Gov. Mary Fallin joined three fellow Republican chief executives in Colorado Tuesday night to discuss what's working in their states.
Fallin, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory outlined their approach to economic, health, and immigration problems as part of a panel discussion at the Aspen Institute.
Fallin told the audience she finds some common ground with Democrats when it comes to criminal justice. She met briefly with President Obama last week as he visited Oklahoma to push for corrections reform. Fallin says she's looking specifically at substance abuse issues as a way to ease overcrowded prisons in Oklahoma.
“For those who have just a problem – they’re not a criminal, but they have a problem – try to get them treatment, try to get them help, keep the family together, let them support their families, let them get back into society with treatment, with help, once they prove they’re willing to do that, and become productive citizens,” Fallin said.
Fallin said she hopes prescription monitoring legislation signed into law earlier this year will start to reduce the amount of drug abuse in Oklahoma.
She also described what she called a "triage approach" to find out why a person enters the criminal justice system, and offer the right type of care
Fallin also offered her first hint as to who she hopes to see emerge from the crowded Republican presidential field as the primary season gets underway.
The governor didn't indicate who she might endorse, but said she was excited by what she called the diverse, wide, and deep field of GOP candidates that's now grown to 16. She said the American people are looking for someone with a vision, who also relates to them on a personal level.
“If someone thinks that a political figure doesn’t care about their family, about their jobs, about some type of challenge they may have, about their public safety, about education, whatever it might be, then they’re probably not going to support that person,” Fallin said.
Half of the current GOP field is either a sitting or former chief executive, and Fallin said governors have the ability to solve state problems like welfare, education, skills gaps, and transportation issues in a way that members of Congress can't.
Fallin spent two terms in the U.S. House before she won the 2010 gubernatorial election.
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