OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt delivered his third State of the State speech to lawmakers Monday, painting a rosy picture of the state’s economic rebound and vowing to take advantage of the reopened economy to help lure more business to the state.
Stitt delivered his speech - interrupted by applause more than 25 times - to a joint session in the House chamber and released his proposed executive budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Despite the deaths of more than 3,500 Oklahomans to COVID-19, the governor touted his decision to reopen the state’s economy in the early stages of the pandemic.
“It appears now other states are waking up to the stark reality of double-digit unemployment, huge budget deficits and the fact that our kids are safer at school than anywhere else,” Stitt said.
“They’re realizing we took the smart approach in Oklahoma.”
Democrats were quick to pan the governor’s speech, with House Democratic leader Rep. Emily Virgin describing it as the most politically divisive speech she has heard in her last 11 sessions and “more of a campaign speech rather than the united message that we need as a nation.”
“While we heard a rosy picture painted by the governor today, the reality is that his actions, or more often his failure to act, have cost Oklahomans financially, emotionally and physically,” Virgin said during a news conference outside the SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City. “No state wishes they would have responded to this pandemic the way Oklahoma has.”
Stitt said he has already taken advantage of the state’s aggressive reopening to attract a cattlemen’s conference to Oklahoma City from Denver, and that many companies in California have reached out to his office looking for relocation opportunities.
“We’ve been aggressive,” Stitt said. “We’re reaching out to companies in states that are keeping businesses locked down and dictating their citizens’ personal freedoms.”
The first-term Republican is also hoping to reset his relationship with fellow GOP leaders in the House and Senate after a rift developed last year when budget negotiations broke down.
Stitt said he’s been meeting during the interim with House Speaker Charles McCall and Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, and that he’s optimistic about the upcoming session.
Despite the crash in energy prices and the havoc the coronavirus had on the state’s economy, Oklahoma’s budget picture is not too bleak. Lawmakers will have an estimated 8% more to spend on the upcoming fiscal year’s spending plan, and both Stitt and legislative leaders have said they expect a flat budget, with few increases or decreases in agency appropriations. That’s mostly because the Legislature used almost $1 billion in “one-time” revenue to build last year’s budget that won’t be available this year.
“It’s because of these tough decisions - reopening our economy, how we spent our COVID Relief Funds across the state, and the Legislature’s careful budget - that the Fiscal Year 2022 predictions are much better than many states,” Stitt said. “We’ll be able to invest in strategic places while avoiding cuts.”
Stitt is proposing a $32 million funding boost for the Department of Commerce, which would include a $20 million deposit into a Quick Action Closing Fund the governor could use to help lure companies to the state.
Stitt also is proposing saving about $300 million by depositing it into a Revenue Stabilization Fund that could be used to shore up state agencies in the event of another economic downturn.
The governor also proposed a change in how student counts are calculated at public schools, shifting away from the current formula that allows schools to select their highest number of students over the previous three years, which he suggested leads to “ghost students” who transfer districts and end up being counted twice.
“We’re sending money to districts to educate kids who don’t go there, and that’s simply not fair,” he said.
Another policy change endorsed by the governor is to remove employment protections for many state workers.
“Agency leaders have their hands tied in who they can hire and promote because of outdated restrictions,” he said.
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