Here are four takeaways from Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt's fourth State of the State address

In his fourth State of State address, Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday laid out what he said was a bold vision to make Oklahoma a "Top 10 state," drawing on his oft-used unofficial campaign slogan that has guided his first term in office.

Vowing to defend Oklahoma's conservative values and push back against the Biden administration's federal overreach, Stitt's speech signaled his policy priorities for this legislative session and hinted at what Oklahomans can expect to hear on the campaign trail as he vies for a second term later this year.

In his speech, Stitt vowed to cut taxes, expand school vouchers and continue to push for fiscal responsibility.

The governor also continued to criticize the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma that affirmed the Muscogee Nation reservation was never disestablished. The ruling has since been expanded to additional tribal reservations.

Oklahoma tribal leaders encouraged Stitt to drop the heated McGirt rhetoric in favor of a greater willingness to work collaboratively with the tribal nations.

Early morning visitors to the Oklahoma state Capitol were greeted in the south parking lot with banners that said “Free Julius Jones” and “Stitt’s failed state.” Within hours, the banners were removed with the help of local firefighters climbing the hook ladder on the back of the fire truck.

Stitt's speech was nearly interrupted as protesters tried to unfurl a banner in the Oklahoma House chamber, where the speech is held. The protesters were forcibly removed before they could succeed.

Here are four highlights of Stitt’s speech:

Tax cuts two years in a row

As Stitt hinted before his speech, he called for the elimination of the state’s 4.5% sales tax on groceries.

The governor is hoping to build on corporate and personal income tax cuts he signed into law last year. He also specifically referenced reinstating the refundability of the earned income tax credit, which was part of last year’s tax cuts package.

One thing both political parties can agree on: Eliminating Oklahoma's 4.5% grocery tax

Oklahoma is one of 13 states that levies a grocery tax.

“Many Oklahomans are already struggling under the weight of record inflation,” Stitt said. “Let’s give them more help this year. After all, we need more taxpayers, not more taxes.”

Stitt also proposed scrapping the income tax on military retirement benefits.

He also asked the Legislature to increase the cap on the state’s savings account so he can boost the amount of savings in Oklahoma’s Rainy Day Fund.

“This would give us financial security and the ability to make strategic investments like never before,” Stitt said.

Oklahoma already has more than $2 billion in state savings accounts, a record, Stitt said.

Oklahoma’s constitution says only 15% of the revenue estimate for the General Revenue Fund can be earmarked for the Rainy Day Fund.

Stitt has made boosting state savings a top priority.

Calls for more school choice

Stitt praised the proposed Oklahoma Empowerment Act and said, if passed, it would make Oklahoma “a national leader in school choice" by significantly expanding private school vouchers.

The empowerment act stems from legislation proposed by Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City.

Stitt also said he would sign any legislation this year that gave parents more school choice.

Stitt said he would offer a plan to pay some teachers at least 100,000 in salary through “matching funds.”

Stitt also took on the school unions.

“The same unions that have pushed critical race theory and school closures intimidate new teachers into handing over part of their salaries,” Stitt said. “Liberal unions want to keep a stranglehold on their cut of teacher pay. Enough is enough.

"Every other profession lets you opt-in to health insurance and other benefits at work every year. Unions should be opt-in, not opt-out! The second checkpoint on our road to Top Ten is protecting Oklahomans and our way of life. As elected officials, this is one of our most important duties.”

More criticism of McGirt decision

Stitt again took aim at the McGirt v. Oklahoma ruling that determined the Muscogee Nation reservation was never disestablished.

The governor’s comments were met with immediate pushback from tribal leaders, who largely issued a call for the state and tribes to work together on jurisdiction issues in the aftermath of the landmark court ruling many Indigenous Oklahomans have hailed as a win for tribal sovereignty.

As Stitt spoke, Muscogee Nation Principal Chief David Hill sat in the gallery. Hill and other Muscogee Nation officials were invited guests of House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka.

Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton said he didn’t feel it was appropriate to attend the speech because “Stitt has no regard for tribal sovereignty.”

More: Supreme Court lets McGirt stand, will address related question

The governor touted the high court’s decision that determined the McGirt ruling does not apply retroactively. He also referenced the court’s recent decision to examine whether the state can prosecute non-Indians for crimes involving Native Americans on reservations.

However, the Stitt administration suffered a blow when the Supreme Court rejected dozens of petitions from the state asking the justices to revisit their 2020 decision that the Muscogee Nation was never disestablished. Stitt and Attorney General John O’Connor sought for the ruling to be overturned.

More: Anoatubby cites 'finality' as US Supreme Court rejects 32 McGirt petitions

The McGirt ruling jeopardizes justice, Stitt said.

During his speech, the governor recognized one of his invited guests, a woman who lost her 12-year-old son, Billy Lord, to drunk driver Richard Roth in 2013. Because Lord was Native American, the drunk driver’s conviction could be overturned under McGirt, Stitt said.

“This isn’t personal," he said. “It’s not Kevin Stitt versus the tribes. Instead, it’s about certainty. It’s about law and order. It’s about fairness, equal protection under the law, and one set of rules.”

In a statement, Hill said the governor's claim that Roth, who is not Native and not subject to tribal jurisdiction, could be released due to McGirt is patently false. He later clarified his remarks to criticize Stitt for oversimplifying the case.

Roth is currently in state custody, but that could change depending on clarification from the Supreme Court on the extent of the McGirt ruling. Depending on what the court decides, Roth could remain in state custody or the federal government could pursue statute-of-limitations options to allow for his re-prosecution, according to the Muscogee Nation.

"The governor continues to throw himself down kicking and screaming in the path to implement McGirt," Hill said. "His fear-mongering and lies serve no one who lives in the State of Oklahoma.

"If the governor is content to keep playing Chicken Little, everybody else — the tribal nations, state legislators, city and community leaders and law enforcement — will continue to move forward to build a better tomorrow."

No direct mention of COVID-19

Nearly two years after the COVID-19 first arrived in Oklahoma, the scene inside the Capitol Monday would seem to indicate the pandemic is largely in the past.

The House chamber was filled with mostly maskless lawmakers — the majority of Democrats were wearing masks or watching the address from their office — and Stitt never directly mentioned the pandemic, which has claimed the lives of 13,594 Oklahomans with more than 50,000 active cases, according to Monday’s report from the Oklahoma Department of Health.

However, Stitt praised Oklahoma’s policies of keeping businesses open.

“While other states are shutting down their economies, we’ve never been more open for business,” Stitt said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt's State of the State: Four things to know