A&B General Government Subcommittee

Legislation that would strengthen Oklahoma's international trade relationships and bolster economic development has been sent to the governor. Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, secured final passage of Senate Bill 209 on Thursday. The measure would create the Taiwan Regional Trade Office within the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. The office is designed to facilitate economic relationships between Oklahoma-based businesses and businesses in Taiwan, as well as promote trade and investment opportunities. "Oklahoma and Taiwan have a decades-long friendship based on mutual respect and shared democratic values," Pae said. "This trade office would grow that relationship through strategic commerce. This initiative will not only support Oklahoma entrepreneurs and businesses but also demonstrate our commitment to strengthening international ties that contribute to long-term economic growth." SB209 now awaits the governor’s signature. 

The Oklahoma House of Representatives today added to its transparency portal a government efficiency survey intended to root out duplication of services, waste and inefficiencies in state government.  This initiative piggybacks on the federal effort to eliminate government waste through the newly-created federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). "We will work hand-in-hand with President-Elect Trump and our federal delegation on broader efforts to make government more efficient with DOGE," said House Speaker-Elect Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow. "We want to ensure our state government is working as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. As lawmakers, we want the assistance of Oklahomans who have first-hand experience with duplicative and wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars." Oklahomans can enter any examples they have experienced of state governmental waste or duplication into the easy-to-use portal, which will be submitted to House budget leaders for review to be utilized during legislative budget hearings and the crafting of the FY26 state budget.  "We know Oklahomans get frustrated every day with the inefficiency of government, and we need their help to root out the most egregious examples so we can eliminate unnecessary expenditures," said Rep. Trey Caldwell, R-Lawton, who will serve as House Appropriations Chairman for the 60th Legislature. "The more efficient we can become, the more we can invest in critical government services and pursue lowering the overall tax burden for all Oklahomans." Constituents can file government waste complaints online by entering some demographic information, the issue area their example encompasses, and details of waste or inefficiencies. "We are confident we will get examples of inefficiency that we likely would not have known about otherwise," said Rep. John Kane, R-Bartlesville, who will serve as Vice Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee this upcoming session. "Every January we have an opportunity to walk through budget requests with state agencies, and we will have the ability to ask about these constituent submissions directly in an effort to make government as efficient and effective as possible." The portal is live today, and Oklahomans can immediately start entering examples of waste they have already encountered or will see in the future. "We hope to capitalize on the momentum we are seeing on the federal level with the efforts of President Trump at DOGE, and the national priority they have set to reduce waste," Hilbert said. "Oklahoma has the opportunity to align with these efforts and lead at the state and local level as we seek best practices and frameworks for auditing and reducing waste in government spending." The Government Efficiency survey may be accessed via the homepage of the House website, okhouse.gov, similar to the House Budget HQ , which was launched in the 2024 session and updated regularly. All submitted agency FY26 budget requests have been updated and can be viewed in the portal.  

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Jim Grego, R-Wilburton, this week led an interim study examining criteria used by the state of Oklahoma to determine the retail value of vehicles for tax purposes. The study took place Oct. 23 before the House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee on General Government at the State Capitol. "This issue was brought to my attention by one of my constituents and a neighbor of mine," Grego said. "He bought a truck, and there was fluctuation between what he paid and what the value of the vehicle was determined to be. So, my goal is to look at this issue and see if we can make some changes in the system to make this more fair for consumers who purchase vehicles." Grego invited Joe Mack McAlester of Wilburton to explain his experience. McAlester said he bought a used truck at an auction for a price that was well under the listed Blue Book value. He planned to use the vehicle on his farm, so he wasn't concerned that it wasn't in perfect condition. When he went to get his tag and title, however, he said was charged excise tax based on the full book value of the vehicle without consideration for the vehicle's condition. His argument was he should only have been charged based on what he paid, the same as how sales tax is calculated on other purchases, instead of the higher value. The difference in price would have saved him several hundred dollars. McAlester said he's talked to other neighbors who've had similar experiences. "I was very grateful for Joe's input on this topic as I know it's one that affects a lot of people in our state, particularly farmers and ranchers who tend to buy older vehicles to use for their work," Grego said. Representatives from Service Oklahoma and Tinker Federal Credit Union also presented during the study, sharing their methodology for determining a vehicle's value and how the state assesses taxes. Tinker is the largest indirect dealer financing partner in the state.  Grego said the methodology used to calculate excise tax was largely inherited from the Oklahoma Tax Commission. But the lenders explained that loan risk factors based on credit history, collateral values and other things all play a role in determining a vehicle's value. They also rely on industry standards such as those set by the National Automobile Dealers Association. Rep. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene, also participated in the study, giving insight as a former automobile dealership owner. He said he's willing to help Rep. Grego draft legislation that might help Oklahoma vehicle buyers pay less tax.