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Governor promotes business courts, tort reform and permitting changes to attract companies
Summary
The governor said the administration is pursuing business‑friendly measures this legislative session, including business courts slated for 2026, further business tax cuts, permitting streamlining and tort‑reform measures aimed at lowering liability costs for doctors and companies.
The governor told reporters he wants to make Oklahoma “the best state for business,” citing business courts, further business‑tax reductions and streamlined permitting as priorities.
He said business courts passed last year will “be live in 2026” and that the administration wants to cut the business tax another half percentage point. The governor also said he signed an executive order intended to speed permitting, noting businesses seek “shovel ready sites” and fewer bureaucratic delays.
Context and rationale The governor linked lower taxes, predictable courts and quicker permitting to attracting company headquarters, data‑center investment and health‑care providers. He said malpractice insurance costs can make it more affordable for doctors to practice in neighboring Texas than in Oklahoma and singled out tort reform as a lever to reduce those costs.
Reporter follow-up questions asked whether tort reform is part of the governor’s business pitch; he responded that tort reform is necessary to avoid “runaway jury verdicts,” and cited predecessor Governor Keating’s earlier work on tort law.
Unresolved details The governor did not provide bill numbers, a timetable for tort‑reform legislation, or the fiscal modeling that would show savings from further business‑tax cuts. He also did not specify which permitting processes would be changed or provide a description of the executive order’s enforcement mechanism.
