Greater Oklahoma City Chamber officials have announced their policymaking priorities leading into the 2025 session of the state Legislature, with much of their focus leaning toward support of economic development efforts.
The chamber’s annual legislative agenda, developed in collaboration with businesses and stakeholders, guides its policy engagement.
Mike Johnson, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber vice president of government relations and policy, said the chamber prioritized maintaining several state programs that promote job creation, tourism and economic activity when considering its top policy goals to support.
What are the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber’s priorities?
Among the chamber’s points of focus for the 2025 legislative session are:
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County government reform: The chamber supports granting Oklahoma counties the authority to customize their forms of government to better address local needs.
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Economic development programs: The chamber prioritizes protecting and enhancing key state incentives such as the Quality Jobs Act, the Aerospace Engineer Tax Credit and the Historical Building Rehabilitation Tax Credit to attract businesses, create jobs and drive community investment.
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Research and development: The chamber advocates for increased funding and incentives to position Oklahoma as a leading hub for research, innovation and workforce development in sectors like life sciences, technology and biosciences.
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Transportation infrastructure: The chamber supports the expansion of the turnpike system, including widening major routes like the Turner Turnpike and the John Kilpatrick Turnpike. Additionally, it champions the expansion of the Heartland Flyer Amtrak service to connect Oklahoma City with Kansas City and other destinations.
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Education and workforce data: The chamber advocates for the development of a Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) to align education strategies with workforce demands and enable data-driven decision-making for long-term success.
Johnson said among the chamber’s highest priorities will be support for extending and expanding the Aerospace Engineering Tax Credit, which provides either 10% compensation paid for the first five years of a licensed engineer who graduated from an Oklahoma-based university or 5% for those who attended school outside of the state.
“For every $1 the state spent, it generates approximately $89,” he said. “It’s been a very successful program for many of our aerospace companies, and we’d like to see that continued and the possible future expansion of the program.”
Boeing Co. and Pratt and Whitney are among the companies in Oklahoma that have benefited from this program. Johnson said the incentive has created thousands of jobs in the state since the law passed in 2007.
Johnson said policymakers are working to expand the sunset date far into the future to support more job creation in the industry.
For this legislative session, Sen. Adam Pugh has introduced Senate Bill 296, which would ensure an additional tax credit awarded to instructor pilots of up to $5,000 for the 2025 tax year.
The chamber also is in support of expanding the Quality Jobs Act, a program aimed at providing cash back to expanding businesses with a payroll of $2.5 billion or more through Senate Bill 586, which seeks to establish an employer-employee relationship between a company and lease or contracted workers. Sen. Chuck Ross introduced the bill.
Johnson said the chamber additionally is in support of raising the $3 million cap of the Quality Events Incentive Act, which would help boost tourism, not only in major metros like Oklahoma City and Tulsa, but also in rural communities.
The act reimburses nationally recognized organizations based on incremental sales tax revenues “associated” with a quality event, according to state documents. The program has paid $1.5 million since 2018, excluding 2024. Some events have included PGA and BMX championships, national fishing competitions and equestrian events.
Senate Bill 578, introduced by Sen. James Coleman, would extend the Quality Events Incentive Act until June 30, 2031, according to the bill.
The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber also supports reforming the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, with initiatives focused on promoting the longevity of leaders and the stability of organizations to drive long-term investments into the state, Johnson said.
Sen. Mary Boren authored Senate Bill 614, which would require the Commerce Department to share information about federal, state, local and tribal energy efficiency incentive programs; programs for individual households, multi-family housing and any other energy efficiencyincentive programs; and collaboration between retail energy providers and businesses, local governments, tribal governments and consumers.
“The Oklahoma Department of Commerce is focused on policies that will continue to make Oklahoma the most business-friendly state in the country,” said Commerce Department spokesperson Chase Horn.
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“Oklahoma is very focused on performance-based incentives,” he said. “From the perspective of protecting the taxpayer, if they do not perform at the level described in the statute … then no money goes to the company.”
To read the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber’s “2025 Legislative Agenda,” go to https://tinyurl.com/Greater-OKC-Chamber-Advocacy
The chamber will host its 2025 Legislative Kickoff on Jan. 22. For more information about the event, go to https://tinyurl.com/2025-Legislative-Kickoff.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Greater OKC Chamber wants Legislature to address its priorities