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 stitt. >> thank you, thank you.

thanks so much. [applause] >> thank you, thank you so much. thank you. thank you so much. lieutenant governor matt, mr. speaker, mr. president pro tempore and members of the 59 legislature, members to have judiciary, statewide elected officials, thank you so much for your service to our great state, tribal leaders, to my cabinet, thank you guys so much for serving the state with sus distinction. such an honor to serve with you. to my wife sarah, the greatest first lady in the country. [applause] .. .. ..

to my children who are here with me today and my son-in-law. [laughter] and most importantly, to my fellow oklahomans. first off i went to give thanks to my heavenly father for allowing me to serve in this position for all the blessings 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 are excited that means you only have to listen to me two more times. [laughter] but as we begin this session i am happy to report the state of our state was the strongest it has ever been. [applause]

is part of our succession, i want to recognize before we get started lieutenant governor, president pro tem greg, speaker charles mccall for all of the hard work they have done over the last five years. [applause] [applause] never an oklahoma history have the same for elected officials serve together for all six years. we have not always agreed but we have accomplished a great at working together for the people of oklahoma. 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 the hard work you do on behalf of your constituents. we cannot do any of this on our own in first corinthians 12 -- 14 paul talks about the body of christ and he is talking about referring to the church but i think the lessons also apply here in this building. we have to work together to accomplish and move our state forward. and as we fight for the well-being of those who entrusted us with leadership there is going to be challenges. but we can face those challenges with a vision of hope. hope comes from neighbors walkingit neighbors and churches and communities coming alongside those in need. we are so blessed in oklahoma to have people who bring, who bring that hope to those who are in some of the most hopeless situations. and today i want to hail their

founders of the 99 plus one foundation that renovated an old nursing home into a home for young women aging out of the foster care system. they're guiding scripture as matthew 18: fourteen. even so it is 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 and they are teaching young women that their future can be better than their presence. the women that they care for are some of the most at risk for human trafficking. send me a legislation that further protects our most vulnerable populations for those who seek to exploit them. we have gayle and mike, here with us today we are so proud to have you in our state would you please stand up? [applause]

[applause] 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 with churches and nonprofits in their community. hope is a science that can be taught and hope emerges when you can see a path forward. i am grateful to my wife, sarah, who started hope rising oklahoma because of her efforts to teach the highlight of hope, oklahoma is the nation's first hope center state. and now, people from around the country starting to take notice. thank you sarah for standing with me the last 25 years and being such an inspiration to so many oklahomans. are.i love you so much.

[applause] hope comes from hard work because we know that we are designed by our creator to work, to provide for our families and to contribute to society. when it comes from teaching our young people that their future can 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 is a school of thought called the success sequence that really outlines three simple steps to combat poverty. number one, graduate from high school. number two, get a job. number three, get married before

having kids, that is it. those three things are a sure fire way to keep families out of poverty that is why we need strong families teaching values in the state of oklahoma. we aren't living and 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 than two-parent families. we know the best prevention of poverty is that married mom and married parents living in the home. so, we became the first state in the nation to declare a family y month this past november. that is the culture we are promoting here in oklahoma and we know it works. [applause]

in 2019 i address this body for the very first time and i laid out a vision to make oklahoma top 10 in everything that we do. and i said the oklahoma turnaround starts right now. we are well on our way. we have gotten government out of the way. we have allowed families and businesses to thrive. we have revolutionized our education system creating more options for parents and students while also investing more and our teachers and our public schools than ever before. [applause] we have cut excessive regulations and it made it easier for businesses to navigate state governments.

since then and has become even more clear to me government is not the answer. [applause] in the last five years we've had record revenue growth the lowest unemployment and record savings. we are top 10 in real gdp growth we are number six in the lowest cost of living we are number eight in energy affordability. we have come and oklahoma energy advantage 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. and now we are top 10 in people moving to the great state of oklahoma.

[applause] people are now looking to oklahoma as the example of a shining city on a hill. i want each of you and all of us in this room to take a moment and 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 stuck in a boom to bust cycle or do we want prosperity and growth like we have experienced over the last five years? when i stop to think about what oklahoma looks like in 20 years, here is what i see. i see people moving hear from all over the country so that they can be part, they can keep it more of their hard earned money thanks to her at 0% income tax. [applause]

i see entrepreneurs flocking here we are the business headquarters capitol of the world. because of our energy advantage we are the manufacturing, the ai, and the data center capitol of the world. our schools, our colleges or universities are teaching kids how to think about what to think and students from all over the country are coming to oklahoma to take part in the free flow of ideas our flagship universities have each grown to over 40000 students and there is a premier think tanks in their fields. i see oklahomans who take seriously the commandment to care for the widow and the orphan. i see a state where family values are foundational. i see estate where our communities are safe in the

oklahoma standard is alive and well and our state is thriving. but we cannot let success make us complacent and forget what made the oklahoma dream impossible which is free enterprise and individual liberties not more government programs. [applause] ladies and gentlemen now is our time to shine. if we are a top 10 state all will rise 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. let's talk about how to get there. to accomplish our vision and create the most business friendly steak or freedom and

opportunity and bound for every single person a top 10 state for generations to come we need to limit the growth of government. we cannot keep putting more burdens on our taxpayers said. kevin o'leary from a shark take came to visit oklahoma couple 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 estate for business and attract top level ceos we need to keep pushing business friendly policies and reducing burdensome regulations. i am calling on the legislature to take a page out of delaware and texas playbook let's set up

a system of courts specifically designed to address business disputes. businesses need assurances that disputes will be adjudicated by courts with expertise in business law. next i am calling on local governments to join us in the effort to be the most business friendly state in the nation. if our own local governments are levying huge permitting fees or delaying projects it will show investments and causing in causs to look elsewhere. we have to match our competition in dallas, kansas city, denver, houston, to make oklahoma the business headquarters capitol of the world. we're going to be inviting energy companies to come here and join the ranks of the devond williams, and continental, and one up.

we want more retail giants like hobby lobby and brahms and quiktrip to call oklahoma, home. we want to keep building aerospace and defense industry companies like american airlines and boeing and lockheed martin. we want to secure the critical mineral supply chain and a loose in china as a grip on these technologies. [applause] [applause] i know we can do that right hear from our backyard we arty have companies like blue whale rare earth usa and stardust setting up shop and they are part of the 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, our strong workforce, oklahoma is the perfect place for new industries looking for a home. each new industry is part of something great in our state. and oklahoma we say we feed the world. we fuel the world and we defend the freedoms around the world. [applause] but let's make sure we have a sustainable government budget to solidify our prosperity for years to come. listen to this. new york , .8 million people. their annual budget is $233 billion a year. florida, or the fastest growing

states is actually bigger than new york was a 22 million people. their annual budget is half that about $116 billion a year. florida does not have an income tax. new york is at 10.9%. last year i called on the legislature to cut the personal income tax 4.75% to 3.99%. i called three special sessions to try to give oklahoma pay raises. $1.4 billion. that does not include a one time expenses. with a record savings and surpluses i'm asking us all if not now then when? in the 1990s we were at a 7% income tax.

i am 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 do more taxpayers. [applause] two years ago we cut a quarter quarter-point from the individual tax rates we lowered business tax by two full percentage points. since then revenue collections have increased by $1.5 billion. that's been trimmed with every tax cut we pass but i will sign any tax cut that comes to my desk because as we have growth

should be automatic to return excess to the taxpayers. not to seek out bigger government programs. [applause] 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 facing huge massive budget crisis. people aren't moving here every single day from states like california, because they see opportunity. and they see freedoms. and they see they can keep more of their hard earned money. let's not tax cut will get us in trouble it's the unrestricted growth of government. that is why i am calling for flat budgets across government

this year. to be clear i'm not advocating for cutting core services. but i am advocating for is a sustainable amount of growth where we are funding our needs, not our at once. listen, there is never a shortage of new programs or someone pitching a good idea. and politics you are only criticized for saying no. it is easy to feel like the wind is at our back. 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. [applause] a strong economy is essential to being the most business friendly state. but we also have to haven't education system that meets or

ourworkforce needs appeared thas to everyone in this room are almost everybody, we led the nation by passing the revolutionary parental choice tax credit last year. [applause] [applause] now, students and parents have more options than ever. because we know god gave kids to their parents, not to the government. [applause] mcdonald is an edmonton mom of three center kids to their zip code school. her oldest child is thriving in public schools. her second child, a boy with

autism faces struggles as well. but he has also gotten the support he needs at his 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. i on a single income she did not know how she would be able to afford to send her daughter to another school the tax credit program was in the works so she took a leap of faith and enrolled her daughter in a private christian school praying they would be approved for the tax credit. well, i am happy to report her daughter is thriving in her new school and in just a half a school year she has jumped three

grade levels in reading. emily is with us today i want to recognize her and her daughter. could you please stand up? [applause] [applause] [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 door to more workforce oriented schools so that every kid in oklahoma is college ready or career ready. [applause]

let's empower community leaders to start new innovative schools that are molded to the needs of our states and prepare our students for the future workforce. we want more schools to prepare skids for workforce like christo rey dove science academy or the norman nation academy. these high schools focus on career training incentive only focusing on college. the norman aviation academy is a public school that gives students hand on experience in the aviation industry. students can work towards their pilots license or their technical certificates and aviation maintenance and can leave school with great job with aviation companies right here in the state of oklahoma. christo rey requires kids to intern one day a week at

different companies so that then valuable work experience it. let's have more of these schools and the beat number one in the nation in charter schools. [applause] especially when we are already proving that they work so well. oklahoma's top 10 in charter school performance. [applause] not only that, oklahoma ranks number one in the nation. number one in the nation for smallest 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. [applause] more schools, more innovation, more freedoms. send me legislation that paves the way for more charter schools is students more options. additionally, i want to empower our colleges and universities to be the very, very best in the nation. and to be the best we need to shift our focus to outcome education models and stop subsidizing institutions with low enrollment and low graduation rates. technology has transformed the way we do higher education so we cannot keep relying on 20th century education models to bring our students into the future workforce. each college and university needs to focus in on these

subjects they are best at and become the premier institutions in their area. send me legislation that incentivizes models that fulfill our state workforce needs. also want our regents to follow 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 do not have safe communities, no one is going to want to live here. so i want to be clear oklahoma as a law and order state. [applause]

[applause] 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. [applause] we also believe in fair sentences and we believe in second chances. [applause] [applause] i knew i would get the democrats going in a second period. [applause] we worked hard to make sure we

are prosecuting crimes and rehabilitating those with substance abuse and mental health struggles. [applause] and we are focusing on eliminating barriers for those who have served their time with the efforts and our drug court system we are now number two lowest in the nation and recidivism rates. [applause] [applause] i think we need to limit fines, fees, court costs to only what is needed for restitution. [applause]

we need to address civil asset forfeiture. [applause] it is crazy to me somebody can be pulled over, have their passion chart taken for in the alleged crime get acquitted but never get the property back. that is not fair and we need to make sure that is not happening in the state of oklahoma. [applause] [applause] in 2022, when i address this chamber i said we are going to focus on our states and marijuana industry and get it back in line. thanks to a lot of you in this room, at its peak reports show somewhere between 12 -- 14000

licensed marijuana businesses including amending with links to criminal organizations from china and mexico and russia. through the enforcement actions of donnie anderson ob n and adria and her team oklahoma has gone from having the reputation as the wild west of weed. [laughter] janelle being viewed as having some of the most effective enforcement of regulatory oversight in the nation. the licenses are down now 76%. [applause] [applause] we have to keep it bad actors like the drug cartels out of the state of oklahoma and that

starts with securing our country's southern border. a secure border every single state is a border state. let's take a moment to recognize the service of those under the leadership of major general. many have answered the call of duty into kenya and djibouti.

we are so proud of the bravery and commitment to serve in the state and the nation. [applause] and as i talk to people around the state they tell me they want a government that works efficiently, treats them fairly and protects their fundamental rights. many i talked to want clarity about who has authority to do what in our state and that's because today our state is dealing with the fallout from the decision. it's a decision that has rocked our state and caused division where previously there was none. but i know there's a path

forward because of the success we found negotiating with the apaches, chickasaw's and the governments over the past few weeks. [applause] but we still need clarity. three years ago in my state of the state, i asked a few questions stemming from the supreme court's decision. 2021 i asked do tribal members living in the eastern part of the state paying income tax. today there are tribal governments supporting a woman in her lawsuit before the oklahoma supreme court. so she can be exempted from paying state income taxes. in 2021 i asked who regulates

agriculture, water, energy. today there are tribal governments trying to stand in the way of our state department of agriculture's ability to issue the necessary permits to farmers to work on their private lands. in 2021, i asked what is the state's ability to enforce law. there are tribal governments who supported a man as he fought against tulsa police authority to enforce traffic laws. 2021 i asked who had the authority to make arrests and prosecute people. today we are dealing with the fallout of the conflict at the county jail where due to disagreements about who has authority over that part of the state, there was a standoff as a tribal officer tried to arrest a county correctional officer in

his jail. three years after, we are still operating under a confusing and conflicting patchwork of jurisdiction across the state. it's in imperative. that's why i've created the one task force to come up with agreements. i hope the task force can work to find a solution that protects the safety of all 4 million oklahomans. regardless of their race or heritage. and i hope the tribes choose to participate. in 2021 i said it is critical while embracing the tribal heritage of many that we do not lose the facts or site of the facts that we are all oklahomans. we cannot be a state that operates two different sets of rules especially based on race.

here's the deal, things are different in oklahoma than in places like arizona. arizona has the navajo reservation. and it's true tribal members who live on the reservation do not pay taxes to the state of arizona. but here is what is also true the state of arizona doesn't build roads on the reservation. they don't fund hospitals or public schools or airports on the reservation. they don't send the highway patrol to enforce laws on the reservation. and there are tribal governments who want tulsa and eastern oklahoma to look like the navajo reservation but eastern oklahoma is different than the navajo reservation. and we have better outcomes for the tribal populations across the board.

we've operated as one since statehood and it's how we are going to operate for as long as i am governor. [applause] stand with me to protect one unified oklahoma. before i wrap up, i want to challenge each of us in the room to consider two things. one, who are we allowing to influence the law that we make. i love how he said when people try to influence him he would ask himself do they have a vested interest in what they are trying to push. who are we letting influence the fairness of the building the special-interest dominating or the interests of all 4 million guiding our decisions.

we need to be working for the next generation, not the next election. are we leaving it better than we found it? are we willing to risk everything to do the right thing or will we risk the dream of the future for personal gain. ronald reagan said this there are no easy answers but there are simple answers. we must have the courage to do what we know is morally right. what are we doing today to protect this oklahoma we love for our children and grandchildren if those it isn't our focus we are here for the wrong reasons. governing should be about making the tough decisions, not what is easy or convenient.

and as i conclude today, i want to declare and as for me and my house, we will serve the lord. [applause] i'm calling on businesses to serve god and the marketplace. churches to serve people in their communities. government officials to serve by acting righteously and serving without partiality. we are making sure the next generation can live out their american dreams, their oklahoma dreams. so, let's go. god bless you and may god continue to bless the great state of oklahoma. thank you. [applause]

[cheering]