Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is proud of his legislative victories. And he took a victory lap on Wednesday afternoon in front of reporters to tout them.
He immediately celebrated the recent tax cut signed last week. House Bill 2764 will reduce Oklahoma's top income tax bracket from 4.75% to 4.5%, with the intention of eventually eliminating the income tax.
Stitt said he is not trying to eliminate core services, just "slow the growth of government."
"It was one of my best sessions we've ever had in my seven years … We eliminated the state income tax. Now, it might take us five years, ten years, 15 years, but we kind of mimicked what Tennessee did," Stitt said. "We put Oklahoma on a path to zero."
Tennessee followed a similar course in 2016, when it gradually reduced the tax rate and repealed the state's Hall Income Tax. This tax applied to interest from bonds and stock dividends.
This year, Stitt also vetoed more bills than any previous year of his administration. He issued 68 vetoes compared to more than 400 bills that were sent to his desk. The legislature overrode almost 50 vetoed bills, turning them into law.
Stitt argued the 2025 legislative session proposed too many regulations and laws for Oklahomans.
"I tell the legislature all the time, 'Listen, override them if you want. Nobody knows — my buddies in Jenks, Oklahoma or Wayne, Oklahoma – what a veto override is,'" Stitt said. "Everything that I vetoed was just things that I felt like was going to grow government. It wasn't good for the taxpayer either."
Stitt called recent announcements by foreign investors to work in Oklahoma, including a $4 billion aluminum smelter from Emirates Global Aluminum, among the "biggest economic driver, economic development wins in our state history."
Last week, Stitt appointed Retired Rear Admiral Gregory Slavonic as interim commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. He took over the role from Allie Friesen, who was removed by lawmakers last Thursday.
Slavonic is the CEO of BlueWater Strategies, a business consulting firm based in Virginia. Stitt praised his experience as a business person despite his lack of formal mental health training.
"When the legislature fired Allie, that's when we went out, we tried to find the very best person (who) would come in and take this job," Stitt said. "He's not a mental health expert, and he's more of a business person. He's somebody that I think can do the job."
There was one apparent loss at the US Supreme Court. Oklahoma's Virtual Charter School Board and Attorney General Gentner Drummond were fighting about the future of St. Isidore, a proposed virtual Catholic charter school paid partially via public finances. Stitt had backed the effort to get public funding for the private school. However, it was ultimately rejected by the United States Supreme Court in a 4-4 decision.
Still, the governor said there will be another case. One where Amy Coney Barrett won't recuse herself due to a conflict of interest, and he believes public funds will eventually go to private schools.
Stitt also said little momentum has been made with Operation Guardian, which is a plan authorized by Oklahoma Commissioner of Public Safety Tim Tipton to transfer undocumented immigrants in the state to federal custody for deportation.
"He put together a plan to work with the Trump administration for the criminal element that's here illegally that are actually committing crimes to get them out of our prisons. Nothing's happened at this point," Stitt said. "I think we're still waiting on ICE detention to pick up some of the people that are going to be released fairly shortly."
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