Amid protests and skepticism, Gov. Kevin Stitt kicks off legislative session with State of the State address

Surrounded by his supporters, representatives of the state's Native American nations, members of the judiciary and flanked by the Oklahoma Legislature, Gov. Kevin Stitt delivered his sixth State of the State speech Monday.

The speech, made during a joint session, marked the opening of the Second Session of the 59th Legislature. As lawmakers gathered to hear the governor, outside the House chamber more than a hundred members of the state's Muslim community chanted and shouted, "Free Palestine."

Capitol patrolmen blocked areas in front of and above the protesters from members of the press. One state lawmaker, Sen. George Young, an Oklahoma City Democrat, stood outside the chamber with a few members of the group.

"I'm protesting," Young said.

More: Oklahoma Gov. Stitt champions tax cuts, education innovation at first legislative session

Adam Soltani, executive director of the Oklahoma chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations, said Stitt’s speech wasn’t reflective of the entire state. He estimates there are about 1,000 to 2,000 people of the Islamic faith in Oklahoma. Soltani said the goal of Monday's protest was to create public awareness and educate people beyond what’s heard from the Capitol or media.

“[They] really need to understand the impact on the daily lives of people in the state,” he said.

Governor's speech touched on some familiar themes

The governor's speech, about 30 minutes long, echoed his previous calls to make Oklahoma a "Top 10" state. He also called for major changes to the state's judiciary. Stitt said state officials had "revolutionized" the education system by "creating more options for parents and students while investing more in our teachers and public education than ever before."

The governor said the state should create "business focused" charter schools and called for the elimination of civil asset forfeiture. Stitt also encouraged more single mothers to marry.

In addition, Stitt urged the state regents to consolidate state colleges that weren't performing and said he wanted to see changes in Oklahoma's medical marijuana system. He said he would offer the support of Oklahoma National Guard troops along the Texas border and doubled down on his criticism of the state's tribal nations, urging lawmakers to not let Oklahoma become like Arizona, where he said members of the Navajo Tribe pay no income taxes, but receive few state services.

More: Tax cuts, tribal relations issues could dominate upcoming 2024 legislative session

"To be the best state for business and attract more top level CEOs, we need to keep pushing business friendly policies and reducing burdensome regulations," Stitt said.

"I’m calling on the Legislature to take a page out of Delaware and Texas’ playbook and set up a system of courts specifically designed to address business disputes. Businesses need assurance that disputes will be adjudicated by courts with expertise in business law."

Local governments, the governor said, should "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 investment and cause companies to look elsewhere," Stitt said.

"We have to match our competition in Dallas, Kansas City, Denver and Houston to make Oklahoma the headquarters capital of the world."

Governor renewed his call for tax cuts

Stitt has called the Legislature in special session three times to cut taxes. He said the state's recurring expenses grew by more than $1.14 billion.

"With record savings and surpluses, I’m asking, 'if not now, when?'" he said. "Let’s get Oklahoma back on the path to zero. Two years ago, we cut a quarter point from the individual income tax and we lowered business tax by two full percentage points. Since then, revenue collections have increased by $1.5 billion. That’s been the trend after every tax cut we’ve passed."

Stitt said he would sign "any tax cut" that comes across his desk.

Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat said he supported the idea of tax cuts — indeed, Treat filed a bill that eliminates the state's portion of the grocery sales tax. But the Senate leader said he wanted all the facts before moving income tax cut legislation through the Senate.

"I'm still trying to push grocery sales tax relief on the state side," Treat, R-Oklahoma City, said after the governor's speech. "Oklahoma is one of the few states that still has the state tax on it. It's where the majority of middle income families are hit the hardest. Oklahoma, unfortunately is a top 10 in that in a bad way, in the average cost of groceries. I hope he (the governor) is serious about that and I hope we can afford it. We're gonna keep our powder dry until we see the numbers on Feb. 15."

Along with calls for tax cuts, the governor said he wanted to see major changes to the state's common education system, including the creation of new charter schools. Stitt touted the success of the Parental Choice Tax Credit last year.

"Now, students and parents have more options than ever," he said, "because we know God gave kids to parents, not to the government."

Stitt: Schools need to prepare kids for the workforce

"A strong economy is essential to being the most business friendly state in the nation, but we also need an education system that meets our workforce needs," the governor said. "We want more schools that prepare kids for the workforce ... focus on career training instead of only focusing on college readiness."

Stitt pointed to the Norman Aviation Academy as Cristo Ray as one example. "Students can work towards their pilot license or technical certificates in aviation maintenance and leave high school with great jobs at one of the aviation companies here in Oklahoma," he said.

"Cristo Ray requires kids to intern at different companies one day a week to gain valuable work experience. Let’s have more of these schools and be number one in the nation for charter schools. Especially when they’re already proving they work."

Stitt also called for changes in the state's higher education system. He said the state needed to shift its 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 relying on 20^th-century education models to bring our students into the future workforce," the governor said. "Each college and university needs to focus on the subjects they are best at and become the premier institutions in their area."

The governor said he wanted to see legislation that incentivizes Oklahoma's workforce needs and urged the state regents to focus on consolidating colleges and universities that don't meet the standard.

Oklahoma is a 'law and order' state, the governor said

With the debate over criminal justice reform continuing, Stitt said Oklahoma was a "law and order" state, adding that criminal were not welcome here and would serve time in state prisons. At the same time, though, Stitt said Oklahomans believed in second chances.

"We believe in fair sentences, and we believe in second chances," he said. "We’ve worked hard here 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."

The governor said lawmakers need to focus on limiting fines, fees and court costs to only what is needed for restitution.

"We need to address civil asset forfeiture. It’s crazy to me that somebody can be pulled over and have their cash and truck taken for an alleged crime, get acquitted of that crime, but they still never get their property back," he said. "That isn’t fair and we need to make sure it isn’t happening anywhere in Oklahoma."

Stitt said the state had gone from being the "Wild West of weed" to having an effective enforcement system for medical marijuana.

"We have to keep bad actors like the drug cartels out of the state of Oklahoma," he said.

Tribal leaders skeptical of the governor's claims

Near the end of his speech, Stitt doubled down his criticism of tribal governments and said he didn't want Oklahoma to become like Arizona.

"Today, there are tribal governments supporting a woman named Strobel in her lawsuit before the Oklahoma Supreme Court so she can be exempted from paying income taxes in Oklahoma," he said. "Today, there are tribal governments trying to stand in the way of our state Department of Agriculture’s ability to issue necessary permits to farmers to work on their private land. There are tribal governments who supported a man named Hooper as he fought against Tulsa police’s authority to enforce traffic laws."

The state, the governor said, continues to deal with the fallout from the conflict at Okmulgee County jail which was due to disagreements about who has authority over that part of the state. He said three years after the McGirt decision, Oklahoma was "still operating under a confusing and conflicting patchwork of jurisdiction across our state."

"It is imperative that we clarify our law enforcement relationships immediately," he said.

Stitt said he hoped the One Oklahoma Task Force could find a solution that protects the safety of all 4 million Oklahomans, regardless of their race or heritage said he hoped the tribes will choose to participate.

"We can’t be a state that operates with two different sets of rules, especially based on race," he said.

He pointed to Arizona as an example of a state and a tribal nation that didn't work well together.

"Here’s the deal — things are different in Oklahoma than they are in places like Arizona," Stitt said. "Arizona has the Navajo Reservation. And it’s true tribal members who live on the Navajo Reservation don’t pay taxes to the state of Arizona. But here’s what’s 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 Arizona Highway Patrol to enforce laws on the reservation."

Stitt said there were tribal governments that wanted Tulsa and eastern Oklahoma to look like the Navajo Reservation.

"But eastern Oklahoma is different than the Navajo Reservation," he said. "And we have better outcomes for our tribal populations across the board. We’ve operated as One Oklahoma since statehood, and it’s how we’re going to operate for as long as I’m governor. I ask you to stand with me to protect one, unified Oklahoma. "

The Muscogee (Creek) Nation, responding on social media to the governor's speech, said Stitt "once again demonstrated that honesty is not his strongest trait."

"McGirt has not caused confusion, but political games by politicians like Stitt have," Muscogee Principal Chief David Hill said. "The law is clear, but rather than work together to integrate tribal jurisdictions to improve public safety, he has sought to reject it and sowed division."

Stitt cautioned lawmakers to be weary of special interests and said state officials need to be working for the next generation, not the next election.

"Are we leaving Oklahoma better than we found it?" he said. "Are we willing to risk everything to do the right thing? Or will we risk the dream of Oklahoma’s future just for personal gain."

The governor ended his speech by calling on state businesses "to serve God in the marketplace" and on churches "to serve God and people in our communities."

He said government officials should serve God by "acting righteously and serving without partiality."

"We're making sure the next generation can live out their Oklahoma dream," he said.

Contributing: Reporter Jordan Gerard

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt State of the State kicks off session