A plant closure in Miami, Oklahoma sparks part of an 11 point agenda to bring and keep jobs in Oklahoma. The suggestions have been presented to the Oklahoma legislature by a coalition of Chambers of Commerce statewide.
The plan ranges from topics of healthcare to worker's compensation.
One hitting close to home in Ottawa County is lawsuit reform, which is directly attributed to Blitz USA, a Miami gas can manufacturer who shut it's doors and laid off workers after a consumer misuse lawsuit left it bankrupt.
"Frivolous lawsuits that put back unnecessary liability on a manufacturer need to be stopped," says Michele Bolton of the Miami Area Chamber of Commerce.
Bolton says the 11 point agenda seeks to create new legislation's to protect businesses and also make a welcoming environment for new business to move to the state.
"We lobby and we want to make sure that laws are passed to help strengthen our business foundations," says Bolton.
The coalition of Chambers are not the only ones trying to address the issue. At Work Force Oklahoma in Miami, they say between 700 and 1,000 people walk through their doors every month just looking for a little help securing a job.
"We have access to somewhere where we can get training to improve our skills, to move up in our job, to transition to a different type of employment, a place where employers can go to find employees, to take advantage of some of the tax credits that are available," says Paul Marquez, the manager of the Work Force Center.
Currently Ottawa and Delaware counties have slightly higher unemployment rates that the rest of the country.
Bolton says the goal of the agenda is to see 11 separate bills address their concerns.
For a complete look at the agenda visit Joint Jobs Agenda (PDF).
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