OCPA comment on State of the State, start of 2019 legislative session

OCPA statement on 2019 legislative session

At the opening of Oklahoma’s 2019 legislative session, Trent England, executive vice president at the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), released the following statement:

“There’s a lot of optimism in the Capitol. It’s exciting to see our new Governor and so many new lawmakers bringing new ideas to the table. At the same time, leadership in the Senate and House have the experience necessary to really get things done.

“One of the biggest threats to all this comes from unions talking about school shutdowns. With education a top issue for lawmakers, and session just beginning, it’s appalling that unions are already threatening to shut down schools for political leverage.

“These union political tactics smack of bad faith and are disrespectful to lawmakers, taxpayers, parents, and teachers.”

OCPA reacts to Gov. Stitt’s first State of the State address

After Gov. Kevin Stitt made his first State of the State address, Jonathan Small, president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), released the following statement:

“The Governor’s theme was accountability. It was great to hear him dig into the details, pointing out that the only way to make agencies accountable is to change their structure. Either the Governor can hold agency directors accountable or not, and right now, most agencies are unaccountable.

“Governor Stitt pointed out that it’s dangerous to make Oklahoma more dependent on federal programs like Medicaid. As a businessman, he knows not to count on the promises of politicians in Washington, D.C. Oklahoma should continue to steer clear of Medicaid expansion.”