Issues

ECONOMY & JOBS

As a successful small business owner, Al knows that small businesses are the backbone of the Oklahoma economy. That is why he supports tax incentives that would spur small business growth and economic development and put more Oklahomans back to work. He strongly opposes tax breaks for corporations that move jobs overseas and believes we should use those tax breaks for employers who expand here in Oklahoma.

Al works hard to ensure that Oklahoma taxpayers are getting their money’s worth from their state government. As a champion for hard working, middle class families, Al has faught against reductions in benefits for our teachers, law enforcement officers and thousands of other state employees.

As Assistant Minority Floor Leader and a member of the Economic Development, Tourism & Financial Services Committee, Al works hard everyday to protect Oklahoma’s workers, create an atmosphere for economic growth and bring quality jobs back to Oklahoma.

CHILDREN

As a father of three and grandfather of eight, Al McAffrey understands that investing in our children is an investment in our future.

During his tenure in the Oklahoma State House, Al has fought diligently to improve the life, education, and health care of all Oklahoma children. He has strongly supported expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to cover more Oklahoma kids and has supported legislation to mandate health care coverage for children with autism, giving them an increased opportunity for a productive adulthood.

Al has also fought to overhaul the Department of Human Services with an eye toward making sure our children are safe in foster homes and easing adoption regulations so good parents can be more quickly matched with deserving kids.

HEALTHCARE

The current health care issue is an expanding crisis. Many hard working families in Oklahoma can’t afford quality health insurance and thousands more are denied the care they need even though they are insured. The system is broken and Al McAffrey understands the burden this has placed on the people of his district . He has pledged to fight for affordable health care for all Oklahomans. Al believes that we need to bring everyone, including the business community, insurance companies, health care providers and patient advocates, to the table to find a common-sense solution to ensure that basic health care is affordable to every Oklahoma worker and their dependent children.

VETERANS

As a veteran of the United States Navy, Al is deeply committed to fighting for the protection of Oklahoma’s veterans.

During the 2008 session of the Oklahoma Legislature a bill was introduced to create the Oklahoma Veterans Health Insurance Program. This program would have ensured that all veterans had access to quality health care when they returned home to Oklahoma. Unfortunately Al’s republican colleagues in the House of Representatives chose to derail the popular proposal that would have greatly benefited Oklahoma’s veterans.

Al believes we should spare no expense when it comes to caring for the men and women who have so bravely fought for our freedom and security.

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

Al McAffrey believes that Oklahoma should become a leader in alternative energy. He believes we should shift tax incentives from the single-fuel economy that leaves us depended on foreign oil and toward the development of alternative fuels that can be produced right here in Oklahoma. Oklahoma has an abundant supply of natural resources like wind, natural gas, and switchgrass. Al understands that with these natural resources Oklahoma could easily become a leader in the shift toward a new, clean energy economy. Al knows we should move forward with investments into renewable energy sources that can create thousands of jobs in Oklahoma while reducing our dependence on foreign oil and becoming a leader on addressing global climate change.

EDUCATION

Beginning with early childhood education, Al McAffrey knows that for Oklahoma to remain competitive in the American marketplace, our education system must remain focused on providing a classroom environment that stimulates learning and rewards achievement. After losing many excellent teachers to surrounding states because of pay incentives, Al believes it’s time to properly fund Oklahoma’s education system – and that means raising teacher pay. Al supported Governor Brad Henry’s teacher pay raise initiatives and has worked with other state leaders to improve Oklahoma’s high school graduation rate. However, Al understands that we must also make a commitment to invest in our students. That’s why he supports expanding the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program so that more young Oklahomans can attend and graduate from college or career techs. Al knows that investing in higher education is one of the most critical ways we can encourage business development and economic growth in Oklahoma. Al also believes that forms of higher education other than four-year universities also need to be more affordable. He will work to enhance funding for Career Techs and Trade Schools which offer working Oklahomans opportunities to learn marketable skills, increase their incomes, and prepare for a changing economic landscape that will soon need more people trained for jobs in the emerging new energy economy.