Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
On Monday Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt gave the annual State of the State address to members of the 58th legislature. Governor Stitt who is up for reelection this fall; touted his accomplishments as Governor and addressed what he hopes his administration can accomplish going forward.
One such accomplishment Governor Stitt mentioned was the state’s low unemployment rate. Stitt said, “40,000 more Oklahomans have jobs today compared to when I took office as unemployment skyrocketed in some parts of the country ours is down to just 2.3 %, it’s the lowest in state history”.
As for his agenda going forward, Governor Stitt voiced support for school choice legislation saying “I pledge to support any legislation that gives parents more school choice because in Oklahoma we need to fund students, not systems”. That would include bills like Senate Bill 1647 otherwise known as Oklahoma Empowerment Act.
The bill proposed by Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City would allow parents to choose between public and private schooling, and to still have their tax dollars follow them regardless of which choice they made. A fund called the Oklahoma Empowerment Account Revolving Fund would pay for the expenditures.
Another issue addressed by Governor Stitt is College or Career readiness for Oklahoma students. Stitt said, “Let’s tear down silos between K-12 career techs and higher Ed to train the next generation. Every student needs to be college-ready or career-ready”. According to the Oklahoma Department of education, as of 2021 only 18% of High School graduates in Oklahoma met college readiness benchmarks on the ACT and SAT.
Governor Stitt addressed how his administration has handled the supply chain issues saying “We’ve launched an innovative platform to help Oklahoma manufacturers solve supply chain issues. Our system connects them to buyers and sellers and keeps their money in Oklahoma, more than 400 companies are already signed up”. The tool is Connex Oklahoma which is an online database that helps manufacturers connect with alternate suppliers.
Eliminating the Oklahoma State grocery sales tax is another goal of the Stitt administration for 2022. Governor Stitt argues that this is necessary to help ease the burden of inflation on Oklahomans. The Stitt administration also wants to eliminate the income tax on the retirement funds of military veterans.
Adding stricter regulations on the Oklahoma medical marijuana industry is also a priority for Governor Stitt in 2022. Governor Stitt believes that the license to operate marijuana facilities is too cheap. He also voiced concerns that he believes some of the medical marijuana being produced legally is being sold illegally due to lax regulations. The Stitt administration also plans to improve the Kickapoo Turnpike and other roads in 2022.
During the speech, Governor Stitt was upbeat and energetic. Several rounds of applause from those in attendance indicate that Governor Stitt is well supported by the Oklahoma state legislature heading into the 2022 election season.
Those wishing to watch the Oklahoma State of the State address in its entirety can do so at the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXN6mAVU6WY&t=433s
