. Reinstate the aerospace and other effective tax incentives. Protect effective tax credits and eliminate ineffective tax credits through a process of annual review.
10. Support policies that encourage energy development in a regulatory environment that creates more business certainty, promotes job creation and encourages economic growth for all domestic energy sources.
