Broken Arrow City Council
Meeting of: 11-21-2017
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Office of the City Manager
Title:
title
Consideration, discussion, and possible approval of and authorization to execute Resolution No. 1068, a Resolution of support for the Tulsa Regional Chamber 2018 OneVoice Legislative Priorities
End
Background:
In 2008, the Tulsa Metro Chamber created the OneVoice agenda to represent the Tulsa Metropolitan area at the State Capitol and at the U.S. Capitol as one unified voice. The City of Broken Arrow participated in the development of the OneVoice Agenda. This was accomplished by Staff’s attendance at the sub-committee meeting and the Tulsa Regional Business Summit, which was designed to better define the OneVoice agenda.
The OneVoice Agenda is attached for the Council’s review. The priorities for State legislation include:
1. Improving the ability of Oklahoma’s K-12 public schools to attract and retain effective teachers
2. creating and fulfilling a comprehensive budget plan to meet current and future growing needs of education
3. Addressing current and future health care workforce needs in urban and rural Oklahoma
4. Protecting health insurance coverage under SoonerCare and Insure Oklahoma programs using all available federal and state funds
5. Expanding behavioral health and substance abuse services that improve workforce efficiency, boost public safety, create efficiencies in state spending and help additional Oklahomans suffering from behavioral health issues
6. Redirecting existing workforce development funding within Oklahoma’s TANF allocation to Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act-funded workforce boards, mirroring the Texas model for allocating these federal welfare resources
7. Continuing to improve Oklahoma’s roads and bridges, and return streets and highways to a state of good repair by fully funding the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s eight-year plan and the County Improvement for Roads and Bridges five-year plan
8. Supporting sentencing reforms and rehabilitation programs that enable nonviolent offenders to re-enter the workforce faster and reduce the financial strain on Oklahoma’s criminal justice system
9. Supporting tax credits, exemptions, and incentives that provide an economic return to the State of Oklahoma, maintain our competitiveness in business attraction and retention, and increase capital investments
10. Maintaining Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology ‘s annual budget at its Fiscal Year 2018 level
11. Continuing to support legislation that reforms Oklahoma’s outdated alcohol laws, with particular focus on easing legal and regulatory burdens on restaurants, bars, event and sports venues, festivals, and other public events resulting from the elimination of low-point beer and the implementation of Oklahoma’s new alcohol laws (Title 37A) in October 2018
12. Supporting legislation to preserve and diversify sources of revenue available to municipalities and reduce the volatility associated with a single source for revenue
13. Preserving and maintain Oklahoma’s position as a leading oil and gas producing state and to protect the important economic impact of oil and gas production to all Oklahomans, support an Oklahoma energy policy that provides a clear and reasonable regulatory environment, while opposing unnecessary and burdensome regulations and taxes
14. Showing strong support for appropriate water conservation practices, incentives and educational programs to moderate statewide water usage while preserving Oklahoma’s population growth and economic development goals. Additionally, support legislation regarding Oklahoma’s water law and regulations that ensures a balance among commercial, residential and agricultural interests
The 2018 Federal Priorities include:
1. Protecting funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service, which supports local schools and nonprofit organizations with vital resources and manpower through AmeriCorps programs
2. Encouraging Congress to refrain from changes to the structure and financing of Medicaid that would increase Oklahoma’s uninsured rate and transfer federal risk and costs to Oklahoma taxpayers. However, remain open to innovations that decrease employer-sponsored and individual health insurance costs. In addition, reauthorize CHIP at existing funding levels
3. Maintaining current funding levels for the Pell Grant Program and allow funding for concurrent enrollment and oppose attempts to cap per-student grants
4. Supporting full implementation of the reform measures signed into law as the 21st Century Cures Act in 2016
5. Maintaining the structure, financing and eligibility criteria of federal nutrition programs under the USDA, which benefit Oklahomans’ health, family stability and educational attainment; and
6. Supporting efforts to meet current industry needs for middle-skill workers eligible for jobs that require training beyond high school but less than a four-year college degree
7. Increasing congressional appropriations to address the approximately $155 million in maintenance backlog of MKARNS - $142.5 million of which is deemed critical - potentially leading to a shutdown of the waterway over the next five years
8. Continuing support addressing the critical infrastructure needs with Tulsa's aging levee system, which the Corps of Engineers has designated as one of the five percent highest-risk levee systems in the country
9. Supporting passage of the Marketplace Fairness Act or other federal legislation that will ensure sales and use taxes already owed from online purchases are fairly and effectively reported, collected and remitted
10. Supporting measures to reduce or eliminate barriers to greater use of American-produced natural gas, including CNG, LNG, GTL and NGLs
11. Reform national criminal justice systems to emphasize rehabilitation and restorative justice, and fully fund the Second Chance Act, Justice Reinvestment Initiative and Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act
12. Maintaining Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits for the restoration of historic buildings;
13. Encouraging Congress to maintain, or even increase, current funding levels for the EPA's Brownfields Program
14. Streamlining the application and approval process for the SBA 7(a) Loan Program in an effort to reduce the administrative burden of such loans, and support legislation that allows small business owners to refinance existing commercial debt using SBA’s 504 Loan Program, and support the SBA’s 8(a) program for disadvantaged small businesses
Cost: None
Prepared By: Norman Stephens, Assistant to the City Manager / Economic Development Coordinator
Reviewed By: Assistant City Manager - Administration
Legal Department
Approved By: Michael L. Spurgeon, City Manager
Attachments: Resolution 1068
2018 OneVoice Agenda
Recommendation:
Approve Resolution 1068 and authorize its execution.