rather than corporate donors, leading to increased voter turnout and a greater sense of empowerment for the voters. >> when you appeal to the people whose voices will be amplified by this expense. >> over the past 20 years, our campaign finance system has changed drastically. our system -- system before was not perfect, but we have the opportunity to make things better. we can level the playing field, reduce the power of big corporations and wealthy, and make the country more democratic over the next 20 years. >> to watch this and all winning entries, visit our website at studentcam.org. >> and not to oklahoman well -- where republican governor kevin stitt touted his admission making the state as strong as it has ever been. this was his sixth state of the state address. this is 45 minutes.

[applause]

>> members of the legislature, executive officers, tribal leaders, members of the judiciary and people of oklahoma. it is my distinct honor to recognize my friend the chief executive, our governor kevin >> members of the legislature, executive officers, tribal leaders, members of the judiciary, and people of oklahoma, it is my distinct honor to recognize my friend, the chief executive, our governor, kevin stitt. >> thank you. thank you so much. thank you. thank you so much. thank you. thank you so much.

lieutenant governor matt pennell, mr. speaker, mr. president pro tem, and members of the 59th legislature, members of the judiciary, statewide elected officials, thank you for your service to our great state. tribal leaders, to my cabinet, thank you guys so much for serving the state with such distinction. it's such an honor to serve with you. to my wife, sarah, the greatest first lady in the country. .. to my children who are here with me today and my son-in-law. [laughter] to my children who are with me today, and my son-in-law, and

most importantly, to my fellow oklahomans, first off, i want to give thanks to my heavenly father for allowing me to serve in this position, and for all the blessings that he has for our great state. it is my honor and privilege to stand before you today to give my sixth state of the state address. and i know for some of you, you are excited because that means you only have to listen to me two more times. but as we begin this session, i'm happy to report that the state of our state is the strongest it has ever been. as part of our succession -- i

want to recognize -- before we get started, lieutenant governor matt pennell, greg tree, speaker charles mccall, for all the hard work they have done over the last five years. never an oklahoma history have the same for elected officials serve together for all six years. we have never in oklahoma history have the same four elected officials served together for all six years. we haven't always agreed, but we have accomplished a great deal working together for the people of oklahoma. i'm so proud to work with you guys. thank you so much for your service. i also want to thank each of you in this room for all of the hard work you do on behalf of your constituents.

we can't do any of this on our own. in first corinthians, 12:14, paul talks about the body of christ. he is talking about referring to the church. i think the lesson also applies here in this building. we have to work together to accomplish and move our state forward. as we fight for the well-being of those who entrusted us with leadership, there's going to be challenges. but we can face those challenges with a vision of hope. hope comes from neighbors walking with neighbors and churches and communities coming alongside those in need. we are so blessed in oklahoma to have people who bring that hope to those who are in the most hopeless situations. and today, i want to highlight my gal -- they renovated a nursing home for women aging

out of the foster care system. their guiding scripture is matthew 18:14. even so, it is the will of your father, which is in heaven, that not one of these little ones should perish. they truly have a heart for the lord. they are teaching young women that their future can be better than their present. the women that they care for are some of the most at risk for human trafficking. send me legislation that further protects our most vulnerable populations from those who seek to exploit them. we have gail and mike here with us today. we are so proud to have you on our staff. would you please stand up? we know hope is not a speech or a government program that's why we started being a neighbor.org

to connect people in need we know hope is not a speech or government program. that is why we started beaneighbor.org, to connect people with churches and nonprofits in their city. hope emerges when you can see a path forward. i'm grateful to my wife, sarah, who started hope rising oklahoma. because of her efforts, oklahoma is the patient's first hope centered state. and now, people from around the country are starting to take notice. thank you, sarah, for standing with me for the last 20 years and being such an inspiration to so many oklahomans. i love you so much.

hope comes from hard work because we know we are designed by our creator to work to provide for our families, and to contribute to society. you know, it comes from teaching our young people that their future could be bright, and you can accomplish anything you set your mind to do. so what is our job as state leaders? to create more government programs or to get government out of the way? excessive government intervention encourages people to look to government programs instead of personal responsibility. there's a school of thought called the success sequence that really outlines three simple steps to combat poverty. number one, graduate high school. number two, get a job. number three, get married before having kids. that is it. those three things are a surefire way to keep families out of poverty.

that is why we need strong families, teaching values in the state of oklahoma. we are living in the most fatherless generation in our history. in 1970, just 10% of kids were born out of wedlock. today, that statistic is staggering. nearly 40% of kids are born to single mothers. single mothers are five times more likely to be in poverty and two-parent families. we know that the best preventer of poverty is a married mom -- married parents living in the home. we became the first state in the nation to declare family month this past november. that is the culture we are promoting here in oklahoma. we know it works. i laid out a vision to make oklahoma to in 2019, i i addressed this bod

for the very first time. i laid out a vision to make oklahoma top 10 in everything that we do. i said, the oklahoma turnaround starts right now. and we are well on our way. we have gotten government out of the way. we have a lot families and businesses to thrive. we have revolutionized our education system. we have created more options for parents and students, while also investing more in our teachers, and our public schools than ever before. regulations and it made it easier for businesses to navigate state governments. we have cut excessive regulations and made it easier for businesses to navigate state government. since then, it has become more clear to me that government is not the answer.

in the last five years, we have had record revenue growth, the lowest unemployment, and record savings. we are top 10 in real gdp growth. we are number six in lowest cost of living. we are number eight in energy affordability. we have, in oklahoma, and energy advantage because we are promoting our bedrock industries of oil and natural gas. there are also pioneering new forms of energy, and now, we are number three in the country in wind energy production. we are securing the critical mineral supply chain right here in oklahoma. now, we are top 10 in people moving to the great state of oklahoma. people are looking at oklahoma as the example of a shining

city on a hill. i want each of you to take a moment to consider, what is possible in oklahoma over the next 20 years? the oklahoma you want your children and grandchildren to live in. do we want a state that is stuck in a boom bust cycle, or do we want prosperity and growth, like we have experienced over the last five years? when i stop to think about it, think about what oklahoma looks like in 20 years, here is what i see. i see people moving here from all over the country. so they can be part of it. they can keep more of their hard-earned money, thanks to our 0% income tax. are the buss headquarters capitol of the world. because of our energy advantage we are the manufacturing, the ai, and the i see entrepreneurs flocking here, and we are the business

headquarters capital of the world. because of our energy advantage, we are the manufacturing -- the ai -- and the data center capital of the world. our schools, our colleges, universities, are teaching our kids how to think, not what to think. students from all over the country are coming to oklahoma to take part in the free flow of ideas. reflexive universities have each grown to over 40,000 students. they are the premier think tanks in their fields. i see oklahomans who take seriously the commandment to take care of the widow and the orphan. i see a state where family values are foundational. i see a state where our communities are safe and the oklahoma standard is alive and well, and our state is thriving. we can't let success make us complacent and forget what made

the oklahoma dream possible, which is free enterprise and individual liberties, not more government programs. shine. if we are a top 10 state all will rise education, ladies and gentlemen, now is our time to shine. if we are a top 10 state, all boats will arise. education, infrastructure, healthcare, quality-of-life. it is not that complicated. the economy is going to follow the path of least resistance. our job is to make oklahoma the state where it is easiest to start and grow a business. so let's talk about how to get there. to accomplish our vision, and to create the most business friendly state for freedom and opportunity to abound for every person, a top 10 state for generations to come, we need to put -- we need to limit the

growth of government. we cannot keep putting more burdens on our taxpayers. kevin o'leary from shark tank came to visit oklahoma weeks ago. as he explores places to make new investments, he says, he would never invest in states like california, new york, because of their overregulation and their taxes. oklahoma has the business environment he is looking to tap into. to be the best state for business and attract top level ceos, we need to keep pushing business friendly policies and reducing burdensome regulations. i'm calling on the legislature to take a page out of delaware and texas is playbook, and let's set up a system of court specifically designed to address business disputes. okay. businesses need assurances that disputes will be adjudicated by

courts with expertise in business law. next, i'm calling on local governments to join us in the effort to be the most business friendly state in the nation. if our local governments are levying huge permitting fees or delaying projects, it will chill investments and costs companies to look elsewhere. we have to match our competition . dallas, kansas city, denver, houston, to make oklahoma the business headquarters capital of the world. we are going to be inviting energy companies to come here and join the ranks of devon and williams and continental and one oak. we want more retail giants like hobby lobby and quick trip to

call oklahoma home. we want to keep building our aerospace and defense industry, with companies like american airlines and boeing and lockheed martin. we want to secure the critical mineral supply chain and loosen china's grip on these technologies. [applause] i know we can do that right hear from our backyard we arty have companies like blue whale rare i know we can do that right here from our backyard. we already have companies like blue whale, rare earth usa, and stardust. they are setting up shop, and they are part of that critical mineral supply chain we need for our national defense. if we get our regulations right with our low cost of energy, our central location, are strong workforce, oklahoma is

the perfect place for new industries looking for a home. you know, each new industry is part of something great in our state. in oklahoma, we say, we feed the world. we fueled the world. we defend freedoms around the world. we have a sustainable government budget to solidify our prosperity for years to come. listen to this. new york , .8 let's make sure we have a n sustainable government budget to solidify our prosperity for years to come. listen to this. new york -- they have 19.8 million people. their annual budget is $233 billion a year. florida, one of the fastest- growing states. it is actually bigger than new york with 22 million people. their annual budget is half that, about $116 billion a year.

florida doesn't have an income tax. new york is at 10.9%. last year, i called the legislature to cut the personal income tax from 4.75% to 3.99%. i have called three special sessions to try to give oklahomans a pay raise. instead, our recurring expenses grew last year by over $1.14 billion. that doesn't include one-time expenses like arpa. with record savings and surpluses, and asking us all, if not now, then when? in the 1990s, we earned a 7% income tax. i'm renewing my call.

let's get oklahoma back on the path to zero. you have heard me say, year after year, we don't need more taxes. we need more taxpayers. two years ago we cut a quarter quarter-point from the individual tax rates we lowered business tax two years ago, we cut a quarter- point from the individual tax rate. we lowered business tax by two full percentage points. since then, revenue collections have increased by $1.5 billion. that has been the trend after every tax cut we have passed. so i will sign any tax cut that comes to my desk because as we have growth, it should be automatic to return excess to the taxpayers, not to seek out bigger government programs. if more government spending was

the answer, florida it would be falling apart. the opposite of truth states like new york and california that are falling apart. they are if more government spending was the answer, florida would be falling apart. the opposite is true. it is states like new york and california that are falling apart. they are facing huge, massive budget crises. people are moving here every single day from states like california. because they see opportunity. they see freedoms. and they see they can keep more of their hard-earned money. it is not tax cuts that will get us in trouble. it is the unrestricted growth of government. i'm not -- that is why i'm calling for flat budgets across government this year. to be clear, i'm not advocating

for cutting core services. what i am advocating for is a sustainable amount of growth where we are funding our needs, not our wants. listen. there is never a shortage of new programs or someone pitching a good idea. in politics, you are only criticized for saying no. it is easy to feel like the wind is at our back, and we are leading, when we are always saying yes. but it is our job as leaders to make the tough decisions now, for the future prosperity of oklahoma. nomy is essential to being the most business friendly state. but we also have to haven't a strong economy is essential to being the most business friendly state. but we also have to have an education system that needs our workforce needs. thanks to everybody in this room, we led the nation bypassing the revolutionary

parental choice tax credit last year. [applause] now, students and parents have more options than ever. because we know god gave kids to their parents, not to the government. now, students and parents, they have more options than ever. we know god gave kids to their parents, not to the government. p code school. her oldest child is thriving in public emily mcdonald, ooshe's an edmu mom of three. she sent her kids to their zip code schools. her oldest child is thriving in public schools.

her second child, a boy with autism, he faces struggles, but he has also gone the support he needs at school. but her younger daughter, she came home from school crying every single day because of the way other students treated her as she stood up for her brother with autism. emily had recently lost her husband and was raising these three children on her own. she saw her daughter starting to fall behind academically because of the bullying she was experiencing. on a single income, she didn't know how she would be able to afford to send her daughter to another school. she enrolled her daughter in a private christian school, praying they would be approved for the tax credit. well, i'm happy to report her daughter is thriving in the new school. and have a school year, she has jumped 3 grade levels in reading. emily is with us today. i wanted to recognize her and her daughter. would you please stand up?

[applause] there are so many reasons parents may choose a different school that is not their neighborhood school and it is our job to make sure they have that freedom. looking forward let's focus on opening the there are so many reasons r parents may choose a different school that isn't their neighborhood school. it is our job to make sure they have that freedom. looking forward, let's focus on opening the door to more workforce oriented schools. so every kid in oklahoma is college ready, or they are career ready. let's empower community leaders to start new innovative schools that are molded to the needs of our states let's empower community leaders to start new, innovative schools that are molded to the needs of our state, and prepare our

students for the future workforce. we want more schools that prepare kids for the workforce, like christo rey, or the norman aviation academy. these high schools focus on career training instead of only focusing on college . the norman aviation academy, it is a public school that gives students hands on experience in the aviation industry. you know, students can work toward their pilots license or their technical certificates in aviation maintenance, and they can leave school with great jobs with aviation companies, right here in the state of oklahoma. christo rey, it requires kids to intern one day a week at different companies, so they gain valuable work experience. let's have more of these schools come and beat number one in the nation in charter schools. well.

oklahoma's top 10 in charter especiallyly when we are alread proving that they work so well. oklahoma is top 10 in charter school performance. not only that, oklahoma ranks number one in the nation -- number one in the nation -- for smaller racial performance gaps in our charter schools. so why are there still barriers for charter schools to use vacant school buildings? let's put some of these vacant school facilities to use and get more high-performing charter schools up and running, especially in areas with poor performing public schools. sch, more freedoms. send me legislation that paves the way for more charter schools is students more more schools. more innovation.

legislation that paves the way for more charter schools and gives students more options. additionally, i want to empower our colleges and our universities to be the very best in the nation. and to be the best, we need to shift our focus to outcome- based higher education models and stop subsidizing institutions with low enrollment and low graduation rates. technology has transformed the way we do higher education. so we can't keep lying on 20th- century education models to bring our students into the future workforce. each college and university needs to focus in on the subjects they are best at and become the premier institutions in their area.

send me legislation that incentivizes models that fulfill our states workforce needs. also, want our regions to focus on consolidating colleges and universities that are not meeting this standard. in oklahoma, education freedom is for every single student at every single level. we cannot be the best state for businesses and have the greatest education system and the greatest universities, but if we don't have safe communities, nobody's going to want to live here. so i want to be clear. oklahoma is a law and order state. we support our law enforcement. we punish criminals. we protect our citizens. i want to put we support our law enforcement.

we punish criminals. we protect our citizens. i want to put criminals on notice. you are not welcome here. you will serve time. we also believe in fair sentences. we believe in second chances. i knew i would get the democrats going in a second. we work hard to make sure we are prosecuting crimes and rehabilitating those with substance abuse and mental health struggles.

and we are focusing on eliminating barriers for those who have served their time. with efforts like the sara stidd act, we are second in the nation in recidivism rates. now, we need to limit fines, fees, and court costs to only what is needing -- needed for restitution. we need to address civil asset forfeiture.

it is crazy to me that someone can be pulled over, have their cash and their truck taken for an alleged crime, get acquitted of that crime, but never get their property back. that isn't fair. we have to make sure that is not happening in the state of oklahoma. focus on our states and marijuana ind in 2022, ain 2022 when i addressed this chamber, i said we are going to focus on this states marijuana industry and get it back in line. thanks to a lot of you in this room, at its peak, reports showed somewhere between 12 to 14,000 licensed marijuana businesses, including many with links to criminal organizations , from china and mexico and russia, through the enforcement

actions of don anderson at obn, oklahoma has gone from having the reputation as the wild west of weed to now being viewed as having some of the most effective enforcement and regulatory oversight in the nation. licenses are down now 76%. >> we are going to leave this program to bring you to a live senate hearing on the 2025 budget request. the hearing comes as secretary alejandro mayorkas faces an impeachment trial next week.