Attendees at the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s Legislative Briefing Breakfast got a sneak peek Friday of what leadership in the Oklahoma House of Representatives will look like under Rep. Kyle Hilbert.

Hilbert, 29, the youngest speaker-designate in Oklahoma history, was keynote speaker at the Chamber event at the Marriott Tulsa Hotel Southern Hills. 

Legislative Briefing Breakfasts give local elected officials a chance to provide an update on the legislative session and share their top priorities for the remainder of the year. 

Friday’s event was presented by Paycom and drew a crowd of about 200. 

Hilbert’s remarks were followed by a panel discussion featuring state senators John Haste and Jo Anna Dossett and Rep. Scott Fetgatter. To close the program, five other legislators in attendance provided brief updates.  

Hilbert spoke on a variety of topics, including immigration, education reform, elimination of the state grocery tax, and the importance of spirited debate. 

“For 100 plus years, all the complex issues that have happened at the state Capitol, those issues have been debated on the House floor,” he said. “At times, those debates, they get passionate. They get heated because we are advocating for our friends and our neighbors and our family. 

“The example I always like to use is that if you have two legislators, one from Broken Arrow and one from Broken Bow, they can both be fighting on an issue and be in separate positions, but they are both doing the right thing because there’s a decent chance that what’s good for Broken Arrow isn’t good for Broken Bow. 

“We’re a small state, which is effectively a small town. We’re all connected. Four million Oklahomans. It doesn’t take much to find that you’re one or two degrees of separation from everybody. In a small state, it’s about relationships.”  

On the subject of immigration, he said Oklahoma has become a “border” state, in part because of the amount of drugs being smuggled into it. Fentanyl-related deaths in Oklahoma jumped from 50 in 2018 to 619 in 2022, he said. 

This past week, lawmakers introduced new legislation to remove suspected immigrants from Oklahoma. 

“This is going to be a tough conversation,” Hilbert said. “It’s going to be one that we’re having in the coming weeks. As a state, we have to take action on what we can do to address it."  

Turning to education, Hilbert said lawmakers have made strides in areas such as teacher pay raises and pensions, and college prep programs.

From 1992-2018, the state increased its investment in public education by $1.37 billion; since that time, the bump has been $1.45 billion, he said. 

Hilbert also praised the elimination of the state grocery tax, legislation signed earlier this year by Gov. Kevin Stitt.

“The reason I think this is important is because, without taking a single vote as legislators, taxes were raised on Oklahomans in the past couple of years due to inflation,” he said. “…It was important for us to address that inflation and do what we could. We were excited to see that across the finish line.” 

As for what people can expect from him as House speaker, Hilbert was forthcoming. 

“All these issues we face at the Capitol, they don’t happen in a vacuum,” he said. “They’re not easy. The work we always do is tough. 

“But I’m excited for the opportunity. I appreciate my colleagues in the room for their trust in me to be next Speaker of the House. 

During the panel discussion, Fetgatter was asked how Oklahoma could better fund the film industry, capitalizing on recent successes such the Oklahoma-produced film  “Killers of the Flower Moon” and TV show “Reservation Dogs.”

He referred to legislation he co-authored, House Bill 3964, which aims to incentivize live studio audience productions and seeks $50 million in state money. 

Fetgatter said he recently had dinner with a Universal Studios representative who told him Oklahoma was the first state to attempt to “carve out a niche” in that industry. 

“The live studio audience film bill will create stable jobs,” he said. “Whereas, as Reservation Dogs, which was filmed just down the road from my hometown, was only eight episodes per season for three seasons. A sitcom wants to commit to 100 episodes. A gameshow wants to commit to 200 episodes. 

“It’s time to keep our talent in the state of Oklahoma. Whether that’s aerospace, agriculture, oil and gas, retail, or film and music, we have got to retain our children to live in this great state.”