Kevin stit delivered the state of the state address. His address from the state capital in Oklahoma City is about 45 minutes. [ applause ] [ applause ] members of the legislature, executive officers, members of the judiciary, and people of oklahoma, it is my distinct honor to recognize my friend, the chief executive, our governor, kevin stitt. [ applause ] thank you. Thank you, guys, so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, mr. President pro tem, Lieutenant Governor matt panel, members of my cabinet, madam chief justice, members of the 57th legislature, tribal leaders, to my best friend the first lady, sara stitt, my children who should be in school right now, to my parents, my brothers, and most importantly my fellow oklahomans. Its a great honor to stand before you today. And i want to thank my heavenly father for being in this position in oklahoma today. [ applause ] let me get right to the point h the state of our state is growing in strength, stability, and new opportunity for generations to come. We are moving in the right direction, the direction we all want to go, top ten in the nation. [ applause ] and we are getting there because of the hard work of oklahomas, because of the teachers in the classroom, and because of the generous givers of nonprofits and because of the Community Involvement of churches and because of those in this room and across our state agencies who are making the tough, selfless decisions for the future of our great state. I want to take a moment to highlight a few of those individuals who are my special guests in the chamber today. First, lieutenant ej johnson, Technical Sergeant rebecca wally, and Staff Sergeant joy mohan, these proud guards man represent the highest that were called to duty of the record flood this past may. And under the general leadership of thomas, they walked levees, filled sandbags, performed rescues, conducted countless other tasks day after day. Engineers in the Oklahoma National guard also partnered with odot to build a temporary road that provided evacuees a way out of their flooded communities. Lets give them a round of applause. [ applause ] in addition to their duties within the state, the Oklahoma National guard is fulfilling their federal mission. More than 400 oklahoma guards man are currently fighting overseas on behalf of our state and nation. I ask that every oklahoman please keep these brave men and women in your thoughts and prayers. Also in the chamber with us today is dr. To mass, the university of oklahoma new head of research. Tomas. Im committed with partnering with our state institutions in recruiting the best talent in the nation to oklahoma. We will compete and we will win. This past year the university of oklahoma not only won its 13th big 12 football championship, it also won the talent of one of the best researchers in the nation. Dr. Tomas is an internationally renown researcher who is bringing his impressive background at per due and with companies such as deloitte to play a key roll that will elevate the Research Reputation to the top ten in the nation. Thank you for choosing the top ten to move to and make an impact. [ applause ] today we also recognize an oklahoma son from tuttle. Ceo of pay come chad richardson. He founded it right here in Oklahoma City in 1998. And through his vision and leadership, pay comp now serves as one of the largest employers in our state. Just this past month when it was added to the s p 500 list. Thank you, chad, for reminding us that the American Dream is alive and oklahoma is the best place in the nation to accomplish it. [ applause ] we all know that oklahomas economy, and quite frankly our state budget is built on the backs of the hard working men and women in the oil and gas industry. When i delivered this address last year, 60 more drilling rigs were operating in oklahoma than exist today. Our first budget together was blessed by a thriving industry. Now we must look at a changing and evolving market that is volatility. As a result, our General Revenue Fund is estimate today be down almost 1 fiscal year 2020. And total Spending Authority is very close to the same amount. But we have nothing to fear. We will remain vigilant and recognize our needs, planning for our future, and shedding waste where operations are out dated and redundant. In fact, the greatest challenge before us today is not oklahomas economy. Le there are two reasons why. First the fiscal discipline displayed by many in this year last year has allowed the state to garner largest savings account in Oklahoma History with 1 billion. [ applause ] as a result, moodies Investor Service changed oklahomas outlook from stable to positive in october. Their decision reflects an expectation that oklahoma will maintain strong fiscal management and a commitment to increasing reserves. Lets followthrough on that commitment. Senator joe nu house has filed legislation that would give oklahoma a voice constitutional cap on states Rainy Day Fund to 30 . Lets get it to the vote of the people. And while we wait on this vote, im also asking for the elected leaders to join me again in setting aside 100 million in additional funds as part of the fiscal year 2021 budget. Thanks to our strong pension plans, low bond debt, and progress in savings, oklahoma is ranked as the fifth most solvent state in oklahoma. Lets take this to number one. [ applause ] by saving in good times, we are demonstrating our commitment to protect the taxpayer, the job creator, and the citizen who depends on core services. Second, oklahomas economy is more diverse than ever before. When the city of el reno faced the closure of a major facility, oklahomas department of commerce quickly went into action. We deployed two career fairs, more than 350 oklahomas were offered employment in companies in aerospace, finance, manufacturing, health care, and more. This was possible because oklahomas economy remains on good footing. Our Unemployment Rate remains below the national average. Oklahomas Household Income has risen by nearly 4 in 2019. And 60 companies moved to our state or made significant expansions in oklahoma this past year alone, with more than 2. 9 billion in new Capital Investments announced. One of the strongest industries this year was tourism, led by the vision of our very own Lieutenant Governor matt panel. Imagine that. [ applause ] in 2019, oklahomas tourism website achieved a number one ranking in web traffic, beating out states like colorado and california. And tourism will continue to grow. This year we are welcoming the largest tv mow dukes in the history of this state, with killers of the moon. [ applause ] you gave us the tools last year to bolster our recruiting efforts and the luieutenant governor was an exceptional partner once again beating out states like mexico and new mexico. It is expected to tens of millions into our community. Thousands will be hired through contract through lodging, transportation, hardware, food and more. Oklahomans, our economy is competitive, and in this administration we will keep it that way. [ applause ] the greatest challenge before us today is instead government bureaucracy. In my first year of Public Service, and as the chief executive, i have found government too big and too broken. Ment the state of oklahoma spends roughly 20 billion annually. The legislature has a strong handle on the 40 managed through the appropriations process. Then, we, working together, provide oversight of the 60 that goes directly to the state agencies from apportionments, fines, fees, or federal funding. Last year, we delivered the greatest transparency to the states budget by publishing oklahomas checkbook online. With the new system, we are providing user friendly access to recent spending data. In partnership with my office, and oklahoma treasurer, we took oklahomas 47th ranking to 7th place in online budget transparency. [ applause ] and we will continue to fine tune how citizens ipt r interact with it in order to compete with first place. Most importantly, the Legislature Delivered the strongest accountability in state history. When you sent to my desk legislation to reform five of the states largest agencies. This action strengthened our budget oversight. Time and time again, state agencies would ask you for more money as the solution. But im here to tell you its not all about funding. Its about focus. Its about leadership. Your reforms have allowed me to go recruit the best talent, to break down silos between agencies, and to deliver the legislature with budgets that are more results oriented. When good policy meets the right leadership, anything is possible. [ applause ] just look at what transpired in 2019 between two key agencies. When i came into office, i was told that a change in our prison system wasnt possible without an immediate injection of 1 million. I was told the parole board could not take on increase in case load without more employees and funding of the i was told it was logistically impossible to accomplish this to give nonviolent offenders a second chance. What did we do . You passed better policy, and we changed leadership in both agencies, and as a result pardon and parole consolidated with department of corrections, this streamlined the case work all while increasing it by 118 over 2018. And they did this without a single dollar more. The department of corrections launched its first ever reentry fairs across 28 facilities that were part of house bill 1269 docket. The idea was from the first lady. And it now will become a permanent practice at the agency moving forward. The number of oklahomans in our state prisons declined by 7. 6 from 2018. As a result, the number of those incarcerated is as at itits low level since 2009. [ applause ] this is reducing the strain on our prison facilities and giving us the opportunity to reimagine the future of housing inmates. And in conjunction with the department of corrections, they withdrew its year after year request for more than one billion in additional funding. Instead submitted a fiscal year 2021 address that addressed the critical needs of tomorrow. It is now time to complete the successful consolidation effort. Im calming for the legislature to protect the constitutional mandate for pardon and parole, and yet pass legislation that absorbs the remainder. Collaboration is already taking place thanks to the leadership of director scott crow and director steve bickley. It is time we make this official in law to prevent future bureaucracies from creeping back in. When government is working and is under one vision, we can change the lives of oklahomans for the better. [ applause ] here in this chamber with us today is tara. Tara is a mother of four children who was serving a tenyear sentence due to a relapse with a drug addiction. Prior to her release, tara met with chris lender from center for Employment Opportunities at the transition fair. When she was commuted under the house bill 1269 docket, tara was immediately connected with sober housing. She began working at a temporary job for ceo. And within a month of her release was hired for Fulltime Position by a local Tulsa Company where she is finding stability an and opportunity again. Ment tara, we believe in you. The state want to help you. Keep a tight hold of the great future you and your family deserve. Thank you for being here today. [ applause ] friends, consolidation must not stop there. Secretary tim gats has done an exceptional job leading both the Oklahoma Department of transportation and the oklahoma turnpike authority. Secretary gats is beginning the process of combining all back office and common functions into one shared service entity. We will maintain separate general management for unique functions while streamlining operations that are duplicative in nature so we can deliver the highest quality of transportation possible. We will operate with one unified vision for infrastructure as we continue to move towards top ten status. Thank you secretary gats for your leadership. [ applause ]. When oklahoma is in crisis, it is most often our office of Emergency Management that is at the center of restoring us back to normal. Oem has the ability to call upon whatever resource it needs to help oklahomas communities prevent, respond, or recover from a major crisis. Homeland security is ita key pa of that effort, providing valuable coordination to support our first responders. By merging these two agencies, we will bolster response capabilities, streamline coordination, and leverage existing resources for stronger prevention programs. And as we prepare to recognize the 25th anniversary of the bombing in april, we must continue to set the standard for our nation and how to respond to and manage crisis when tested by tragedy. Oklahomas deserve it. And this merger will help us achieve that goal. Thank you to oem director mark do youer and homeland securitier kim carter who are committed to working with this legislature to get this done right. Homeland security. [ applause ] some will cry that consolidation is disruptive. And let me be clear, it will be for political insiders and those that find comfort in big bureaucracy. But it is what we need to do to improve decision making, deliver better accountability, and target dollars directly towards helping our citizens, instead of paying for administrative bloat. Oklahoma has the 20th highest land mass amongst states. The 28th largest population. And yet we have the 9th most state agencies out of all 50 states. This is unacceptable. There is no value to having more agencies than other states. It has not solved our bottom ten ranks in critical categories. As we reduce bureaucracy, we must also provide necessary relieve and enhanced opportunities for our dedicated public employees. President pro tem greg tree and representative mike osborne have already filed legislation to begin the conversation again on Civil Service reform. Its time to get this done in 2020. [ applause ] the states current Civil Service is broken. High quality employees are forced into a system that doesnt maximize their professional growth and potential. Agency leaders have their hands tied in who they can hire and promote due to out dated restrictions. Today, i am calling for reform that requires all new hires in State Government moving forward to be unclassified. I am requesting language that allows Agency Directors discretion to offer bonuses within the confines of their budgets for employees to receive promotion out of the restricted classified positions. Through this attrition model, i am casting a vision for the majority of the states workforce to be unclassified in the next five years. [ applause ] as part of Civil Service reform, i am calling for a threeperson panel in the Human CapitalManagement Department to maintain whistleblower protections and provide due process to state employees who have serious grievances. Whether these employees are classified or not. Lets make the states largest employer a place where we can hire the best, where we reward good performers, and where we are building a Training Ground for an exceptional workforce that can transition beyond Public Service if they so choose. With a longterm focus on agency reform, we will lay a new, Stronger Foundation for the state of oklahoma. Any policy that the Legislature Sends to my desk to further this effort will be signed. This is how we will actually get the tax dollar directly back to the citizen through better services. One of the most significant areas where we need reform is health care. I just returned from washington d. C. Where i stood with the Trump Administration to announce that the state of oklahoma will be pursuing new flexibilities through the healthy adult opportunity. With these new flexibilities, oklahoma will begin the process in the coming weeks to roll out sooner care 2. 0. Under this reformed Medicaid Program, we will seek to close the gap of those uninsured in oklahoma. We will deliver much needed accountability in the medicaid system to focus on rewarding Health Outcomes and stronger performances in care. With hla flexibility, we will deliver personal responsibility to new enrollees under sooner care 2. 0. We will seek to establish moderate premiums and work requirements. We will encourage ablebodied adults to transition towards a path of maintaining private insurance and pursuing educational or Employment Opportunities that advances their full personal potential. With hal flexibility, we will seek to establish programs that enhance accessibility of health care in rural oklahoma. [ applause ] and we will seek to expand targeted treatment for opioid addiction and substance abuse. But i cannot do this without you. Oklahoma is currently positioned to be the first in the nation to be granted a Trump Administrations waiver to achieve unprecedented flexibility and accountability in delivering medicaid to adults. No one who is currently eligible will lose coverage. Actually, more than 180,000 oklahomans would gain coverage under this. State senator byrd is under going the medicaid rolls. Her audit is expected to be done this spring that will allow us to address abuse in the system and sooner care 2. 0 will truly help those that need it the most. But washington needs to see the support from the Oklahoma State legislature. To fee