Jan. 3—OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Senate expects to take up tax cuts and judicial reform when lawmakers return to the Capitol in February, said Senate President Pro Tem Elect Lonnie Paxton.
Gov. Kevin Stitt has already announced he will be seeking a .25% income tax cut.
“I think it is time to do an income tax cut,” Paxton said.
But it has to be done in the right way, he said, adding that he was in the Senate when taxes were cut and the state later experienced an unexpected budget downturn.
Judicial reform is also generating interest with the unprecedented decision by voters not to retain former Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Yvonne Kauger, he said.
He said the Oklahoma Supreme Court has been too political and a lot less judicial. The state’s high court has tossed out numerous bills passed by lawmakers, often citing a rule against putting more than one subject in a bill, also called logrolling.
Paxton hasn’t ruled out any legislative topic, saying he doesn’t draw lines.
He prefers that lawmakers discuss issues.
But those discussions, he said, must be cordial and deliberative.
Paxton said it is important to have an open mind and listen to different viewpoints.
“Realize there are different ways to look at an issue than what you think exists right now,” Paxton said.
A ‘very honest’ lawmaker
Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, describes Paxton, 56, as “very honest and up front.”
“He has respect for Senate rules and fairness to the body and that is very important to us,” Kirt said.
Paxton, R-Tuttle, got involved in politics as his wife’s solution for yelling at the television set.
He rose from the ranks of a volunteer for his county Republican Party to its chairman, then senator and now as leader elect of the Oklahoma State Senate.
During his first run for office, he said he got “clobbered.” But years later, he was successful.
A man of many interests
The Senate’s incoming leader is a man of many vocations.
Paxton operates an insurance agency in Tuttle, where he served on the city council and as mayor.
He is a farmer and rancher and has rental properties.
The married father of four is also a volunteer firefighter, serving his community in that capacity for more than three decades.
Paxton, R-Tuttle, graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in law enforcement administration and had planned on going into that field.
After graduation, he returned home to help on the farm and decided he wanted to go into the industry, but still wanted to serve his community.
He joined the volunteer fire department, an experience he said has shaped him. One of his children, Ethan, would later join as well.
“To say it’s been rewarding for me is an understatement,” Paxton said.
Tuttle is a small town, he said. It is not uncommon for him to know people on the other end of the call.
“You’ve been there in people’s worst times,” Paxton said. “And I held a hand before somebody passed away in a car wreck.”
But there are silver linings.
One family’s house burned down. The family dog was believed to be dead, but was found safely under the porch steps and recovered, he said.
“You think that sounds like it is not a big deal,” Paxton said. “It was huge for that family… All they lost was stuff, but they didn’t lose their pet, which is like family.”
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