Chairman’s Event recap: Jobs, economy focus important

At the annual Chairman’s Event Dec. 17, Representative Stephanie Bice (CD-5) gave her thoughts on the importance of focusing on the economy and jobs as we begin to move forward from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bice, who has been voted president of the Republican freshman congressional class, noted that prior to the pandemic, the U.S. economy was doing exceptionally well, with unemployment at a 50-year low and year-over-year wage growth. And while Oklahoma is among the top 10 states in terms of unemployment claim recovery and is not among states whose unemployment systems are facing solvency issues, many state residents are struggling, with prior energy industry difficulties adding to the problems created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Hospitality and service industries have seen a tremendous downturn -- restaurants, music venues, hotels, and travel are still struggling,” she said. “Our small businesses have been impacted the most, with as much as 30% having closed, but the oil and gas industry has also been impacted. We've seen a number of oil and gas companies file for bankruptcy protection over this last year. And it's likely to continue with the downward pressure on energy prices that we're experiencing.”

Another area of importance Bice noted was infrastructure.  With Oklahoma at the crossroads of three major interstate highways and our state’s central location, adequate funding for infrastructure is important for growing another key industry sector, logistics and warehousing.

“I'd like to see a long-term federal infrastructure plan because commerce depends on a strong infrastructure. And without it, opportunities go elsewhere, and an infrastructure bill could stimulate our economy by providing jobs during the recovery from COVID-19. Because Oklahoma is the crossroads of America, we could be the next great logistics and warehousing hub. We're centrally located within the United States, have large amounts of land and commercial warehousing property available, and a strong labor force who is ready to work with our incredible career tech system, playing a major role in training workers who may be unemployed and looking to change careers,” she said.

Bice also talked about the importance of Tinker AFB both as a national security asset and economic driver, and the need to protect and grow the base’s mission where possible.

“I was honored to be part of the Tinker honorary commander program in 2015, and it gave me the opportunity to really understand the importance of the base, not only for strategic purposes, but also the importance of the base to the community. And so I want to do whatever I can to ensure that we fund the military properly, that we are looking at the armed services as a whole. We're really fortunate that we've brought things like the KC-46 maintenance depot to Tinker Air Force Base. And I want to make sure that we're continuing to think forward in how we can continue to make Tinker a strategic place for our military to be housed.”

Rep. Bice also spoke about criminal justice reform and the need to dedicate resources to education, training and preparation for life outside of prison and productivity in society, as well as being part of a remarkable freshman class of legislators.

“I've had the opportunity to get to know my freshman classmates and, not only do we have an incredible freshmen class group of women, but we have an incredible class of diversity. And I think that that's really one of the most exciting things is that this 117th freshmen class, is [that it is] reflective of America. You have Native Americans, African-Americans, you have women, you have minorities, you have veterans. And so it really runs the gamut. The women in this class are truly incredible… I'm excited to get to work. I think we're going to able to really make a difference for the country and it's going to be a great opportunity. I'm looking forward to it.”

Special thanks to Chairman’s Event Presenting Sponsor Cox Communications and Host Sponsor The Chickasaw Nation.