Business advocates say the lack of affordable housing in rural Oklahoma is stalling growth in the region.
Officials from the Oklahoma Panhandle and other rural areas appeared at the state Capitol Tuesday to discuss the region's housing needs.
Vicky Ayres McCune of the Panhandle Regional Economic Development Coalition says more than 500 people who work in Guymon commute from Texas or Kansas because of a lack of housing in the area.
Rep. Mike Jackson of Enid, who requested the interim legislative study, says he is looking for ways to encourage builders to construct affordable housing for workers in the energy and agricultural fields.
A bill authored by Jackson to create an Oklahoma income tax credit similar to the federal low-income housing tax credit is pending in the Senate.
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