Oklahoma’s current and future legislative leaders answered questions Thursday about Gov. Kevin Stitt, tribal relations, education and more at Tulsa Regional Chamber’s ‘State of the State’ event at Cox Business Center.
NonDoc Editor-in-Chief Tres Savage moderated two discussions. One was with current Oklahoma Speaker of the House Charles McCall and state Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat. The other was with their successors, Rep. Kyle Hilbert and Sen. Lonnie Paxton.
Working with Gov. Stitt and the McGirt decision
When asked about the legislature’s relationship with Gov. Kevin Stitt, McCall said the governor has “gotten better” at working with state lawmakers.
Stitt has not always been on the same page with his legislative counterparts, from special sessions to tribal compacts.
Treat, however, tried to frame these disagreements as progress for the state.
“Conflict is good,” Treat said. “You make better decisions when somebody challenges your thinking.”
When asked what advice the outgoing leaders have for both their successors and the governor when it comes to tribal relations post-McGirt, Treat said he “adamantly” disagreed with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, but also disagreed with how the governor handled the aftermath.
“We’ve had some separation of powers issues,” he said.
Stitt and legislative leadership went to court at one point over tribal compact extensions.
“It was nothing against the individual, Gov. Stitt, it was about separation of powers,” Treat said.
The next leaderships’ priorities
When asked about the list of priorities for the next legislative leaders, both Hilbert and Paxton said road infrastructure was a top concern.
Paxton in particular emphasized rehabbing older roads for modern traffic.
“Not only does it save lives,” he said, “it makes it much easier to get to and from things, especially in rural Oklahoma, where you have large farm equipment going down the road.”
Hilbert also said mental health and education are top issues.
Ryan Walters
On the topic of education, Hilbert and Paxton were asked how they plan to approach State Superintendent Ryan Walters, who has been at the heart of several controversies throughout his tenure.
When asked what lawmakers would like to see Walters do better, Hilbert said “better communication” was needed, both with legislators and with local school boards.
“What’s being talked about is a lot of the rhetoric, and so let’s communicate better and focus on the wins and the good things that we’re doing in public education,” Hilbert said.
Paxton raised concern that some teachers may be in fear for their jobs because of the changing rules and controversies at the State Department of Education.
“I think there’s a lot of fear with the educators, that they’re going to say something or do something that’s going to get them in trouble.”
Paxton said teachers shouldn’t worry about OSDE and continue to focus on their students.
