Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday previewed what he called “The People’s Agenda” for the 2021 legislative session, highlighting its three main pillars.
“No. 1, make Oklahoma a top 10 state for business,” he said during his State of the State address. “No. 2, deliver taxpayers more for their money. And No. 3, invest in our fellow Oklahomans.”
To make Oklahoma a top 10 state for businesses, he said, “what we need is more taxpayers, not more taxes.”
Comparing his administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic with other states’, Stitt said Oklahoma was far less restrictive.
“We’ve kept our promise to thousands of business owners by allowing them to stay open safely,” he said. “As you know, some states shut down completely for months at a time. But we found the right balance between protecting public health and protecting Oklahomans’ right to provide for their families.”
The governor said more companies are looking to relocate to Oklahoma as a result.
“We’ve been aggressive. We’re reaching out to companies in states that are keeping businesses locked down and dictating their citizens’ personal freedoms,” Stitt said. “In the past two years, we’ve had many meetings with companies in California. They all say the same thing: ‘“We want out.’”
The National Federation of Independent Business applauded Stitt’s commitment to small business issues.
“Thanks to Gov. Stitt, Oklahoma is in a much better fiscal situation than most other states across the country,” Jerrod Shouse, NFIB State Director in Oklahoma, said in a statement after the governor’s address. “Gov. Stitt was able to keep most of our small businesses open as other states shut down completely. Oklahoma was also able to balance the need for health and safety with small business owners’ need to provide for their families and their employees.”
NFIB said it also supports Stitt’s commitment to reduce state regulations.
“Gov. Stitt also committed to cutting red tape and getting rid of excessive regulations,” NFIB said in a news release. “NFIB applauds Gov. Stitt’s commitment to not let government stand in the way of small business owners desire to hire more workers and keep Oklahoma’s economy running.”
Originally published by The Center Square. Republished with permission.
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