Lankford: IRS Document Destruction Harmed Taxpayers

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (Sept. 22nd) – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined a letter with Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) and all Senate Finance Committee Republican members, demanding information from the IRS on new and previously unanswered questions. The letter comes after reports that provided troubling evidence of taxpayers who were directly harmed by the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) destruction of 30 million unprocessed tax returns.

Government shouldn’t discourage work

To make Oklahoma a place where all people can thrive requires that we make Oklahoma a place where people can work.

Work matters. It provides people with a sense of purpose and self-control even when they face financial stress.

That’s why conservatives are so strongly opposed to government policies that incentivize people to stay on the workforce sidelines. Such polices have severe negative impact on individuals and society as a whole.

GOVERNOR STITT ANNOUNCES AI TASK FORCE

OKLAHOMA CITY (September 25, 2023) - Today, Governor Kevin Stitt announced the creation of a task force to study the potential uses, benefits and security vulnerabilities of artificial intelligence and generative artificial intelligence. This a major step towards Governor Stitt’s goal of modernizing and streamlining state government to make sure it works better for all Oklahomans. Among other things, the task force will identify the ways in which AI can be used to make government more efficient, to improve education, and to prepare our workforce for tomorrow’s economy.

Oklahoma City, Okla – The Oklahoma State Board of Education (OSBE) moved forward with State Superintendent Ryan Walters Back to Basics proposal to focus on student outcomes in four key subject areas: Reading, Math, Science, and Civics. 

“Schools have been too focused on social experimentation and not on basic instruction that lies at the heart of our schools’ mission,” said Walters.  “That’s why we are launching $8 million worth of initiatives focused on improving student outcomes. We will focus on the Science of Reading, implement the most comprehensive tutoring program in the nation, and pay our best teachers for growth in student outcomes and achievement.  I look forward to expanding these programs into the future.”

Walters announced new initiatives aimed to addressing failing schools: “We must reject the status quo.  We cannot – and will not – allow our schools to fail our students because too much is at stake.  My administration will do whatever it takes to help schools succeed, but schools will not be allowed to continue to fail for multiple years. We will think outside the box, and we will innovate.” 

Walters also introduced a draft budget request for FY25: “Thanks to the Biden administration, inflation remains high, and Oklahoma has suffered its share of economic challenges. We are being responsive to the fiscal reality in our state and are taking historic action to direct funding toward a singular goal: student outcomes.  Under my administration, OSDE will be fiscally responsible and maintain a constant eye on the return on investment of taxpayer money.  We are maintaining funding levels for classroom instruction and helping to ensure that more money reaches the wallets of teachers around the state.” 

Background:

Following the historic investment in education passed by the Legislature last year, there was an FY24 appropriation of $3.97 billion. However, $160 million of that appropriation was the School Security and Reading Initiative pilot programs. This $160 million appropriated in FY24 was to be split evenly between FY24, FY25, and FY26, which meant of that $160 Million appropriated for those programs, only $53.3 was spent in FY24. Consequently, $3.86 billion was actually spent on education in FY24.

For FY25, OSDE is asking for $3.92 billion in funding. The $53.3 million that was designated for FY25 for school security and reading initiatives from the FY24 appropriation is automatically added to this request. This leads to the total amount OSDE is requesting in FY25 to be $3.97 billion. The amount SDE is requesting to be spent in FY25 is an increase of $112.9 million compared to the amount that was spent in FY24.

Every functional category of education spending is either constant or increasing for the FY25 budget request compared to the FY24 budget, including a 56.9% increase in spending for teachers and students.

The FY25 requested appropriation is smaller than the FY24 appropriation is because the FY24 appropriation included $160 Million in 3-year pilot programs, but $106.7 million of that appropriation is to be spent in FY25 and FY26.

Washington, D.C. (Sept. 28th) – Congressman Josh Brecheen will be hosting a telephone town hall tonight, September 28th at 7:00pm CT.

During the call, Congressman Brecheen will provide an update on some of the most pressing policy issues facing our country, including our more than $33 trillion national debt, and answer live questions from constituents.

Details for participating in the call are below:

• Date: Thursday, September 28th, 2023
• Time: 7:00-8:00 p.m. CT
• Dial-in Number: 888-480-3675

Constituents should dial 888-480-3675 if they would like to participate in the call. To watch a live stream of the call, constituents can visit our Facebook page here.

OKLAHOMA CITY (September 28, 2023) — A new poll shows Oklahomans overwhelmingly support cutting the state income tax and gradually eliminating the tax entirely.

According to the survey, conducted by WPA Intelligence (WPAi) on behalf of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) and Americans for Prosperity (AFP), 65% of Oklahoma voters support cutting the state income tax, while only 22% oppose income-tax cuts. The survey also found that 67% of voters support elimination of Oklahoma’s income tax.

OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 20, 2023) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond has created an Organized Crime Task Force to combat the scourge of illegal marijuana grow operations across Oklahoma and added a resource for citizens to report suspicious activity related to unlicensed operations.

Washington, D.C. (Sept. 19th) – The office of Congressman Josh Brecheen reminds constituents in Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District that completed application packets for service academy nominations must be received in the Claremore office by 5:00 pm October 20, 2023.

Oklahoma City, Okla (Sept. 20th) – Today, the Oklahoma State Department of Education filed a Motion to Dismiss in OKPLAC, INC., d/b/a Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee, et al., v. STATEWIDE VIRTUAL CHARTER SCHOOL BOARD, et al. – concerning the approval of a religious charter school.

“Religious freedom is at the very bedrock of our nation,” said State Superintendent Ryan Walters. “Those who would sue to abridge the freedom of Americans to freely exercise their religion stand against 400 years of religious tolerance in America, predating the United States itself.  I will fight to protect the freedom of all Oklahomans enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and Oklahoma laws, especially in our schools.”