With a new businessman outsider in place as governor and more than 50 new faces in the Republican-controlled Legislature, optimism abounds at the Oklahoma Capitol about the session that begins Monday.
Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt campaigned on making Oklahoma a "top ten" state and will lay out his vision for following through on that promise when he delivers his State of the State address. Stitt will also present his proposed executive budget and said his priorities will be increased funding for public schools, expanding his ability to hire and fire agency directors and reducing the state's prison population.
Republican lawmakers have embraced much of Stitt's agenda.
A rebounding economy means lawmakers will undoubtedly have more revenue to spend on next year's budget, but requests from state agencies far exceed the additional money