GOP lieutenant governor candidates demonstrate similarities on issues

By Michael McNutt

Published: July 11, 2006

Few differences could be found Monday between the two front-running GOP candidates for lieutenant governor.

Both agreed they are conservative and said they favor cuts in the state's income tax, are against abortion and agree the state has the power to do something about illegal immigrants.

Even though term limits are forcing him out of the Legislature, House Speaker Todd Hiett said Monday he still supports the constitutional amendment approved by voters in 1990.

"Term limits will benefit Oklahoma greatly now and into the future," said Hiett, R-Kellyville.

Hiett, elected to the Legislature in 1994, answered questions along with state Sen. Scott Pruitt during a meeting of the Northwest Republican Club of Oklahoma City. The other GOP candidate in the race, state Sen. Nancy Riley, R-Tulsa, was unable to attend, a club member said.

Unlike Hiett, Pruitt, R-Broken Arrow, is not term-limited. He is eligible to serve another four years in the Legislature. He said he is seeking the statewide post to help small businesses and economic development.

Hiett, a rancher and the first Republican speaker in more than 80 years after the GOP took over the House in 2004, said he favors shifting the tax burden from income taxes to consumption, or sales taxes.

"It will build a stronger economy into the future," said Hiett, who helped negotiate the state's biggest income tax cuts in each of the past two years.

Pruitt, an attorney and managing partner of the Oklahoma RedHawks minor league baseball team, said he favors reducing the income tax rate instead of granting tax credits.

"I believe the best thing to do is lower the rate for everyone so small business can grow in the state," he said.

Pruitt this past legislative session proposed reducing the state's 6.25 percent income tax rate to 4.9 percent. Hiett supported the proposal in the House, but it died in the Senate. A final tax agreement was reached that lowered the tax rate to 5.5 percent in three years and possibly as low as 5.25 percent in four years.

Pruitt said too many decisions involving common education are made at the state Capitol.

"We need to empower local school districts to deal with class size and other related issues that impact outcomes," he said.

Hiett said he also favors more control for local school districts, saying they should decide what to pay their teachers "at the level they deem necessary and they deem appropriate."

Teachers should be protected from liability when disciplining students, Hiett said.

On the topic of immigration, Pruitt said it is a state issue and he supports empowering the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to detain illegal immigrants to make sure they are complying with state and federal laws. He also wants English to be the state's official language.

Hiett said he agreed immigration is a state issue.

"Anyone receiving state assistance of any type should be a documented citizen and a taxpaying citizen of the state of Oklahoma," Hiett said.