Tulsa Chamber Backpedals, Apologizes To Inhofe

The Tulsa Metro Chamber plans to issue an apology Tuesday to U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe for what it called misinterpreting his remarks concerning a defense bill and a provision on gays in the military, according to a letter obtained by the Tulsa World on Monday night.

"In working with Senator Inhofe's staff, we now understand Senator Inhofe's remarks were made in an attempt to clarify a legislative matter associated with the repeal of the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy,'' Chamber President and CEO Mike Neal stated in the letter, which was intended for release as a Tulsa World letter to the editor on Tuesday.

"He provided examples of constituent communication in an effort to refute speculative fears about certain sections of the repealed National Defense Authorization Act.''

Neal said the chamber misunderstood Inhofe's message during an appearance at a chamber event last week. That misunderstanding, he wrote, led to a misrepresentation of Inhofe's intentions.

"Senator Inhofe is a steadfast supporter and champion of business issues and we apologize for misinterpreting his remarks,'' he wrote. "We appreciate all that he has done for the Chamber, Tulsa, Oklahoma and the Nation."

Share |

Peterson, Chambers Of Commerce Square Off

The Tulsa and Oklahoma City chambers of commerce remained steadfast Tuesday in their opposition to a state ban on embryonic stem cell research, despite harsh words from a Tulsa-area legislator who called the organizations’ position “shocking.”

“The idea that Oklahoma should condone the destruction of innocent human life in the name of 'economic development’ is indefensible,” said Rep. Pam Peterson, R-Tulsa. “Our law clearly states that human life begins at conception. Now the chambers are advocating the destruction of a legally recognized life in exchange for research dollars, saying the state should determine the best use of a person’s life for the state’s purposes.”

Read the entire story here.

Share |

Ethics Rule Change Prompts Event Cancellation

The Tulsa Metro Chamber has canceled a weekend event planned to entertain lawmakers because of a new state ethics rule that says a "lobbyist principal" cannot give a legislator more than $300 per year in gifts.

"I am extremely disappointed about this," said Mike Neal, the chamber's CEO. He said the weekend event was designed to tell legislators about the city by showing them the town, Neal explained.

The new ethics rule that took effect on July 1 states that a "lobbyist principal" cannot give a lawmaker more than $300 a year in gifts, including meals and tickets to events. Lobbyists are interpreting the rule to mean that if they are a member of a chamber of commerce, the courting of a lawmaker by any member of the chamber would count toward the $300 limit. Neal said the chamber's attorney has advised him that it would be better to cancel the weekend plans.

Share |