Senate Co-President Praises House Passage of Quality Jobs Bill to Attract NBA

The co-president pro tempore of the Oklahoma State Senate praised Thursday’s passage by the House of Representatives of legislation to tweak the Quality Jobs Act to encourage the National Basketball Association to move a professional basketball team to Oklahoma.

The State Senate passed the bill Tuesday. The bill now goes to Gov. Brad Henry, who is expected to sign the legislation.

“The State of Oklahoma has done its part to help attract an NBA franchise to Oklahoma. Landing a major league sports team will provide an economic benefit to the entire state, and will put Oklahoma on the map as a ‘major league’ state,” stated Sen. Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, author of SB 1819. “This is fabulous news for the people of Oklahoma.”

Coffee noted that the state budget won’t be impacted because the rebates provided for in this bill would come from funds that the state wouldn’t receive at all if the NBA doesn’t locate a team here.