Governor Renews Push For Tax Cuts
At the top of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s list of priorities for the legislature this session are sweeping tax cuts.
Stitt said he will sign any tax cuts that land on his desk.
“As we have growth, it should be automatic to return excess to the taxpayers, not to seek out bigger government programs,” Stitt said during his State of the State address Monday.
While he has the support of House Speaker Charles McCall on that front, Republican leadership in the Senate is stalling.
Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat is proposing his own slash on the state’s portion of the grocery tax. He said he is willing to consider both an income and grocery tax cut, among others, but not until the state budget is finalized later this month.
House Democrats disagree with Stitt’s call to eliminate tax revenues at a time when they say Oklahomans need more support from their government than ever before.
House Democratic Caucus' Response To State of the State
State House Democrats outlined their legislative priorities following the governor's address Monday.
Lawmakers pushed back against some of the governor's remarks.
Stitt advocated for maintaining a “flat budget” this session. But House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson of Oklahoma City said that would essentially be a cut. Because of inflation, many state agencies need more money to maintain their status quo.
"These folks are not growing government. They are simply doing the very basic, needs of our Oklahoma of Oklahomans," Munson said.
Democrats also stood at odds with Stitt over tribal sovereignty, private school vouchers and income tax cuts. But they did find some common ground with the Governor over criminal justice reform.
"We would love to see fines and fees completely eliminated. But in order to do that, you have to fund the courts. Which kind of contradicts his argument or his plan or his vision to cut income tax," Muson said.
House Democrats say they’d rather cut the state tax on groceries.
Drought Impacted Oklahoma Cattle Herds In 2023
The number of cattle in Oklahoma is slightly up so far this year.
But, shoppers might still see higher beef prices this year due to an overall national reduction.
Oklahoma’s total cattle inventory number took a nosedive in 2023, dropping 12%.
Derrell Peel, an OSU extension livestock marketing specialist, says on a national level, the inventory is the lowest it's been since 1951. The main culprit: drought.
At the grocery store, Peel says consumers could see tighter supplies and higher prices.
But because of the small numbers, he says there might be some growing incentives to rebuild the herd.
This year in Oklahoma, USDA’s January Cattle Survey shows the overall number of cattle in the state is up 2%.
OSU Plans New Microbiome Research Center
Oklahoma State University plans to study the tiniest of organisms to get a better understanding of how they contribute to health and wellness.
The National Institutes of Health awarded Oklahoma State University researchers a $10.7 million grant to fund the Oklahoma Center for Microbiome Research.
The microbiome research center will look at the tiny organisms that live inside humans, animals and even soil underneath crops.
The money will be distributed over a five year period and provide 10 faculty members with mentorship.
OSU researchers say the work funded by the grant will help take the university’s work on microbiome research to the next level.
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