Optimism at Oklahoma Capitol: Making Oklahoma a Top Ten State

Oklahoma State Senate
Senator Micheal Bergstrom

Senate District 1

February 20, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Senator Micheal Bergstrom
State Capitol: (405) 521-5561

Email: bergstrom@oksenate.gov          

Capitol Considerations by Senator Micheal Bergstrom

Optimism at Capitol

There is a sense of optimism in the Oklahoma legislature this year.

Governor Stitt has laid out his goals, demanding accountability, transparency and results. These line up very well with what those of us in the Republican Senate Caucus have been calling for.

The Governor’s focus on education, criminal justice reform and financial common sense in budgeting are just what we have been working toward.

We recently released our Senate Republican agenda which has four major points:

Budget Transparency by creating a legislative budget office so we can get the answers we need to properly evaluate and manage agency budgets.

Government Accountability by giving the governor authority to hire and/or fire agency heads.

Education Investment & Reform by protecting teacher pay raises and building on the momentum from our education successes of last session, and by restoring 5-day school weeks through legislation that provides reasonable exemptions to school districts that can show that student performance is not harmed by its operating on a different schedule.

Criminal Justice Reform Advancement by providing funding and access for diversion programs to those who don’t need to be in prison. We want to make sure that those who need to be incarcerated are put in prison, but those who can be productive in society are offered the opportunity to prove themselves.

My personal goals remain the same as in past sessions. Economic development and bringing business to Oklahoma and nurturing business in our state is a top priority. We need good paying jobs in my district and throughout Oklahoma. Closely linked to that is public education, which must be supported and improved to prepare our citizens for success in the workforce of the future.

And, of course, tourism, which is vitally important to our region of Oklahoma, is an area on which I am also focusing.

Then there are my constituents. When someone in my district has an issue that I might be able to help with, I want to know about it. Just call my office at 405.521.5561 or email bergstrom@oksenate.gov.

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