The State Chamber Honors Legislators of the Year
OKLAHOMA CITY (June 24, 2024) – The State Chamber selected five hardworking Oklahoma lawmakers who championed the free enterprise system as their Legislators of the Year.
“There were many public servants at the State Capitol that were supportive of our business community last session, but these five lawmakers went above and beyond for Oklahoma. They are a big part of the reason Oklahoma’s workforce is getting back on track and our economy is moving in the right direction,” said Chad Warmington, president and CEO of The State Chamber.
The State Chamber honored Sen. Adam Pugh and Sen. Kristen Thompson along with Rep. Rhonda Baker, Rep. Mike Osburn and Rep. Suzanne Schreiber during its Annual Meeting last Tuesday, for their efforts this last legislative session to support the sustained growth of Oklahoma’s economy.
Rep. Baker and Sen. Pugh authored House Bill 3278, a new law that reworks high school graduation requirements, allowing more flexibility to get Oklahoma students college, career, or military ready.
Together, these trailblazing lawmakers with years in education, pushed through legislation that helps grow our workforce and makes for brighter futures for young Oklahomans.
“HB 3278 is geared toward a student’s ability to create a path that they need and not to stifle them into one route. They get to make choices, and that’s important,” said Rep. Baker.
Pugh also helped to secure funding for the newly created Oklahoma Workforce Commission, better aligning our state’s education and workforce pipelines.
“We’ve got to incentivize collaboration between K-12, career tech, and higher ed. Oklahoma businesses have to be able to partner with our institutions and pinpoint the skill sets they need so that we can hire our citizens,” said Pugh.
Rep. Schreiber understands the importance of available, quality childcare when it comes to keeping Oklahomans in the workforce. The Democrat from Tulsa led the charge the past two sessions to establish tax credits for employers that provide childcare options for their employees.
“We say childcare is workforce infrastructure. Our employers need to have a strong childcare system for us to get everybody back in the workforce,” said Schreiber.
Finally, Sen. Thompson and Rep. Osburn worked hard to rethink the way our state does economic development. Senate Bill 1447 and House Bill 3252 rework the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to better recruit new businesses to Oklahoma and better serve the ones already operating in Oklahoma.
“This restructuring is going to be laser-focused on recruitment of new businesses and also very, very intentional with supporting our existing Oklahoma companies to help them grow,” said Thompson.
“Over the years, like most other organizations, the Department of Commerce has experienced some mission creep. HB 3252 works in conjunction with SB 1447 to refocus the DOC on what it was chartered to do … grow, develop, expand, nurture and support the Oklahoma economy and Oklahoma business,” said Osburn.
Media Contact – Brent Skarky – 405-818-1939 – Brent@okstatechamber.com
People in the attached Picture (from Right to left)
Chad Warmington- CEO State Chamber of Oklahoma
Kevin Gross- Chamber Chairman/ CEO Hillcrest HealthCare System
Rep Suzanne Schreiber
Rep Mike Osburn
Rep Rhonda Baker
Sen Kristen Thompson
Sen Adam Pugh
