Governor Signs OK Religious Freedom Act

OKLAHOMA CITY – On Monday, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act to protect the constitutional right to worship.

House Bill 2648 dictates that anything closing places of worship would be considered a substantial burden on people’s freedom of religion. The bill’s author, Rep. Brian Hill, R-Mustang, filed the legislation after learning that many states’ governments had forced places of worship to close throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is of the upmost importance that we ensure our God-given right to worship is protected no matter the circumstances,” Hill said. “Our country was founded upon the promise of religious freedom for all, and we must preserve that right for generations to come. My faith, like many Oklahomans, is at the core of who I am, and I’m very grateful that my colleagues in the Legislature and Governor Stitt have stood up to protect of our First Amendment right to worship.”

The Economic Fantasizing of the Green Advocates

In a confirmation hearing for President Biden’s Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, Senator Ted Cruz complained about Biden killing the Keystone XL pipeline, eliminating 11,000 jobs. Buttigieg responded that “Biden’s climate agenda will create a net increase in jobs.” Buttigieg’s response, commonly given by climate activists when challenged on jobs, is pure, unmitigated, economic balderdash.

New technology, from steam engines to robotics, has generally freed resources to expand opportunities and increase standards of living. Green advocates presume, therefore, that any new technology will do the same. But there is a key feature of innovations that expand opportunity and jobs. They make production cheaper.

True growth-inducing innovations, like steam, the Bessemer process for producing steel, and refining and burning fossil fuels for energy are always a chance to lower costs. Consequently, they are adopted voluntarily. There is never any need for governments to force, bribe (through grants and subsidies), or tax advantage companies into adopting innovations that are truly beneficial – that is, that lower costs and produce a higher standard of living on top of more jobs for us all.

1889 INSTITUTE: END AEROSPACE ENGINEER TAX CREDITS

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (April 21, 2021) – The 1889 Institute has published “Oklahoma’s Aerospace Industry Engineer Workforce Tax Credits,” the most recent of two installments in the Institute’s Corporate Welfare Directory. The paper makes it clear that the state’s tax rebate program for aerospace engineers is another corporate welfare scheme. Three programs effectively subsidize high-paying professional aerospace engineering jobs, providing tax breaks to companies who hire engineers or to the engineers themselves.

“What’s particularly galling about these programs is that other Oklahoma businesses and everyday taxpayers with lower incomes and less in benefits have to fill in the tax holes created by these programs,” said Byron Schlomach, director of the 1889 Institute. “In a very real sense, these programs tax the poor in order to give to the rich,” he said.

House lawmakers voted to provide up to $20 million in annual subsidies to film productions after a legislator declared it a “magical” bill that will produce $17 for every $1 in subsidies issued—despite prior analysis showing the incentive program actually returns just 13 cents per dollar distributed.

Senate Bill 608, by state Rep. Scott Fetgatter, was amended in the House to provide $20 million in annual subsidies for entertainment productions. That’s less than the $50 million previously proposed by Fetgatter but a dramatic increase from the $8 million in film subsidies provided by current law.

“This is a magical piece of legislation that will create jobs for blue-collar workers all across the state of Oklahoma,” said Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee.

He claimed the legislation would produce enormous economic returns.

“For every dollar we spend, there are $17 dollars spent back,” Fetgatter said.

He said if the state provided $50 million in annual film subsidies, it would generate $1.3 billion over five years.

However, the $17 return cited by Fetgatter was 12,976% greater than the 13-cent return a prior analysis showed has been generated by the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program.

Consultants hired by Oklahoma Incentive Evaluation Commission have previously said film subsidies are not economically beneficial and urged lawmakers to eliminate Oklahoma’s film tax credit. [Read more here]

As I mentioned at the top, the bill passed the House by a vote of 78 to 11, with 12 not voting. I put together a graphic showing who voted how. Legislators who are blacked out voted against this foolishness, while those who are grayed out missed the vote (whether on purpose, laziness, or legitimate absence). Members who are unobscured cast votes in favor of giving more of your money to Hollywood fat cats. You can click on the images to view larger, and click here for the link to their respective legislative pages.

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 20, 2021)— Jonathan Small, president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), today called on lawmakers to reject legislation that would provide up to $50 million annually in state subsidies to film productions at the same time many Hollywood officials are attacking other states for passing pro-life and election-security laws.

“This session, many lawmakers have balked at expanding Oklahoma’s successful tax-credit scholarship program for low- and middle-income children, but now appear ready to dump millions more down the burn barrel that is our state’s film-subsidy program,” Small said. “To make matters worse, state lawmakers appear poised to not only take tens of millions away from hard-working Oklahoma families, but they will also give those millions to Hollywood elites who are actively lobbying against pro-life and election-security measures and other laws supported by most Oklahomans. This isn’t just bad policy, it’s a slap in the face to Oklahomans.”

An amendment filed to Senate Bill 608 creates the “Filmed In Oklahoma Act of 2021.” The legislation would provide up to $50 million in annual rebate payments to film productions shot, at least in part, in Oklahoma, a dramatic increase compared to the $8 million in annual subsidies provided by the existing program.

The legislation has been filed as filmmakers are trying to influence Georgia policymakers by threatening to yank productions out of that state.

In 2019, after the enactment of a Georgia law banning abortion after a heartbeat can be detected from an unborn child, numerous officials in the entertainment industry threatened to pull projects out of Georgia in retaliation, including officials with Netflix and Disney.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Legislation helping Oklahomans with diabetes better afford insulin has become law after being signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday, April 20.

House Bill 1019 caps the copay for a 30-day supply of insulin to $30 and $90 for a 90-day supply for each covered prescription. Copays are currently based on individual insurance plans. HB 1019 gives authority to the Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner to enforce the price cap.

Bill author Rep. Rande Worthen, R-Lawton, thanked the governor for his support.

“Since introducing House Bill 1019, I’ve heard from many Oklahomans across the state who can hardly afford to pay the rising cost of insulin while also juggling their other bills,” Worthen said. “This bill will save lives by making insulin affordable for those who need it. Nobody should be forced to choose between paying their rent and paying for their life-saving medication.”