| February 27, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
As your senator,
I believe we must be focused on legislative action that will move our
state forward. We want our schools to be among the best in the nation.
We want our transportation infrastructure to be modern and convenient.
We want our towns and cities to be safe places for our citizens to live,
work and raise their families.
I believe the best
way to accomplish these goals is through job creation—we must work
to create a pro-jobs environment that will attract new businesses and
the jobs that come with them, as well as helping our existing businesses
to grow, thrive, and create even more employment opportunities.
Through the years,
Oklahoma leaders have promoted various economic incentives that were
enacted in order to help our state better compete for the jobs needed
to fuel economic growth. This is not unique to our state. Most states
have found these programs to be extremely helpful in their efforts to
attract and keep a variety of industries. New incentives are promoted
nearly every year with the promise that they’ll benefit economic
development efforts. But I think it is important to know for certain
if these programs really are generating the results that warrant continued
support.
For years, Oklahoma
has been enacting various economic incentives, but never revisiting
them to determine how well they are working. Are they generating the
economic activity and job creation that had been envisioned when they
were proposed, or are they costing us more than they are generating?
Too often the answer is that no one knows for certain.
The good news is
there are two bills making their way through the Senate this year that
would establish a process for measuring the success of economic incentives.
Senate Bill 815 would require the creation of a process to determine
whether incentives are achieving their goals. If not, we’d be able
to determine if those goals could be reached by modifying a specific
incentive program, or if it is simply time to end it. A second measure,
Senate Bill 806 would require that any economic incentive to include
a measurable goal or goals when enacted.
Why is this so important?
Right now, Oklahoma provides more than $1.7 billion in economic incentives
every year. I tend to think that some are working exactly as intended,
while others might need tweaking. Some may simply not be generating
the economic growth intended, and ending them may be the most fiscally
responsible action. But we have no way of knowing unless we have the
reliable data necessary to make those determinations.
That’s the
point of these two measures. I had the privilege of presenting these
bills to the Senate Finance Committee and both were approved. The next
step will be to present them to the full Senate for further consideration.
Please feel free
to contact me at the state Capitol by calling (405) 521-5566 or by emailing
brinkley@oksenate.gov.
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Contact: Senator
Rick Brinkley
State Capitol:
(405) 521-5566
Email: brinkley@oksenate.gov
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