Representative Tom Gann

R

District 8

Hi, I'm Tom Gann and I represent the people of Oklahoma's 8th District.


representative

News & Announcements

Jun 1, 2023
Recent Posts

Gann, Rick West Call for Constitutional Amendment to Budget Process

OKLAHOMA CITY – In reaction to this year's nearly $13 billion general appropriations' bill, State Reps. Tom Gann, R-Inola, and Rick West, R-Heavener, have proposed capping future legislative appropriations, retaining only what is necessary to be responsible in savings for a rainy day and sending back to the taxpayer any excess funds. “We are fiduciaries of tax payer dollars not investment advisors," Gann said. "Regrettably, lawmakers have demonstrated repeatedly through massive spending increases over recent years that they are unable to resist the temptation. It's time for the people of Oklahoma to intervene with the Legislature." West expressed his disappointment that Oklahoma's rampant spending has caught national attention. "These actions do not reflect the values of Oklahomans," West said. "We are a conservative people who believe in the wisdom of limited government and controlled spending. What we are witnessing now is unrestrained spending that will prove destructive as the economy cycles into the next downturn. These are the values of California or New York – not Oklahoma!" West further noted that the extensive spending is particularly terrible during a period when many Oklahomans are grappling with inflation driven by government spending. "While numerous Oklahoma families are forced to tighten their belts, Oklahoma lawmakers have the audacity to insist on significant increases in their own budgets." Gann further warned, "In the event of the next economic downturn, revenues will decline while the Legislature's extravagant spending persists. This means not only will there be no meaningful tax reduction, but there will be tremendous pressure on the Legislature to revert to the days of tax hikes to avoid reducing their new spending levels." HJR1001X is available for consideration during the current legislative special session. If successful, the people of Oklahoma would be able to vote on the plan next year.

Feb 7, 2023

Legislators, Pro-Life Organizations Defend Oklahoma's Abortion Laws

OKLAHOMA CITY – Today a bicameral group of legislators, together with numerous pro-life organizations, released the following statement in support of Oklahoma's current abortion laws. "Oklahoma is blessed to have the most comprehensive laws in the country to protect our unborn babies. We intend to defend our current laws as they stand, with the only allowed exception being to save the life of the mother. There is nothing more important than defending innocent life. The push to allow exceptions may come across as rooted in compassion for difficult circumstances, but at the end of the day, any additional exceptions would only take away innocent lives. There is no gray area when the issue is defending life. Each and every child has a right to life." The above statement is supported by the following legislators and organizations: Rep. Chris Banning (R-Bixby) Rep. Brad Boles (R-Marlow) Rep. Eddy Dempsey (R-Valliant) Rep. Collin Duel (R-Guthrie) Rep. Tom Gann (R-Inola) Rep. David Hardin (R-Stilwell) Rep. Justin Humphrey (R-Lane) Rep. John Kane (R-Bartlesville) Rep. Cody Maynard (R-Durant) Rep. Jim Olsen (R-Roland) Rep. Randy Randleman (R-Eufaula) Rep. Clay Staires (R-Skiatook) Rep. Kevin West (R-Moore) Rep. Rick West (R-Heavener) Rep. Danny Williams (R-Seminole) Rep. Max Wolfley (R-Oklahoma City) Sen. Micheal Bergstrom (R-Adair) Sen. David Bullard (R-Durant) Sen. George Burns (R-Pollard) Sen. Nathan Dahm (R-Broken Arrow) Sen. Warren Hamilton (R-McCurtain) Sen. Shane Jett (R-Shawnee) Sen. Roland Pederson (R-Burlington) Sen. Blake Stephens (R-Tahlequah) Students for Life Action OCPAC City Elders Oklahoma Second Amendment Association  The First Session of the 59th Legislature began Monday, February 6.

Feb 6, 2023

Gann Files Bill to Repeal LEAD Act

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, has filed House Bill 1381 to Repeal the Large-Scale Economic Activity and Development (LEAD) Act of 2022. Last year, the Legislature passed House Bill 4455, the LEAD Act, which promised investment rebates for the cost of qualified capital expenditures for certain establishments based on creation of new direct jobs. HB 1381 will repeal the law to keep it from activating in the future. Gann called this "a failed attempt to entice business to Oklahoma using corporate welfare." "Fallacy is defined as a statement or an argument based upon a false or invalid inference, a false notion, or an incorrectness of reasoning or belief," Gann said. "There is a fallacy of thought in Oklahoma politics that somehow the state must compete with other states to attract business for economic development. This has been proved false by reliable research and experience. The recent unsuccessful proposal to land an EV battery plant in Oklahoma is the latest example that money is not the motivator in this race to the bottom with other competing states." Gann pointed to an analysis in 2018 by The Mercatus Center of George Mason University, written by Michael Farren and Anne Philpot, entitled " With Amazon HQ2, the Losers are the Winners: Why Economic Development Subsidies Hurt more than They Help ." The report says, “Despite arguments from economic development officials justifying such subsidies, both economic theory and experience suggest that cities and states are throwing their money away when they court Amazon’s favor through subsidies. Even subsidies worth billions of dollars are unlikely to sway Amazon’s decision. Worse, these kinds of targeted economic development incentives fail to produce economic growth.” The study also points to a kind of extortion that takes place for cities and states: “Furthermore, after subsidies are initially given, there is a tendency for the corporation to demand additional subsidies to underwrite future expansion or to remain local.” The Mercatus Center analysis also cited research by University of Texas professor Nathan Jensen, who found that fewer than 15% of companies receiving subsidies from the Texas Chapter 313 Economic Development Program had their location decision swayed by handouts. Jensen concluded, “many of the companies involved were coming to Texas even before being authorized to receive the incentives.” Gann said the majority of taxes come from ordinary Oklahomans who want to provide for their families and have some left over at the end of the month. The biggest hinderance to tax relief for these citizens, he said, is the mistaken belief that government creates wealth by giving our money away to corporations with billion-dollar revenues. "Oklahomans need tax relief and by repealing HB1381, the largest corporate welfare in state history, they will secure it," Gann said. “We need to stop the giveaway of tax dollars to those who don’t need it and instead give back to the Oklahoma taxpayer." Gann quoted Davy Crockett, Tennessee member of the U. S. House of Representatives in 1822, on the giving away of taxpayer dollars, “…not yours to give.”