Oklahoma Legislature gets a “C” on Pro-Growth Voting
OKLAHOMA CITY (Aug. 16, 2023) – Economic and workforce development bills took center stage in the 2024 RIED Report. As a whole, the Oklahoma Legislature scored just over 75% when it comes to its voting record on pro-growth legislation this spring. Seven Oklahoma lawmakers voted 100% “pro-growth” on the 13 bills that were scored. Thirty-eight were over 90% pro-growth voters.
“The 2024 report shows that overall, Oklahoma has moved in an appropriate direction legislatively. The report details all of the pro- and anti-growth measures that we track, and where each legislator stands,” said Ben Lepak, SCRF Executive Director “I think there were a lot of missed opportunities this session. There are ways that the legislature could position our state to better compete with other states, with more and better targeted legislation.”
The Research Institute for Economic Development is a program of The State Chamber Research Foundation. RIED promotes economic growth through the evaluation of business, job, and economic growth issues considered by the Oklahoma Legislature. At the end of each session, RIED scores legislators on their votes on economic bills.
“Overall, I think the legislature was fairly pro-growth; the only anti-growth bill we scored was ultimately vetoed by the Governor. However, both the Senate and House are trending slightly less pro-growth from 2023,” said Amanda Hall, RIED Director.
RIED creates a profile of each legislator’s individual voting record for bills dealing with business, industry, job creation, and economic growth issues deemed important by the private sector.
Each legislator is graded with respect to his or her vote on each bill. Absences are not counted against the final score.
The RIED material is not intended to be and does not constitute an endorsement of any kind or to represent an official source. Interested persons should formulate their own opinions relative to the data.
Media Contact
Brent Skarky – 405-818-1939 –brent@okstatechamber.com
https://www.statechamberresearch.org/_files/ugd/7e81fb_88dc04d8d08c4a5ea3c6021e55bd437e.pdf
