Oklahoma Leaders Pledge to Keep Supporting Small Business
As part of NFIB’s Small Business Day in Oklahoma, members engaged with state leaders about issues that are helping them recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. At top of mind were actions by the legislature and governor to protect small businesses from frivolous lawsuits and the more than $400 million in COVID-relief that was made available to small businesses here in Oklahoma to recover from the crippling health and economic pandemic.
“When COVID hit last year I made the intentional decision to ensure small business wasn’t left behind. Other governors in other states handled it different. They chose to keep their businesses and schools shut down. We took a totally different approach in Oklahoma that put 100,000 Oklahomans immediately back to work,” said Gov. Kevin Stitt.
The governor also noted his desire for Oklahoma to be in the Top 10 for the lowest small business taxes in the nation, and added “My priority is to make Oklahoma a Top 10 state for small business. Small businesses are 99% of all businesses in Oklahoma.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat addressed NFIB members and highlighted the legislature’s efforts early in the pandemic last year to enact liability reform last session. “That was extremely important for us to get done last session. We were one of the first states to pass liability protections during COVID and we became a model for others across the country,” said Sen. Treat.
Members also heard from Speaker of the House Charles McCall, who also highlighted the importance of recent enacted liability protections for businesses. “Last year during the pandemic, the legislature reacted very quickly to advance legislation to grant immunity for limited liability to our state’s companies with respect to the pandemic. We also worked very diligently to ensure we maintained policies to keep small businesses open to the greatest extent possible through the pandemic. The result of both is that the legislature returned this year with a strong fiscal position,” said Speaker McCall, who is also a small business owner and member of NFIB.
“Our elected officials have done a tremendous job helping our small business owners survive the pandemic,” said Jerrod Shouse, NFIB State Director in Oklahoma. “Thanks to limited government mandates, critical protections shielding small business owners from frivolous lawsuits, and hundreds of million of dollars in aid, Oklahoma’s economy is in a good place despite a global crisis. We are thankful the legislature and governor understand that small businesses are the economic engine of the state.”
