The time has come to renew your membership with the Oklahoma Society of Professional Advocates, and I want to first thank you for your membership in OKSPA for the last year. Without the commitment of members like you, it wouldn't be possible to have an organization with the goal of advancing lobbying and government affairs as a profession in the State of Oklahoma. In addition, the combined force of our membership give us the ability to have a unified voice in protecting the lobbying industry in Oklahoma and advocating for improved Ethics laws and regulations.
Although the last year and a half has presented challenges for all of us, OKSPA has still engaged in a number of positive activities and will continue to improve the member benefits we provide to you. As a recap, here are a few highlights from this year:
OKSPA hired a new Executive Director, Geoffrey Long, to help serve our membership. Geoffrey has a background as an attorney and former General Counsel of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. His experience will help in our efforts to advocate for improved Ethics laws and to offer compliance resources for our members.
OKSPA hosted its first reception for legislative staff only. As we all know, a good relationship with legislative staff is key for getting business done at the Capitol. We received tremendous feedback from legislative staff, and everyone looks forward to making this an annual event. This event will help our members develop and maintain effective relationships with legislative staff.
OKSPA, through our Executive Director, presented a number of concerns with the late filing fee process, as well as proposed remedies, to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission at a Commission meeting. We have followed that up by presenting proposed Ethics Rule amendments that will implement our suggestions. You can see the presentation to the Commission, our suggested Ethics Rule changes, and more, at www.okspa.org/latereports (use the password "OKSPA1" to access the page).
OKSPA adopted a Code of Conduct for its members. OKSPA believes its members should uphold the highest integrity in the industry to promote and protect the industry. We hope to make this Code of Conduct an industry standard in Oklahoma.
OKSPA has a partnership with LegisOK where if you are a subscriber to the LegisOK services, as a member of OKSPA you can receive their campaign finance report for FREE. This report costs other subscribers $1,000, which you receive for free as an OKSPA member.
As we continue to progress and build our association, we have many benefits we hope to bring you. We have educational videos in development that will help you to better understand and stay compliant with the Ethics Rules. OKSPA will host another legislative staff reception during next legislative session to help our members build relationships with legislative staff. We will continue to actively engage with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission to protect the industry from overly burdensome regulation. Beyond all that, there is so much more value we hope to bring you as a member of the Oklahoma Society of Professional Advocates.
In order to continue the great things we have going on and the things we hope to bring to our members, we are asking for your commitment for another of membership in the Oklahoma Society of Professional Advocates. The cost of annual membership remains $1,000. Can we count on you for another year of membership in OKSPA?
If so, a separate email with an invoice has been sent to you through Square for payment of your annual dues. If you have any questions, feedback, or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me at geoff@okspa.org or 405-613-3630. You are also welcome to reach out to our President, Jim Dunlap, at jim@dunlapconsultants.com or 405-361-5399.
Kind regards,
Geoffrey Long
Executive Director
geoff@okspa.org
405-613-3630