Opinion

E arlier this month, President Joe Biden submitted his fiscal year 2024 budget request to Congress, and to use his own words, “Come on, man.” Although this is simply a proposed outline and government funding will be sorted out through the appropriations process in the coming months in Congress, this reckless tax-and-spend budget certainly shows his priorities are not in line with the American people.

Workforce development has been a major focus in the Legislature, especially since the pandemic and the Great Resignation, impacting not only Oklahoma but the entire nation. I held an interim study last fall to see why women, in particular, have been leaving the workforce at such a high rate, and learned that lack of maternity leave and access to affordable childcare were two of the most common reasons.

We had a long and productive week last week at the Capitol. Representatives have completed their House committees for now and we’ve spent each day on the House floor voting on bills. This week, we heard 163 bills, but that still leaves 380 House bills that are eligible to be considered before the Thursday, March 23, deadline.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has shown the world repeatedly that it cannot be trusted as a global partner. And given its deceptive actions taken at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic when COVID-19 first emerged in China, the CCP has also shown it cannot be trusted as a health partner as well.

As Oklahoma’s Attorney General, I have made it a top priority to aggressively enforce the Open Records and Open Meetings Acts across State government. That is why I am excited to highlight the importance of Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of access to public information and open government.

Between running to and from committees presenting and voting on bills, and then meeting for floor sessions, I also had the opportunity to visit with several groups this past couple of weeks.

As a small business owner, I know firsthand how bureaucratic overregulation and red tape can threaten or even destroy a business. Eleven years ago, the Obama administration’s burdensome and ever-changing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations put my wife and me out of business in a matter of days—and we weren’t alone. Heavy handed government bureaucracy is a constant challenge for Oklahoma business owners, and it’s why I ran for office in the first place.

Since assuming office, President Joe Biden has issued an unprecedented number of unchecked executive orders that have undoubtedly hindered the United States’ economy from fully recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. After two years of financial hardship under his presidency and Democrat control in Congress, I was proud that the House passed the Reduce Exacerbated Inflation Negatively Impacting the Nation (REIN IN) Inflation Act last week to provide a long-needed check on this administration.

This week at the Capitol was packed with dozens of committee meetings as legislators hurried to ensure their bills were passed ahead of Thursday’s committee deadline. In addition to attending meetings for the committees I sit on, I passed six of my own bills out of their committees prior to the deadline, and those are now eligible to be heard on the House floor.

Last session, the Legislature passed a bill restricting how municipalities could penalize underage tobacco usage after studies found education was a stronger deterrent than strict penalties. As can happen in the legislative process, we tried it, and it didn’t work. Communities abided by this policy change the last several months, and it became apparent that education simply isn’t enough to stop underage use.