WELCOME BACK. OKLAHOMA 912 HERE ON YOUR WEDNESDAY MORNING. AND LAWMAKERS, THEY ARE GOING TO HEAD BACK TO THE STATE CAPITOL EARLY AS GOVERNOR OR. YEAH, GOVERNOR KEVIN STITT KEVIN STITT CALLING FOR A SPECIAL SESSION. AND THE FOCUS HERE TAX CUTS. SO WE HAVE THE GOVERNOR IN STUDIO WITH US THIS MORNING TO TALK MORE ABOUT THIS. GOVERNOR, WELCOME TO THE SHOW. THANKS FOR COMING ON. THANK YOU SO MUCH. GOOD TO BE HERE. ALL RIGHT. SO LET’S TALK MORE ABOUT THE SPECIAL SESSION. WALK US THROUGH WHAT YOU’RE ASKING LAWMAKERS TO VOTE ON HERE. YEAH. ALL I’M REALLY SAYING IS LISTEN, PUT UP FOR A VOTE A QUARTER OF A POINT. TAX CUT FOR OKLAHOMANS. WE CAN ABSOLUTELY AFFORD IT. MY SIX YEARS AS GOVERNOR, I’M IN MY SIXTH SESSION NOW. WE’VE HAD RECORD REVENUE GROWTH EVERY SINGLE YEAR. IT’S TIME TO GIVE OKLAHOMANS A PAY RAISE. SO THAT’S ALL I’M ASKING THE LEGISLATURE TO DONE. TO DO. THIS IS MY THIRD SPECIAL SESSION REQUEST BECAUSE WE JUST CANNOT KEEP SPENDING EVERY BIT OF EXCESS REVENUE WE HAVE. WE’VE GOT THE LARGEST SAVINGS ACCOUNT WE’VE EVER HAD, AN INFLATION IS LITERALLY COSTING PEOPLE MORE THEIR DOLLAR IS NOT GOING AS FAR AS IT USED TO AT THE GROCERY STORE, AT THE GAS PUMP, EVERYWHERE HERE. SO WE CAN ABSOLUTELY AFFORD TO DO IT. I BELIEVE IN SMALLER GOVERNMENT, LOWER TAXES. LET’S GET IT DONE. FINALLY THIS SESSION. AND GOVERNOR, CONTINUE WITH THAT BECAUSE YOU DID SAY YOU WANT TO GIVE YOU WANT TO GIVE OKLAHOMANS A PAY RAISE HERE. AND YOU TALKED ABOUT INFLATION. BUT HOW DO YOU HOPE THAT THIS THIS TAX CUT IT HELPS OKLAHOMANS. YEAH. WELL BASICALLY IT’S GOING TO EVERY SINGLE PAYCHECK. YOU’RE GOING TO GET MORE MONEY IN YOUR PAYCHECK. AND REMEMBER A TAX CUT THE MONEY DOESN’T DISAPPEAR. IT JUST DOESN’T GET WASHED THROUGH THE GOVERNMENT. IT STAYS IN YOUR POCKETS TO TAKE YOUR KIDS TO OUT, TO EAT, TO GO BUY A BICYCLE, COYLE A SCHOOL, SUPPLIES, WHATEVER THE CASE IS, AND THAT MONEY TURNS THROUGH OUR ECONOMY. UM, SEVEN IMES IS WHAT THEY SAY. AND SO I’M JUST ASKING OKLAHOMA. I’M ASKING THE LEGISLATURE. LET’S FINALLY GET THIS ACROSS. THE FINISH LINE. WE CAN ABSOLUTELY AFFORD IT. LET’S STOP GROWING GOVERNMENT. AND WHEN WE HAVE EXCESS REVENUE, LET’S SIMPLY JUST BE MODEST AND GROW GOVERNMENT A LITTLE BIT. BUT LET’S GIVE THE EXCESS BACK TO THE TAXPAYERS. SO REGULAR SESSION, IT STARTS NEXT MONTH AND WE HAVE SOME LAWMAKERS THAT ARE QUICKLY RESPONDING TO THIS CALL FOR A SPECIAL SESSION. ONE OF THOSE BEING THE DEMOCRATIC HOUSE MINORITY LEADER, CINDY MUNSON. SHE SAID IN PART IN A QUOTE HERE, WE HAVE NOT EVEN COMPLETED OUR AGENCY BUDGET HEARINGS TO GAIN A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF OUR STATE’S FISCAL PICTURE, INCLUDING THE POTENTIAL LOSS OF FEDERAL DOLLARS POST COVID. SO WHAT’S YOUR RESPONSE THERE, GOVERNOR? AGAIN, UH, AS A AS AN OKLAHOMAN, THAT’S TYPICAL GOVERNMENT. THEY’RE LOOKING TO SEE HOW THEY CAN SPEND MORE OF YOUR MONEY. THEY WANT TO PLAY SANTA CLAUS TO ALL THESE DIFFERENT SPECIAL PROGRAMS OUT THERE. AND LISTEN, UH, THEY WE THEY INCREASED SPENDING LAST YEAR ABOUT $2 BILLION. WE NEED TO GIVE OKLAHOMANS A PAY RAISE RIGHT NOW BEFORE BEFORE WE START SPENDING MORE MONEY AND GROWING THE THE BASE LEVEL OF EXPENSES. SO AS A BUSINESSMAN GOVERNOR, UH, WE HAVE THE LARGEST SAVINGS ACCOUNT WE’VE EVER HAD. I WOULD NEVER SUGGEST WE CUT REVENUE BELOW ONGOING EXPENSES. WE’VE GIVEN OUR OUR SCHOOL TEACHERS ANOTHER PAY RAISE LAST YEAR. WE’VE GIVEN LAW ENFORCEMENT A PAY RAISE. UH, IT’S TIME TO GIVE OKLAHOMANS A PAY RAISE. SO LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS. THE SENATE PRESIDENT PRO TEM, HE SAID IN A STATEMENT, IN PART, THAT HE CALLING BASICALLY THE SPECIAL SESSION A WASTE OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS. SO THOSE ARE JUST TWO, YOU KNOW, LAWMAKERS THAT ARE RESPONDING QUICKLY TO THIS CALL FOR A SPECIAL SESSION. BUT OVERALL, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU HOPE OR RATHER, DO YOU HOPE TO SEE LAWMAKERS PASS THIS IN THE SPECIAL SESSION? WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW IN THAT SCALE? DO YOU THINK YOU’LL SEE IT? OH, WELL, THE HOUSE WILL 100% PASS IT. WE’VE ALREADY GOT A COMMITMENT THAT THE HOUSE WILL PASS IT, BUT YOU NEED THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE TO PASS IT. AND SO I’M CALLING ON ON, ON BOTH CHAMBERS TO PASS IT. THE HOUSE WILL DEFINITELY DO IT. UH, BUT LISTEN, THERE’S A THERE MAY BE A PHILOSOPHICAL DIFFERENCE. I DON’T BELIEVE IN GROWING GOVERNMENT. SOME PEOPLE DO. SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT GOVERNMENT MORE GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS IS THE ANSWER. AND I WANT TO BE THE MOST BUSINESS FRIENDLY STATE IN THE COUNTRY. AND IF WE KEEP THAT MOMENTUM RIGHT NOW, WE ARE WE’RE TOP TEN IN PEOPLE MOVING TO OUR STATE, OUR ECONOMY IS BOOMING. WE’VE GOT LOW UNEMPLOYMENT, BUT OUR REVENUE IS GROWING, GOING UP. BUT WE NEED TO KEEP THAT MOMENTUM GOING. WE COMPETE AGAINST STATES LIKE TEXAS, FLORIDA, TENNESSEE JUST TO REMIND YOU, THEY HAVE ZERO INCOME TAX. THERE IS A REASON THAT THEY’RE BOOMING. WE’VE GOT TO KEEP THAT MOMENTUM UP. AND JUST GRADUALLY OVER TIME AS WE’RE GROWING, LET’S JUST GIVE A QUARTER OF A POINT BACK TO THE TAXPAYER. GIVE THEM A PAY RAISE AS WELL. INSTEAD OF TRYING TO CREATE MORE GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS. UNFORTUNATELY, SOMETIMES THAT’S WHAT CERTAIN PEOPLE IN THE LEGISLATURE WANT TO PLAY SANTA CLAUS AND DO THAT. GOVERNOR, YOU HAD SAID IN THE PAST THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS PASSED BEFORE THE REGULAR SESSION THAT’S COMING UP IN FEBRUARY. YOU SAID EARLIER THAT THIS IS YOUR THIRD TIME CALLING FOR A SPECIAL SESSION RIGHT NOW. WHAT DO YOU TELL OKLAHOMANS OUT THERE THAT ARE LOOKING TO SEE THIS PASS THROUGH AND ALSO THOSE OKLAHOMANS WHO MIGHT NOT, MIGHT NOT AGREE WITH THIS AS WELL? YEAH, I MEAN, OF COURSE THERE’S GOING TO BE PEOPLE THAT WANT TO GROW GOVERNMENT AND THERE’S PEOPLE THAT WANT TO THAT ARE IF YOU’RE A GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE OR IF YOU, UH, ARE BENEFICIARY FROM THE GOVERNMENT, YOU WANT US TO CONTINUE TO SPEND MORE MONEY, BUT IT’S A ZERO SUM GAME. AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE TAX COMMUNITY, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE PAYING THOSE TAXES. I CALLED A SPECIAL SESSION IN 22 BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T GET TAX CUTS DONE. I CALLED THE SPECIAL SESSION IN 23 BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T GET TAX CUTS DONE IN THE REGULAR SESSION. IF WE DON’T, IF WE DON’T PUT PRESSURE AND GET THIS DONE, DO WE THINK SOMETHING’S GOING TO CHANGE IN REGULAR SESSION THIS YEAR? AGAIN, AS A BUSINESS PERSON, YOU CAN’T JUST SPEND EVERY DIME THAT YOU CAN EVERY SINGLE YEAR. UH, AND THEN EXPECT IF YOU DO HAVE A REVENUE DOWNFALL, YOU’RE IN A WORSE SITUATION. I CANNOT IN GOOD CONSCIENCE TELL OKLAHOMANS THAT WE CAN KEEP RAISING THE BASE LEVEL EXPENSES AND NOT BE IN A BAD SITUATION AFTER I’M GONE. THE REASON WE’RE HERE IS BECAUSE WE’VE BEEN FISCALLY DISCIPLINED. THE REASON WE’VE INVESTED MORE MONEY IN EDUCATION THAN ANY OTHER GOVERNOR IN HISTORY. I’VE DONE MORE IN FIVE YEARS THAN THEY DID 25 YEARS BEFORE I GOT HERE. DID YOU KNOW THAT BECAUSE WE’VE BEEN PHYSICALLY DISCIPLINED, FISCALLY DISCIPLINED, AND WE NEED TO KEEP THAT MOMENTUM GOING AND CONTINUE TO THE, THE, THE GROWTH THAT WE HAVE GOING ON IN OKLAHOMA. AND PART OF THAT IS, IS SIGNALING TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND RECRUITS COMING IN AND COMMERCE COMING IN, THAT WE’RE GOING TO BE THE MOST BUSINESS FRIENDLY STATE IN THE COUNTRY. AND, GOVERNOR, I CAN SEE YOU’RE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS. AND I DO WANT TO ASK YOU JUST KIND OF DESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEY IN THIS HAS BEEN THREE SPECIAL CALLS FOR SPECIAL SESSION. SO JUST DESCRIBE WHAT IT’S BEEN LIKE AND TRYING TO GET THIS DONE. YOU KNOW WHAT’S INTERESTING IS THE HOUSE HAS PASSED IT EVERY SINGLE TIME THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HAS PASSED ALL THE TAX CUTS, UH, THEY’VE GIVEN US SMALL BOARD OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS OVER TO THE SENATE. UH, THE SENATE HAS NOT TAKEN IT UP. AND SO YOU JUST HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF, DO THEY BELIEVE IN SMALLER GOVERNMENT? DO THEY WANT TO CUT TAXES? UM, I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO CHANGE IF I DON’T KEEP CALLING FOR IT. AND I WOULD WANT OKLAHOMANS TO KNOW IF I COULD WRITE THE LAWS AND ALREADY DO IT. IT WOULD ALREADY BE DONE. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DONE IN 22. WE’D HAVE HAD ANOTHER QUARTER DONE IN 2023, AND WE’D DO ANOTHER QUARTER THIS YEAR LAST, UM, MY STATE OF THE STATE LAST YEAR, I ASKED FOR A 75 BASIS POINTS CUT. UH, THIS THE REASON WE CAN’T ASK FOR 75 BASIS POINTS RIGHT NOW IS BECAUSE WE INCREASE SPENDING. SO MUCH THAT WE DON’T HAVE ROOM TO DO A 75 BASIS POINTS. NOW, IN 75 BASIS POINTS IS THREE QUARTERS OF A POINT. OKAY. UM, AND SO BASICALLY LET’S JUST DO A QUARTER OF A POINT. THAT’S ALL WE’RE, WE’RE SAYING, UH, LET’S NOT GROW GOVERNMENT THIS YEAR. LET’S GIVE SOME OF THAT BACK IN A, IN A, IN A PAY INCREASE TO, TO TAXPAYERS. REGULAR SESSION STARTS IN FEBRUARY. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO? WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO SEE HERE? YOU KNOW WE’RE GOING TO KEEP THE MOMENTUM OF BUSINESS FRIENDLY STATE. WE’RE LOOKING AT A LOT OF GREAT LIKE DELAWARE FOR EXAMPLE IS KIND OF THE BUSINESS CAPITAL. IT’S WHERE ALL BUSINESSES GO TO GET INCORPORATED. WE WANT TO TAKE SOME OF THEIR, UM, THEIR LAWS. AND THE REASON PEOPLE ARE GOING THERE TO BE INCORPORATED. WE WANT TO BRING THAT HERE. I WANT TO BE THE HEADQUARTER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE THE DEVON’S AND THE WILLIAMS AND THE QUICK TRIPS AND ALL THE CORPORATIONS WANT TO BE LOCATED HERE IN OKLAHOMA. SO WE WANT TO KEEP THAT MOMENTUM GOING. AND WHEN WE GET THAT, WHAT HAPPENS IS IT HELPS EDUCATION, IT HELPS INFRASTRUCTURE, IT HELPS HEALTH CARE. UM, WE WANT TO BE TOP TEN IN EVERYTHING WE DO. SO WE’VE GOT ALL THESE INITIATIVES ACROSS, UH, IN INFRASTRUCTURE, HEALTH CARE TO CONTINUE TO BE TOP TEN IN THOSE AREAS AS WELL. ALL RIGHT. GOVERN