John Dobberstein, Editor
Gov. Kevin Stitt delivered his State of the State address to lawmakers Monday, vowing to continue a politically conservative agenda that focuses on protecting taxpayers, cutting taxes and bureaucracy, making the state “the best in the nation” for business.
In his address to Oklahoma’s 60th Legislature, Stitt asserted the state recently built the largest savings account in history, passed the largest tax cut in state history and he added “our economy is the strongest it’s ever been.”
Stitt said Oklahoma is a top ten state for business, fourth highest in the U.S. for GDP growth, second highest on the lowest cost of doing business, and eighth in net migration.
“For those of us in this room, I want to remind you, we are here for such a time as this. We will face challenges, but we’re stronger when we face them together as fellow Oklahomans and fellow Americans,” Stitt said. “I’ve thought a lot about what we’ve been called here to do — to build on the success of those who came before us, to steward what we have been given, and to dream about what’s possible for our kids and grandkids.”
Citing massive budget deficits the state faced in 2018, Stitt said he wants to set a savings floor of $4 billion dollars, “to ensure we can weather any financial storm.”
Citing the results of Donald Trump’s re-election, Stitt declared, “we have a mandate to support and pass conservative, limited government legislation that makes the American Dream possible for all four million Oklahomans.”
Stitt called for lawmakers to support passing a “half and a path” — a half point cut to the individual and business income tax and a path to zero income tax.
“States all around us – Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Colorado and Louisiana – are cutting their income taxes and have lower rates than we do,” Stitt said. “We need to ask ourselves: how big should government be? States like Texas and Florida spend less per person than any other state.
And you don’t hear anyone complaining about their roads, schools or hospitals.
“They also have no income tax. If we don’t act quickly, we are going to be left behind and we’ll be considered a high-tax state.
“I like to remind the naysayers when we cut taxes, the money doesn’t disappear. It simply stays in Oklahomans’ pockets and gets reinvested in our economy. In times of excess revenue, Oklahomans should keep more of their hard-earned money.
After visiting President Trump’s estate in Mar-a-Lago a few weeks ago, Stitt said talked to Trump about the federal Department of Government Efficiency and decided he would do the same in Oklahoma, “to keep the focus on flat budgets and limited government.
“For years, I’ve instructed my cabinet secretaries and agency directors to shrink employee count and cut unnecessary contracts. I am committed to having fewer state employees at the end of my term than when I took office in 2019.”
Stitt said Oklahoma’s targeted recruiting of data companies is working, as Google, “continues to invest in its data center in Pryor and now it’s one of its largest in the world. A few weeks ago, President Trump announced a $20 billion dollar investment in data centers across the country – and Oklahoma is on that list.”
Devon, Continental and ONEOK are continuing to increase their footprint in Oklahoma, and Expand Energy made its home in Oklahoma City as the largest natural gas producer in the nation. Stitt said he wants to “continue to unleash Oklahoma’s energy potential.”
Stitt also called for the setup of business courts to be finished this session to “business disputes and complicated contracts will be handled by judges with business expertise.”
Stitt also touted state officials for “ushering in the largest education freedom movement in the nation” by promoting open transfer, passing a trac credit so money could follow a student, and paving the way for the first ever religious charter school in the nation. The charter school has caused major controversy and the U.S. Supreme Court will hear an appeal on the case.
According to Stitt’s office, DOGE-OK is authorized to collaborate with state agencies, officials, and existing government efficiency initiatives to identify and eliminate waste. His executive order creates an unpaid position of Chief DOGE Advisor that reports to Stitt. Stitt said the chief will lead the division independently and have broad authority to review agency budgets and operations.
Stitt said the order “further requires state agency directors take immediate steps to ensure DOGE-OK receives full access to agency records, data, software systems and IT systems.”
State Sen. Mary Boren (D-Norman), opted to skip the address Monday, stating she was standing in “solidarity” with the Oklahoma Legislative Latino Caucus to, “elevate our founding value of welcoming ‘huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” and ask Stitt to provide fair and humane treatment for our “beloved” immigrant and refugee neighbors, classmates, parishioners, family members, and co-workers.
Senate Democratic Leader Julia Kirt responded to the governor’s State of the State today, saying the state needs a new plan that focuses on solving real problems for Oklahomans, not just political talking points.
“After hearing the governor’s speech, it is even clearer why the Senate Democrats’ plan is needed to help move our state forward. Our plan focuses on making sure every student gets a great education, creating a strong economy with good jobs, ensuring families have the resources they need for their health, and making the government fair for everyone.
“These choices put politics ahead of people, making it harder for Oklahomans to get good paying jobs and trust that our state government is working for everyone. We are committed to solutions to problems they face every day, not just what wins political favors and gets attention online. It’s time for a new vision. We know that Oklahomans deserve healthier, more prosperous lives and we’re ready to fight to make that vision a reality.”
House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, expressed concern that Stitt is “more focused on appeasing the President than solving problems for everyday Oklahomans.
“The Governor’s address did not make me confident that he is prioritizing Oklahomans who are relying on us to find solutions to the financial challenges they face,” said Munson. “He is prioritizing DC-style politics and talking points rather than the overwhelming needs of Oklahomans who have had to go session after session not seeing solutions that work for them.”
Leader Munson added that she doesn’t believe the “half and a path” tax cut proposal is the best solution for Oklahoma families.
“House Democrats are focused on targeted financial relief for those who need it most and protecting revenue to fund core functions of state government. We are focused on lowering costs for working families by modernizing and expanding the Sales Tax Relief Credit, expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, raising the minimum wage, making childcare affordable, and providing free school lunch for students,” she said.
“We believe that living should cost less between paychecks, that every child deserves free, quality public education, and that we all have the best chance of success when we’re healthy and have access to the care that we need. Oklahomans deserve leaders focused on making that possible.”
Robert Gancarz says
And how many of those states surround Oklahoma with lower or no state income tax have spent 6 million dollars on Bibles?
If you cut those taxes what state services are you going to eliminate due to the decreased funding?
What fees or other instruments are you going to create or increase to cover the loss in revenue?
We’ve seen this before. The politicians promised to lower the taxes on new cars, what they didn’t tell the public is they
were going to cover the loss in revenue by increasing the taxes on used car sales.
Beware the politician that bears promises that sound to good because they always are.