Next, Governor Kevin Stitt talks about covid19s response in his state of the state address. Governor stitt is in the middle of his if i remember in his first term of office and he spoke for 45 minutes. With the chief operating officer john budd and members of my cabinet. Mr. Chief justice, members of the 58th legislature, to my best friend, first lady sara stitt. To my six children and my parents that are with us today, and most importantly, to my fellow oklahomans. It is a great honor to stand before you and to partner with you to lead our state through unprecedented times. I respect the Constitutional Authority of both of these legislative bodies. Mr. Speaker, mr. Pro tem, members. Senate and the house, i stay here in your chamber today and pledge to work with you and to have the best and most productive session in state history. [applause] id also like to recognize each of the 15 new representatives and the eight new senators na who are just starting their service and i look forward to partner with you as we continue to lead oklahoma to become a top 10 state. Two years ago, i took the oath of office in front of my family, my fellow oklahomans, and most importantly my heavenly father. I promised to defend the constitution and defend my office. I take that promise as seriously as the day i made it. The members of the Congress Took that same. And the promise of today and the promise of tomorrow. Oklahoma, the state of our state is strong because we are resilient and wellpositioned for a bright future. [applause] before we look forward, lets look back. 2020 was a year unlike anything weve experienced in our lifetimes. If we think back to a year ago, who could have ever imagined the toll covid would take. This pandemic, unprecedented in modern times. We felt the impact of covid19 on every level. On our families, our jobs, and our day at that day lives. Weve lost more than 3,000 oklahomans to this virus. Each one of those has a name, a story, and a family who is mourning their loss. And like paul teaches us in romans 12 we mourn with those who mourn. Throughout this past year, oklahomans rose to the challenge as individuals, as families, and as neighbors. We made sacrifices, we took care of our most vulnerable. We shifted, we innovated, but we were not defeated. For the last 11 months, my promise has been to protect the health and lives of oklahomans. To keep our businesses open safely. And to get our kids safely back in school. And im so proud of oklahoma, our team at the Health Department and the Governors Solution Task force. We successfully opened our economy on june 1st and safely restarted most schools in august. It appears now other states are waking up to the stark reality of double digit unemployment. Huge budget deficits and the fact that our kids are safer at school than anywhere else. Theyre realizing we took the smart approach in oklahoma. Even Governor Cuomo of new york has seen the light. Just a few weeks ago he said, and i quote, we simply cannot stay closed until the vaccine hits critical mass. The cost is too high. We will have nothing left to open. Oklahoma faced the same decisions as every other state, but ive kept my promise to follow the data and make the right decisions for oklahoma at the right time. And now, we are months and months ahead of other states. [applause] across oklahoma doctors, nurses and Health Care Workers have delivered on their promise to care for oklahomans. [applause] they risk their lives to care for their fellow citizens and help right an unknown virus. Ive met with chief medical officers and other frontline workers both from their offices and their hospitals. Ive witnessed their professionalism, their endurance and their compassion on full display. Amy pettis, the icu leader at st. Anthonys hospital was one of those heroes we met. She told me about nurses and doctors working so hard to offer human touch to those who cant see their families. No matter how tough the conditions are, theyre treating their patients with dignity. Theyre carried for them like they want their own family members cared for and we will forever owe them a debt of gratitude because they have been magnificent. [applause] with the challenge around the world, we leverage the resources we have here in oklahoma. We quickly converted a Diagnostics Lab in stillwater which dramatically raised our Testing Capacity in the early stages. Our state Health Department countered with county Health Departments that stand up 80 test sites across the state. Weve made sure any oklahomans who needed a test could get one for free. Weve completed more than three million tests so far. We quickly overcame the global ppe shortage and refilled our stockpile. We continue to distribute millions of masks, gloves and protective items across the state. Were delivering to nursing homes, to First Responders and to School Districts in every part of our state. I ask all oklahomans to join me in thanking secretary jerome lockridge, dr. Strum, elizabeth parlor, commissioner of health, dr. Lance fry, gino dimarco, dr. Of department of urgent management. Men and women of the Oklahoma National guard. Our teams on the front lines at the department of corrections, and the department of Veterans Affairs and many other state and local partners and i want to specifically thank my chief operating officer john budd, hes representing the Governors Solution Task force and everyone who played key roles in protecting oklahomans. John, we cant thank you enough. [applause] oklahomans across the state played a key role in our response as well. Together the three ws became a part of our daily life. Weve washed our hands frequently, weve washed our hands and public distanced. Our sevenday average is down from its peak on our hospitalizations are down 35 . We can see the finish line in our fight against this virus. But rather than coast our way in, lets continue together with the final sprint. Today oklahomans who have made so many sacrifices to slow the spread, i thank you. And i ask everyone to join them, to join me as we put this virus behind us. I promised oklahomans we would bring efficiency to state government. Were doing just that with our vaccine rollout. And thanks to the hard work of Deputy Commissioner keith reed and his team at the state Health Department. Local Health Workers and our state medical community, we are 7th in the nation, top 10 in vaccines administered per capita. [applause] ill never forget watching hannah white, a nurse at Integris Health be the first to get the vaccine and once it was over she hugged the nurse that gave it to her and said, hopefully this is the start of something better. As i speak to you today more than 356,000 oklahomans have the same hope. Were accelerating our efforts and more supplies of vaccines are on the way and i sure you, we will be relentless. My vision is to get our summer back and we can do it by continuing to lead the nation in vaccinations. [applause] because im committed to getting all kids back in their classrooms, ive made sure we prioritized teachers to get in vaccine. Many teachers over 65 have been vaccinated already. And many more teachers will be eligible this month. In almost every district in oklahoma parents and students have an option to choose to go back to the classroom. And to the School Districts that have innovated and have the data to offer safe, inperson instruction. On behalf of your parents and the future of our state, i cant thank you enough. [applause] youre providing an important safety net to our children and youre the glue that holds our communities together. Ive heard stories of teachers doing everything they can, but theyre worried about their students not being in the classroom. Katherine zoller teaches kindergarten in deer creek. Shes a phenomenal teacher that goes above and beyond for her students and her school is on ab system and she says its essential for young people to be in the classroom with their teachers. A childs education is a Building Block and it starts in their youngest years. Miss zoller and many teachers are worried that keeping students from their classrooms could set them back for years. Can you imagine being a first grader trying to learn to read on zoom . Distance learning is perfectly fine for some students, but when we force it on everyone, it widens achievement gaps and jeopardizes our future as a top 10 state. Our kids deserve the option to be in their classrooms. Ive promised to keep fighting for our students every single day. [applause] weve kept our promise to thousands of Business Owners by allowing them to stay open safely. As you know, some states shut down completely for months at a time. But weve found the right balance between protecting Public Health and protecting oklahomans right to provide for their families. We went to phase one of the open up and recover safely plan on april 24th. We want to phase three fully reopened on june 1st. Back then i said by reopening safely and responsibly wed be months ahead of other states. Our june Unemployment Rate was fifth lowest in the country, 40 lower than the National Average and 60 lower than new york. [applause] because of that, almost 100,000 more oklahomans were back to work compared to the National Average. Everywhere i go across the state, small Business Owners and workers tell me how grateful they are for being able to keep their businesses open and to provide income for their employees and their families. And to provide the services their communities rely on. The other day i stopped in a restaurant, eddies restaurant in edmund. I got to meet eddie who drove across town to see me where i left. He shook my hand. He sat me down and looked me in the eye and said, thank you, keep doing what youre doing. Its made a huge impact on our lives. Like so many small Business Owners across the state, eddie and his wife started with nothing, but hope. They took out their life savings to buy a restaurant on the corner of coletrain and second. After years of sacrifice and hard work, they expanded, now own three restaurants, a Catering Company and a food truck. Eddie told me when the pandemic hit like many Business Owners they were worried. He said, my Daughters College tuition needs to be paid. I dont have a private investor or a bank. I have to continue on. Eddie said because of the decisions weve made he and his 100 employees can continue on. They can feed their families. They can pay for their childrens education. They can continue to live. And im proud to tell you that eddie plans to open a new location next month and i cant wait to be there to support him. [applause] through the Oklahoma Business Relief Program we invested 143 million in 8,661 Small Businesses just like eddies. This program touched 344 different communities throughout all 77 counties. 25 of those businesses were minorityowned, including the block wall street liquid lounge a coffee shop in tulsas business district. A company in seminole and azteca restaurant in oklahoma city. The owner, alexandra, she had dreamed of opening a business and covid19 affected that dream and thanks to this, she kept people on her payroll and Small Businesses like these are the life blood of our communities. Their continued success is key to i can making oklahoma a top 10 state. [applause] this pandemic isnt over, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. As will rogers once said, dont let yesterday use up too much of today. The people of oklahoma have sent us here to make their lives better. They expect us to work together, they expect us to do the things for the right reasons, never for personal gain or for political purposes. For the past few months weve been working on a legislative agenda to deliver on the promises weve made to our constituents. Secretary and i have been meeting with speaker mccall and president pro tem, weve worked together to craft not the governors agenda, not the house agenda, not the senate agenda, but the peoples agenda. The people of oklahoma made their voices heard loudly in november. They gave House Republicans five more seats and the strongest super majority in state history. More than 80 of the house and senate are now led by conservative oklahomans. [applause] we will keep burdens low on our taxpayers. Well support our oil and Gas Industries and protect it from radical liberals in washington. Well fight for our farmers and ranchers in the oklahoma way of life. Well enact business friendly policies, well protect the rights of unborn children and stand up for the personal and religious freedoms of oklahomans. [applause] the peoples agenda for this legislative session has three main pillars. Number one, make oklahoma a top 10 state for business. Number two, deliver taxpayers more for their money and number three, invest in our fellow oklahomans. I know so many of you in the chambers and those watching believe we can be and should be a top 10 state for business. What we need is more taxpayers, not more taxes. [applause] im proud to say oklahoma is open for business and were seeing results. More companies are looking to relocate to our state than ever before. Weve been aggressive. Were reaching out to companies and states that are keeping businesses locked down and dictating their citizens personal freedoms. In the past two years weve had meetings with companies in california and they all say the same thing, we want out. Over the last year ive worked with the department of commerce and the oklahoma business round table to get those Companies Free from californias antibusiness policies. Pasmro, an Aerospace Company based in california announced last summer it would be moving its operations to bristol, oklahoma. The company said the decision cast easy. He says its because of oklahomas business friendly policies, availability of highly trained workers and lower cost of doing business in our state. One of our keys we have in oklahoma to close deals like these is the governors quick action closing fund. It lets us recruit new industries and growing companies and we need to invest in innovation by using accelerators for entrepreneurs. [applause] and sporting startups statewide. A few weeks ago, i was at the cattlemans congress at the fairgrounds here in oklahoma city. The folks in denver turned their backs on the ag industry. They wouldnt let them have the Major National cattle snow because they insisted on keeping their state locked down. That put the stability of the beef industry in danger and the cattlemans congress brought 50 million to our economy. [applause] we cant have a Strong Economy without a skilled work force and a strong education system. Right now we have the opportunity of a lifetime. We have a chance to rethink and reimagine the future of education in oklahoma. One of the ways we can do this is by looking at how schools get their funding. The current formula let schools pick their highest number of students over the last three years. Here is what that means. Say you lived in tulsa and moved to a new district to make sure your kids could go to school in person. Your kids could be counted by both districts, theyre called ghost students. Were sending monies to districts to educate kids who dont go there. Thats simply not fair. There are more than 55,000 ghost students in our funding formula right now. That means were allocating close to 200 million of your tax dollars to students that dont exist. And they have to be funded by students they have now not how many they have in the past. [applause] covid19 has also shown us that every child has unique needs. Being in a physical classroom is so important for most students to succeed. By not giving our parents and children an option for inperson learning, schools have tied their hands. Its now been 325 days since tulsa students in fourth through 12th grade have been allowed to be in their classrooms, 325 days. Meanwhile, just a few blocks away, the rest of the tulsa metro has been safely in session most of this year. Unions, broken arrow, bigsby, owe owossa, the list goes on. Theyve been able to put their students first and give them the option to come back to the classroom. Those that safely reopened had the mindset to reopen. And my heart breaks when i hear stories like abby, she says im a tulsa Public Schools lifer and never in a million years thought i would be uttering these words. My kids are miserable, they beg every day through tears not to do Distance Learning anymore and my fourth grader is willing to switch to any school thats open. Its devastating to watch our beloved school lose family after family. Im scared of what tulsa is going to become after this. And stories like abbeys is why children and parents need the choice to transfer to a district to fit their needs. If a school has a School Better for that child, the government shouldnt stand in the way. We have to put our students first period. [applause] another way to make oklahoma top 10 state is to have an infrastructure that grows and attracts businesses. Last year, we hit a major milestone as we reached top 10 in bridge conditions, an incredible achievement considering we were near the bottom just few a few years ago. The department of transportation is doing a good job modernizing and focusing on projects that links our cities and towns and provides ju access for economic development. A strong infrastructure is the backbone of any Strong Economy. Another key to a Strong Economy is letting businesses grow without fear of government overreach. In the first week in office, President Biden issued 22 executive orders. Millions will kill jobs and put burdens on. And its a different story in oklahoma we must focus on cutting red tape and getting rid of excessive regulations. Well have for Business Owners, farmers, and families. Instead of letting washington strangle oklahomas businesses we need to unleash them. The governments job. [applause] the governments job is not to slow things down. Its to get out of the way. Thanks to the support of our legislators weve built our savings account to 1 billion in 2019. Some folks criticized us for wanting to save this money, but thats proving to be a life saver during the tough financial season we had last year. I also want to credit my colleagues in the house and senate for their wisdom and careful thinking during last years session. Our state was reeling from a massive drop in oil prices and 13 unemployment. You recognize the uncertainly and wisely held the budget to 78 of the Spending Authority while still providing Core Services and your fiscal prudence is why we have the opportunity that we have today and i thank you for the challenging decisions that you made last session. [applause] its because of these tough decisions, reopening our economy, how we spend our covid relief funds across the state and the legislatures careful budget that the fiscal year 2022 are much better than other states. We will be able to invest and avoiding cuts. We can significantly replenish our savings account so we stay prepared for whatever comes our way. Now our challenge is to make sure oklahomans get more for their money. A perfect example of this is our department of human services. Secretary justin brown and his team did a great job innovating this year. Doj is prioritizing service over brick and Mortar Office space and closing 25 offices, but embedding those safe members in more than 100 community spaces. The result is oklahomans get better access and more services instead of paying for real estate. I thank the hard working men and women at dhs and all of our state agencies for innovating to get more money. [applause] another way to deliver taxpayers more for their money is to make sure hard work gets rewarded. Like many of you in this room, my background is in the private sector. When i was building and running my business i recruited and hired talented people. I could pay and promote them based on their experience, capabilities, and work ethics. But that cant happen in state government. Agency leaders have their hands tied in who they can hire and promote because of outdated restrictions. State agencies should be able to hire the best people and promote good employees. 2020 showed us how dramatically our world can change overnight. Our state agencies need to be able to adapt and change in realtime. Thousands of our state employees are stuck in a system where qualified, dedicated and hungry employees are often waiting years to be promoted because theyre stuck behind someone in line. I want to tell you about one of our hard working state employees named cody. Cody worked for oesc for the last 22 years down in the ida belle office. He was doing way more work than his title and job indicated. But factors out of his control made promotion nearly impossible. One of those factors was location. An Agency Policy required directors to live in oklahoma city. Well, you see generations of codys family had lived in ida belle and promotion wasnt worth leaving his family. It took a pandemic and my executive order to have state employees work from home to change the policy so he could become a director. There are men and women like cody across state government, talented and dedicated to serving our state and stuck in an outdated system that keeps them from being rewarded. To be a top 10 state we need a system that rewards our state employees and gives us the flexibility we need to serve our citizens more effectively. [applause] finally, my team will continue to find ways to partner with the members of this room to invest in our fellow oklahomans. Americas Health Ranking put oklahoma 46th in the country in health outcomes. Were one of the worst in the country in obesity and diabetes rates. We have the third most deaths from hardt heart disease. I know thats unacceptable to me and other oklahomans. Oklahomans hired me for all areas of government. As a governor i cant stand by business as usual when the system is working. We have an obligation as leaders to do better for our citizens. I think its implicit in the promises we made when we all assumed office. With Medicaid Expansion now in our constitution, this is the perfect opportunity to Reimagine Health care delivery in oklahoma. Its time to focus on outcomes and not just paying invoices. 40 states have found managed care is the best way forward. Texas, kansas, iowa, tennessee, florida, even california and illinois. Its not a red state thing or a blue state thing, its the smart thing to do. Almost every other state with medicate expansion, no, no, in fact, every other state with Medicaid Expansion also uses managed care. Think about that. Every other state. Oklahoma, this is the right thing to do. Now we need to talk about the most pressing issue for our states future. The u. S. Supreme courts ruling in mcguirk versus oklahoma questions the sovereignty of the state as weve known it since 1907. The court overturned the conviction of a child rapist on the grounds that the creek nations reservations was never disestablished for criminal jurisdiction. State courts could no longer have the authority to prosecute crimes committed by oklahomans who were also tribal members. Hundreds of criminal cases are being dismissed. This ruling also raises many other Unanswered Questions. Do tribal members living in eastern oklahoma pay income tax and sales tax . If not, the Oklahoma Tax Commission estimates a potential loss of 200 million every single year. Another potential issue is who regulates agriculture. How about water . The Energy Industry . Zoning . Who has the right to tax businesses . What is the state of oklahomas ability to enforce the law . In muskogee county, a convicted serial rapist named leroy smith was recently released. The muskogee District Attorney says he cant be retried because of the federal statute of limitations. We need to resolve the many Unanswered Questions from this ruling. Ive invited the leaders of oklahoma sovereign tribes to join together and work with the state of oklahoma, together we must create the certainty, wearness and the unity weve enjoyed since 1907. [applause] where we go from here will define the states future. We have a shared responsibility to live as one oklahoma regardless of your race or where you live. We drive on the same roads, our kids go to the same schools, and we benefit from the same programs. It is critical while embracing the tribal heritage of many oklahomans that we dont lose sight of the fact that we are all oklahomans. As one oklahoma, we will become a top 10 state. If we are divided, we will not. We must come together. This year has tested the resiliency of our state and all 4 million oklahomans, weve all faced challenges and made difficult sacrifices, but the root of it all we have endured. Oklahomans are no strange to hardship. Weve lived through dust bowls, tornados, floods, a bombing and now a pandemic. But were going to make it through. Just like we have time and time again. Its been two years since i stood on the steps of the capitol and sworn in as governor. On that day, i shared something my dad told me. Hed tell us, dont ever give up. Dont ever quit. The future doesnt just happen, you make it happen. So dream big. With big dreams and bold decisions well capitalize on the promise of tomorrow. We must always focus on the next generation and not the next election. If we allow selfish ambitions to drive decisions, the moral fabric of our system starts to break down. Im calling on every elected official to continue serving with selfsacrifice. Always putting the needs of 4 million oklahomans ahead of the few and the powerful. I encourage us all today to renew our promise to the people of our great state. Our decisions have consequences and as we go, society follows. Lets lead oklahoma to become a top 10 state and lets deliver on the peoples agenda. The turnaround oklahomans demanded is well on its way. God bless you and god bless the great state of oklahoma. The u. S. Senate is gavel