Governor Stitt Defends Special Session for A&M Regent Selection

Listen to Ron Hays talk with Governor Stitt about the open seat for the A&M Board of Regents and more.

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays is talking with Governor Kevin Stitt about some of his latest work, from an open seat on the A&M Board of Regents to bills he signed during the 2024 legislative session.

First and foremost, Stitt talked his call for a Special Session of the Senate regarding an appointment to the A&M Board of Regents. One name surfaced for the Governor that he has sent forward as a nomination- former OSU Director of Athletics Mike Holder.  Governor Stitt says he believes the Regents need a person that can help navigate the new world of college athletics and hopes that OSU can rise and become a leader within the Big 12 in the days to come. He contends Mike Holder will help that be a reality.

Hays asked about one name that was mentioned a lot during the search for a candidate- Jennifer Callahan. Governor Stitt said Mrs. Callahan would absolutely be a great choice- but that she chose not to allow her name to be put forward for consideration by the Senate at this time. That makes  Holder the nominee for the Governor to push forward.

Regarding the 2024 Legislative Session, Stitt said he was happy to quickly sign the final budget deal approved by the the House and Senate- saying he had promised leadership he would sign if they gave him certain things he felt were important- they are in the final package and he was pleased to honor his promise and sign the bill. Stitt says the process to pass the budget was a transparent process, and he was pleased with the elimination of the grocery tax.

“Rural Oklahomans are hurting when you think about everything with inflation,” Stitt said. “That is the least we can do is to eliminate the grocery tax.”

Stitt also said he would like to see lower income tax and property tax in future years. He commended the state for being business-friendly and said this provides ample reason for people to move to Oklahoma.

“Like Ronald Reagan said, ‘Government is not the answer- most of the time government is the problem,’” Stitt said.

Another bill signed by Stitt was Senate Bill 1424, otherwise known as the Poultry Bill, which can be viewed as a promise honored to growers and farmers that if they play by the rules, they will be protected.

Finally, Hays asked Governor Stitt about the move to remove the Secrtary titles from his Cabinet and instead call those agency heads as Chief Advisors. They talked about Blayne Arthur’s role in the Stitt administration as she remains as the head of the Department of Ag and has been renamed as the Chief Agricultural Advisor of the Governor. The Governor says that whatever you want to call key players like Blayne Arthur- she and others are trusted advisors and he is happy to have their counsel.

Click the listen bar above to hear the full conversation!

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