Is the State Chamber Politically Neutral or Non-Partisan?

There are over four million people living in Oklahoma in 2023. Those four million residents are spread across our state’s rich landscapes, from the sweeping tallgrass prairies and rolling tree-covered hills to our growing innovative cities. Our residents reflect diversity in race, ethnicity, and culture; therefore, our businesses do too.

The State Chamber of Oklahoma is the unifying organization representing the voice of businesses across the state. The Chamber advocates for businesses of all sizes and industries, ensuring that our state maintains and improves a pro-growth, pro-business climate.

In theory, this probably sounds great, but as a business owner, you may ask yourself, what does The State Chamber actually do? Does The State Chamber get involved in politics? And, do they align with a specific political party?

The Work of The State Chamber of Oklahoma

The State Chamber of Oklahoma is focused on representing the voice of Oklahoma businesses at the State Capitol. Policy-related advocacy is our primary focus. You may be familiar with local chambers of commerce whose valuable work promotes tourism, local business support, networking, and other benefits. Local chambers of commerce are separate entities from The State Chamber. While their activities focus on important local business promotion and support, The State Chamber is primarily concerned with government affairs at the state level.

Our work includes:

Monitoring legislation that impacts the Oklahoma business community
Advocating at the state level on behalf of businesses in areas aligned with our legislative priorities
Sharing resources, political insights, and intelligence with both lawmakers and business owners
Building relationships and partnerships among businesses and government
Engaging business owners and empowering them to impact policy
Creating opportunities for visibility for Oklahoma businesses

Because of the diversity in businesses across our state, the work of The State Chamber has effectively unified and amplified the collective voice of the Oklahoma business community at the State Capitol since 1926.

Is the Chamber Politically Neutral?

The State Chamber is committed to being pro-business and promoting the flourishing of Oklahoma businesses and our economy through state policy. Therefore, we are not politically neutral, as we are decidedly pro-business as we seek to partner, collaborate, and advocate at the state legislative level.

Is the Chamber Non-Partisan?

Yes, while the work of The State Chamber is inherently political, The Chamber is a non-partisan, non-profit organization. The desires of a specific political affiliation do not determine our legislative positions and advocacy. Instead, The Chamber’s opinions are based on thorough research, and we use filters to carefully guide us as we determine if The State Chamber should consider an issue.

To determine if an issue is worthwhile for State Chamber consideration, the issue must be both a business issue and a statewide issue. In order to affect change in a way that benefits businesses across the state, we don’t get involved with local issues and remain focused on policy that impacts the entire state.

How Does The Chamber Form Political Opinions?

Individual chamber members regularly communicate with The Chamber’s government affairs team to discuss issues that are important to their business. Often, policy ideas and issues arise that can be discussed in our policy committees made up of members from across the state, researched thoroughly, and discussed by The State Chamber’s Council of Advisors (COA). The COA is a group of executive-level Oklahoma business leaders who help lead The State Chamber’s policy development process.

If there is an issue with members on both sides or holding opposing opinions, The Chamber brings together the members to discuss, and the Council of Advisors reviews the topic and decides which position (if any) is best for the state’s business community and the State Chamber. The ultimate decision is made by our Board of Directors based on recommendations made by our Council of Advisors and Policy Committees.

What Does the Chamber’s Political Activity Look Like?

In 2023, The State Chamber was focused on a wide variety of pro-business legislation. Our members, COA, and our team saw policy ideas become meaningful results for the Oklahoma business community. Most notably, our legislative advocacy impacted the adoption of the following legislation this year.

SB 621: Oklahoma Workforce Commission – This bill created the Oklahoma Workforce Commission, a single workforce development coordinator for the state.
HB 2750: Eliminating Licensure Barriers – This bill allows for third-party test proctors for the written portion of the commercial driver’s license process.
HB 2452: Expands Access to Childcare – This bill codifies that childcare facilities licensed by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) are not subject to stricter local regulations.
HB 1039X: Franchise Tax – This bill terminated the collection of the franchise tax.

How Does the Chamber’s Work Benefit Oklahomans? Although some of the legislation mentioned above may be unfamiliar, the impact of the changes we advocate for is far-reaching. For example, The State Chamber’s work advocating for the development of the Oklahoma Workforce Commission is the first step in solving Oklahoma’s workforce gap challenges. Because of the new commission, there will now be a centralized effort to bridge the gap between education and businesses (perhaps yours) seeking skilled workers. This advocacy will create an opportunity to align the education sector and businesses in a way that has not been previously.

Our work also aims to create a competitive and attractive tax environment for businesses, individuals, and families. One example of this is the elimination of the franchise tax. By eliminating the franchise tax from the Oklahoma tax code, companies are no longer taxed for simply “being in business” in Oklahoma. Additionally, The State Chamber continues to advocate for the reduction of personal income tax. Reducing or eliminating personal income tax would put dollars back into the pockets of Oklahomans and further fuel our economic growth.

Policies We Advocate For

The State Chamber of Commerce sets a legislative agenda each year to help guide our efforts throughout the legislative season. The 2023 legislative agenda focused on a wide range of issues, including economic development, access to healthcare, improving health insurance coverage, improved transportation, workforce growth, and much more.

If you are an Oklahoma business owner or leader, we encourage you to become a State Chamber member. Membership provides access to networking opportunities, visibility for your business, and valuable political insights. Even more importantly, membership provides a voice and knowledgeable advocate at the State Capitol. Learn more about State Chamber membership today.