Successful Comprehensive Conservative Policy Year

 

OKLAHOMA CITY – The House of Representatives adjourned Sine Die on Thursday following successful passage of a comprehensive conservative policy agenda.

“From the budget to policy, this was the most comprehensive conservative policy session ever,” said House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka. “The largest House Republican majority in state history delivered more pro-growth conservative wins than ever before in a single session. We met the mandate of the voters and can build on that momentum going forward.”

The Legislature sent 600 measures to the governor this session, including a historic state budget and major conservative accomplishments in education, taxes, states’ rights, the economy and public safety.

“Sessions are usually defined by one or two big accomplishments. This session had at least a dozen accomplishments that, in any other year, could have been considered the biggest issues of session,” McCall said. “The level of productivity has never been higher in my nine years of service, and I thank all members of the House, Senate and Governor Stitt for their partnership in this shared accomplishment.”

Major 2021 accomplishments that were priorities of the House Republican Caucus include:

Education

• Implemented open transfer policy to expand parental choice (HB 2074, SB 783)
• Reduced class sizes in kindergarten and first grade through increased appropriations
• Maximized funding formula by making money follow student (HB 2078)
• Created charter and traditional school funding equity with Redbud School Funding Act (SB 229)
• Increased private support for public schools and scholarships for private schools (SB 1080)
• Required passage of U.S. Civics Test to graduate high school (HB 2030)
• Banned teaching critical race theory in public school classrooms (HB 1775)

Tax relief

• Reduced personal income tax by .25% for all taxpayers (HB 2962)
• Reduced corporate income tax from 6% to 4% (HB 2960, HB 2961, HB 2963)

Budget

• Set state record for common education appropriations (HB 2900)
• Replenished savings to record $1.3 billion
• No functional budget reduction for any agency
• Funded Medicaid expansion per SQ 802 (SB 1045)
• Restored one-time pandemic changes to pension and transportation funds

States’ Rights

• Established constitutional process to challenge federal overreach (HB 1236)
• Expanded pro-life policies (HBs 2441, 1102, SBs 918, 778, 779)
• Protected churches from infringement of constitutional worship rights (HB 2648, SB 368)
• Protected female sports (SB 2)
• Supported more Second Amendment protections (HB 1630, SB 631)

Government & Elections

• Modernized civil service system to improve state government workforce (HB 1146)
• Addressed issues surrounding driver’s license backlogs (HB 1059, SB 1057)
• Completed fair, transparent, constitutional legislative redistricting plan (HB 1198, SB 1066)
• Add extra day of in-person early voting (HB 2663)
• Improved state questions by disclosing fiscal impacts, allowing recounts (SB 947, HB 2564)

Economy

• Set framework, incentives for broadband expansion (HBs 1124, 2928, 2040, 2946, SB 802)
• Sent $35 million to economic development funds for new jobs (HB 2900, SB 1082)
• Protected utility customers from large winter storm bills via securitization (SB 1049, SB 1050)
• Dedicated $15.5 million to Rural Economic Action Plan (HB 2900)
• Enhanced film industry recruitment efforts (SB 608)

Public Safety

• Protected public from rioters, government disruptions (HB 1674, SB 403)
• More criminal justice reform through Sarah Stitt Act, driver’s license reforms (HBs 1679, 1795)
• Required local jails to comply with immigration enforcement (HB 2774)

The 2022 session begins on Feb. 7, 2022.

The Legislature will convene in special session later this year to complete constitutionally required Congressional redistricting, which was delayed due to the U.S. Census Bureau’s failure to deliver complete decennial Census data to states on time.