House Republicans Announce Agenda

House Speaker Chris Benge, joined by several members of the House Republican caucus, announced the 2009 ‘Progress for Oklahoma’ agenda today.

The six-point agenda includes efforts to move toward energy independence, build a pro-growth business climate, prepare students for a competitive marketplace, promote access to affordable health care, protect Oklahoma families, and modernize and reform our government.

Benge said the agenda builds on accomplishments seen in the House over the last four years since Republicans took the majority.

House Democrats, however, said they aren't impressed.

“This is a pro-growth, conservative agenda that promotes ideas to move our state forward as we continue to embark on Oklahoma’s second century,” said Benge, R-Tulsa. “Our world is rapidly changing, and we must adapt our laws so they reflect current realities in all aspects of government.”

House Speaker Pro Tempore Kris Steele said he is anxious to begin this legislative session.

“We are at a challenging time in our state’s history, yet I believe the work we will accomplish will benefit Oklahomans for generations to come,” said Steele, R-Shawnee.

The agenda embraces four major challenges the Speaker sees Oklahoma facing right now, including energy, education, economic drivers and health care.

Majority Floor Leader Tad Jones praised the process by which this year’s agenda was formulated.

“This is a bottom-up agenda. We took input from Republican members, and crafted a plan around those recommendations,” said Jones, R-Claremore. “At the end of the day, all Republican members had a chance for input and I am confident we will work as a group to see these ideas implemented not only this year, but also in years to come.”

The agenda:

Creating Energy Independence: Oklahoma has a long energy heritage with oil and natural gas producers, and it is more critical than ever that we support local efforts with local fuel. Oklahomans can no longer be complacent when it comes to using alternatives to costly and increasingly dangerous foreign oil, especially when there are plentiful local resources that can serve as an alternative. Our state is poised to take advantage of what is becoming a national movement for alternative fuels. States can lead the way, and no one is better situated than Oklahoma to be a national leader. It will take an all-of-the-above solution to wean us from our dependence on foreign oil, including wind and solar energies, biofuels, compressed and liquefied natural gas, clean coal, geothermal and nuclear technologies, expanding our domestic drilling capacity all while also placing an emphasis on conservation. We also support sufficient energy infrastructure.

Building a Pro-Growth Business Climate: We all know the key to building Oklahoma's economy, both rural and urban, is attracting more jobs to our state, especially high-paying ones. Government can help establish the right conditions for economic growth, through such mechanisms as workforce development, while recognizing that only our workers and business owners can truly grow our economy. Since taking over the majority, we have worked to put in place reasonable tax reforms that have allowed Oklahomans to keep more of their hard-earned money, and we will work this session to protect the existing tax relief. We will also work to remove regulatory barriers and make legal reforms to ensure our laws encourage economic growth. Investments in transportation and infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, will also continue to be critical after decades of neglect.

Preparing students for a competitive marketplace: Our world is smaller today than ever before. Our children are no longer simply competing with students in Texas and Kansas, but more so with those around the world. House Republicans have made funding a priority in our education system, but money alone will not help our children compete globally for jobs. Our children are a diverse population and all learn in many different ways. We must look past outdated education models and reform our system to include a blend of educational opportunities tied with accountability in a safe and orderly environment. Choice, local control and high standards in our school systems are critical to ensuring that our children are prepared to compete in today's marketplace.

Promoting Access to Affordable Health Care: We must work to make our state healthier. Oklahomans need to be empowered to take more responsibility for their own health outcomes. Our focus will be on removing barriers to private insurance all while stressing personal responsibility and quality of care. Reducing the growth of health care costs can be accomplished through market-based solutions such as supporting personal control over health care dollars and expanded consumer choice and competition.

Protecting Oklahoma families: In recent years we have made tremendous strides in defending the traditional values Oklahomans' hold dear, from pro-life legislation to ensuring criminals are kept off the streets. We will continue to make public safety a priority, especially among our most vulnerable citizens, our children and elderly population. Supporting the 2nd Amendment will continue to be a priority.

Modernizing and Reforming Our Government: We support government reform, efficiency, accountability and transparency. It is more important than ever, given the current economic climate, that we live within our means. We must continue to exercise fiscal responsibility and make hard choices to ensure that tax dollars are spent in the most efficient manner possible while maintaining essential government services. We will continue prudent management of the Rainy Day Fund. We will also push for election
reforms so voters have confidence in our electoral process.

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