Governor and legislature restore aerospace workforce incentive
4.4.2011Governor and legislature restore aerospace workforce incentive
Gov. Mary Fallin’s signature today marked an end to a year-long effort to restore what the Tulsa Metro Chamber calls a critical workforce incentive bill to retain Oklahoma’s college graduates and bolster the aerospace industry.
A lead priority for the Chamber and its 38 regional partners in the OneVoice legislative agenda, House Bill 1008 authored by the Tulsa region’s Rep. Skye McNiel and Sen. Mike Mazzei effectively removes the aerospace engineering tax credit from a list of tax credits suspended in the session last year.
In a prepared statement Gov. Fallin said, “I’m extremely pleased that the Legislature has sent this important measure to my desk. The aerospace engineer tax credits have demonstrated their value as an important tool for job creation and economic growth in Oklahoma. Aerospace is one of the state’s most important, cutting-edge industries, and I’m proud to be able to sign a measure into law that will support our employers and help to bring in quality jobs to the state.”
Mike Neal, Chamber president and CEO, was equally pleased and continued his gratification and support of the Oklahoma legislature.
“With her signature, Gov. Fallin has confirmed her commitment to growing jobs and capital investment in Oklahoma," Neal said. "Equally, the Tulsa regional delegation worked diligently to make sure this bill reached her desk. We will share this news with prospective companies and site-location companies to showcase Oklahoma’s pro-business leadership.”
Aggressively competing for human capital continues to be a lead economic development initiative for the Chamber on behalf of Northeast Oklahoma. Restoring this workforce incentive was selected as a top priority on the Tulsa regional OneVoice legislative agenda by more than 250 attendees at a Chamber summit last fall.
“Retaining aerospace engineers in Oklahoma post-graduation is critical to the future workforce of the Tulsa region’s largest industry,” said Neal. “Capturing these graduates before they move out of state ultimately increases our chances of keeping these professionals here for the duration of his or her career. Simply put, an investment in the first five years of a career can return millions of dollars in future income for the state of Oklahoma.”
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