Legislative Kickoff: House and Senate leaders offer insight, focus for 2021

Members of House and Senate leadership gathered for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber’s 2021 Legislative Kickoff, sharing their thoughts on a variety of topics important to Oklahoma. 

Moderated by Brad Krieger, Chamber Vice Chair of Government Relations and Executive Vice President and Regional Manager, Arvest Bank, the kickoff featured Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, Senate Democratic Leader Kay Floyd, House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols and House Democratic Minority Leader Emily Virgin.

Krieger began by stating the Chamber’s priorities for 2021 including retaining and strengthening the state’s economic development programs, the five-year ad valorem tax incentive, regional transit/commuter rail and educational support to keep students on track after disruption due to Covid. “We want to work together to make our state and city a better place. The Chamber is committed to success of businesses and growth of the region,” he said.

Leadership notes: Business community should stand ready

A record number of bills have already been filed in 2021 due to Covid’s interruption of the 2020 session but not all will make it past committee. “Passing a law should be hard and not everything should make it to the Governor’s desk,” said Leader Echols. “The cream will rise to the top, so to speak.” Leader Virgin added that the focus will be “on the people’s business and working in a transparent manner so constituents know and have access to what we are doing.”

Transforming the state’s Medicaid system to a Medicaid Managed Care model will be a hot button during the 2021 session and finding the money to fund the program will be a challenge.

“The managed care debate has been going on since I was elected in 2011 and it is one of the most divisive issues at the capitol,” said Senate President Treat. “Oklahoma ranks anywhere from 46th to 50th in the nation in outcomes of most major health metrics so what we are doing isn’t working. The vote of the people put it in the state’s constitution—it will be a hard hill to climb but it is squarely in our lap now.”

Get involved, stay informed: sign up for the okc business advocate

To the topic of getting children back in the classroom, panelists agreed children are better served there, but Covid restrictions continue to put strains on the educational experience.

“Kids do need to be back in the classroom but before that, Covid needs to be under control in our state,” said Leader Floyd. “The classroom is what is best but when that happens will depend on how we handle Covid moving forward.”                                                                    

“It’s not whether students are being left behind, they are being left behind,” added Echols. “The level of education isn’t at its normal level, and it's not teachers' fault. This is an incredibly difficult time. My thought is that education policy must switch to student outcomes because education exists for students, and education funding must continue to support our teachers.”

Covid continued to be a major topic with the discussion of the rights of business owners and event producers requiring masks, along with extending the date for access to online public meetings.

Chamber announces public policy agenda for 2021

“I fully support business owners and event hosts requiring masks but I think we would have a lot more clarity and additional support for businesses if we had a statewide mask mandate,” said Floyd.  “It’s unfair to put business owners in the role of enforcement.”

“There is some work to do on the open meetings issue but I am in support of the extension,” said Treat. “More constituents are participating in local meetings and that’s a good thing. Online access increases transparency and increasing the broadcasting of the meetings means more people have access to listen and to participate.”

As the kickoff wrapped up, panelists shared a variety of legislative priorities including controlling the pandemic via testing and vaccine distribution, getting kids back in school, criminal justice reform, public and higher education funding and economic diversification.

And politics aside, all panelists agree that it’s time for nationwide hostile and heated rhetoric to stop and get back to the business of improving things now and for future generations.

“To survive as a nation we must find a way to work together. Tearing each other down is not the way to continue our republic. We must focus on civility and curiosity rather than judgment and ask questions rather than assume,” said Treat.

“With this panel, you’re seeing an example of people of different opinions getting along and that is something that is often lost due to the focus on the divisiveness in the federal government. It is possible to respect others who share different thoughts and opinions. We need to humanize people and take an opportunity to walk in other people’s shoes,” added Virgin.

Special thanks to Legislative Kickoff Presenting Sponsor The Boeing Company and Corporate Sponsors OU Health and Waste Connections of Oklahoma, Inc.