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Stitt outlines tax, education and power-appointment goals for final Oklahoma session

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Stitt outlines tax, education and power-appointment goals for final Oklahoma session


OKLAHOMA CITY –

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said he plans to use his final legislative session to pursue major structural reforms, including giving future governors authority to appoint additional statewide positions and finishing major pieces of his tax and education agenda.

In an exclusive interview on the Hot Seat, Stitt also discussed his work as chair of the National Governors Association, ongoing disputes over tribal jurisdiction and the future of Oklahoma’s energy and agriculture sectors.

State finances and tax priorities

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Stitt said Oklahoma has moved from billion-dollar budget deficits to record savings since he first ran for office.

“Remember the teacher walkouts? Billion dollar deficits. No money in savings,” Stitt said. “Really proud of where we’re at today. We have the largest savings account we’ve ever had. I’ve cut over $1 billion in taxes.”

Stitt said education remains his top priority as he prepares his final budget proposal

Stitt renews push to permit appointment of the State Superintendent

Stitt said he will again ask lawmakers to send voters a proposal that would allow future governors to appoint the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

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Stitt argued the position should function like a cabinet-level appointment instead of an elected office with its own political base.

“You elect a governor, you say, ‘Go improve education.’ Let the governor appoint the very best person to run that,” Stitt said. “Too often our politicians are worried about the next election instead of the next generation.”

Stitt said he would support the same structure for positions such as attorney general, insurance commissioner and labor commissioner.

Election reform: Stitt opposes open primaries

Stitt said he opposes opening Oklahoma’s primary elections to all voters, arguing that approach would have prevented his own election.

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“I like the fact that Republicans are choosing who they want to put forward, and Democrats are choosing who they want to put their person forward,” Stitt said.

Energy policy: supporting AI growth and opposing federal mandates

Stitt highlighted Oklahoma’s low electricity costs and said the state must continue expanding power generation to support new data centers and AI-driven industries.

Stitt said he supports “behind-the-meter” energy options and opposes federal rules that impose uniform energy regulation across states.

“We don’t want the federal government to come in and tell states how to regulate,” Stitt said. “Oklahoma is different from Texas and different from New York.”

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As chair of the National Governors Association, Stitt said he is working with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on bipartisan permitting reform to shorten timelines for major infrastructure projects.

Tribal jurisdiction: hunting lawsuit and enforcement disputes

Stitt criticized recent moves to dismiss hunting cases on state-owned land, saying Oklahoma must maintain a single legal standard for all residents regardless of tribal citizenship.

“We can’t have two sets of rules based on your race,” Stitt said. “This is state-owned land that is for the benefit of all Oklahomans.”

Stitt said a pending tribal lawsuit will help determine whether the state continues to own and regulate land in eastern Oklahoma, calling the ruling significant in creating a single legal standard between tribes and the state.

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Agriculture: poultry lawsuit and rural impacts

Stitt also criticized the attorney general’s approach in a longstanding poultry pollution lawsuit involving eastern Oklahoma waterways, saying retroactive penalties could drive companies out of the region.

Stitt said Tyson Foods has warned farmers it may leave eastern Oklahoma if a proposed settlement is finalized.

“If the permit needs to change, no problem. Get to the legislature,” Stitt said. “But if somebody has a permit, don’t come back ten years later and say, ‘Yeah, I know you follow the permit, but we really don’t like it.’”

NGA chairmanship and the nation’s 250th anniversary

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Stitt said his national intiative as NGA chair, called “Reigniting the American Dream,” will focus on expanding opportunity and mobility.

Stitt confirmed all 50 governors are expected to attend events in Oklahoma City next summer during the nation’s 250th anniversary observance.

“This is the greatest country in the world,” Stitt said. “We want that idea to permeate to the next generation.”



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Three Big 12 Transfers Oklahoma State Is Reportedly Interested In

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Three Big 12 Transfers Oklahoma State Is Reportedly Interested In


PORTAL TRACKER 

Oklahoma State’s newly constructed staff got on the board Saturday, picking up portal commitments on offense and special special teams, so how about some defense?

Three Big 12 defenders have been linked with Oklahoma State via the transfer portal over the past few days, including a pair of former OK Preps standouts. Here’s a look.

Kanijal Thomas, CB, Kansas State

Thomas is an Oklahoman, playing his high school ball at Del City. He visited Stillwater on Saturday, according to On3.

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He was a redshirt sophomore for the Wildcats in 2025, playing in seven games as a true freshman in 2023 before an injury saw his sophomore season end two games in.

Thomas played in eight games at K-State in 2025, finishing the year with five tackles, a PBU and a forced fumble. According to PFF, he gave up four catches for 21 yards this season on seven targets.

Now listed at 5-foot-11, 186 pounds, Thomas was a three-star prospect coming out of Del City in the 2023 class. He picked K-State over offers from OSU, Texas Tech, Iowa State and others.

Maurion Horn, CB, Texas Tech

Another Oklahoma kid, Maurion Horn has spent the past four seasons in Lubbock, where he has played in 30 games during that time. According to 247Sports, Horn will visit Stillwater on Monday.

He started all of Tech’s games in 2024, finishing that season with 56 tackles, three tackles for loss and five pass breakups. He played in seven games and dealt with some sort of injury, appearing on Tech’s availability report in Weeks 4, 14 and 15.

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Horn has been targeted 88 times in his career, per PFF, where he has allowed just 47 catches.

He was a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class out of Broken Arrow. He ended up picking Tech over offers from OSU, OU, Texas, Baylor, Arkansas and others.

Braylon Rigsby, Edge, Texas Tech

Listed at 6-foot-2, 275 pounds, Braylon Rigsby will join his Texas Tech teammate in Stillwater on Monday, according to 247Sports.

He’s played in 26 games across the past two seasons in Lubbock, accumulating 25 tackles and three tackles for loss during that time.

Per PFF, Rigsby has 21 QB pressures in his career to go with two QB hits.

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He hails from Woodsville, Texas, which is near the Louisiana border. Rigsby was a three-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, coming in as the No. 861 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking.



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Capture of Nicolas Maduro: What it could mean for Oklahoma

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Capture of Nicolas Maduro: What it could mean for Oklahoma


Elite Delta Force captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife about 2 a.m. Saturday morning.

It happened in the Caracas, the capitol of Venezuela.

Social media posts how strikes ordered by President Trump into Venezuela and its military bases.

News 9 political analyst Scott Mitchell said the relationship between the U.S. and Latin America has not always been smooth and adds so many dominos will fall as a result.

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“Venezuela is the beachhead for our adversaries that’s Cuba and Russia and China and Iran and it looks as if this latest situation where that they were assembling Iran swift attack boats that was sort of the last straw,” said Mitchell.

Retired war correspondent Mike Boettcher said the planning on capturing Maduro began in mid-December.

He adds Venezuela is a massive oil supplier whose oil has been taken off the market for years because of sanctions.

He has concerns about what comes next.

“That disrupts a lot of things.It even has an effect on the war in Ukraine, as Russia, you know, has used higher oil revenue because Venezuela’s oil was off the market.Oil prices went up.It helps fund the war in Ukraine,” said Boettcher.

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The ramifications could even reach Oklahoma.

“China gets a 30 percent discount on the oil.If Venezuela goes for a more legitimate government and the sanctions are lifting, then they’re flooding the oil markets and that means bad news for the Oklahoma economy,” added Mitchell.

Following the capture of Maduro, President Trump said the U.S. will take control of the oil reserves in Venezuela.

Sources also say there are plans from the current administration to recruit American companies to invest billions of dollars in their oil industry.

A verified video shows the current state of Venezuela after the military operation.

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Oklahoma State expected to lose talented EDGE to transfer portal

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Oklahoma State expected to lose talented EDGE to transfer portal


Oklahoma State EDGE Kyran Duhon plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, On3 has learned. Duhon was a member of the 2024 recruiting class.

Duhon spent one year at Oklahoma State, logged 16 total tackles (eight solo) across nine games. He began his career at UTEP, where he had a productive true freshman season, Duhon finished 2024 with 43 total tackles, including seven sacks and two PBUs.

At UTEP, his one season there resulted in second team All-Conference USA honors. He was also named to the On3 True Freshman All-America Team as well as the the Conference USA All-Freshman team.

However, Duhon’s stay in Stillwater didn’t go as expected. Oklahoma State finished the season with a 1-11 record, which included the Cowboys firing longtime head coach Mike Gundy after a 1-2 start. Doug Meacham was named interim head coach but ended the year 0-9.

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Eric Morris has since been named as the program’s next head coach. He comes from North Texas, which finished with an 11-2 record and a trip to the American Conference championship game this past season. However, it doesn’t appear that Duhon will be sticking around during the changing of the guard at Oklahoma State this offseason.

Before college, Duhon was the No. 1,706 overall player in the class, and was recruited as the the No. 165 linebacker during the cycle, per the Rivals Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was ranked as the No. 242 overall player out of Texas.

Once the NCAA transfer portal opens on Jan. 2, players can officially enter their names in the NCAA transfer portal and go on to initiate contact with their preferred schools. The portal will be open for 15 days and close on Jan. 16.

Notably, players who are on teams competing in the national championship game are allowed five extra days to make their portal decision. The College Football Playoff championship game will be played on Jan. 19, so the players on those teams will be allowed until Jan. 24 to enter the portal and choose their next school.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

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