Monday marked the beginning of the 2008 legislative session as both the Senate and the House convened separately before joining to hear the Governor's state of the state address.

This session promises to be exciting on a number of fronts and we have a real opportunity to make lasting changes that will move the state forward in a positive direction. Senate Republicans have crafted an agenda to repair our roads and bridges, improve the quality of education we provide to our children, make Oklahoma a more positive environment for business and industry and provide more tax relief to Oklahoma families.

It's a great time to be an Oklahoman. A booming energy market has breathed new life into the Oklahoma economy and brought additional revenues to the state capitol. However, we must be responsible in our stewardship of public funds. Instead of seeking revenue through tax and fee increases, we feel the legislature can save money by eliminating ineffective and obsolete special interest tax breaks and incentives, giving us an opportunity to put more revenue back into the hands of taxpayers and back into the state's economy.

One of our chief concerns is to ensure the ROADS Fund for

our roads and bridges is fully funded annually. Additionally, we will

be examining different methods to dedicate more funding to the repair

and replacement of roads and bridges. This session, the Senate will

vote on a proposal that would dedicate a percentage of revenue produced

by existing motor vehicle taxes and fees to fund road repairs and

construction.

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While the Oklahoma economy is healthy and unemployment low,

there is still more we can do to promote job growth in our state. I

believe we should capitalize on our current economic momentum by

enacting policy that creates an even more positive business climate.

This year, we will again look to provide meaningful economic reforms

including workers comp reform and tort reform. We will also work to

eliminate death tax immediately. Additionally, we hope to expand the

successful back-to-school sales tax holiday to include school supplies.

Oklahoma schools are strong, but we feel we can improve the

quality of the education we provide to our children by promoting more

school choice and ensuring accuracy and transparency in our evaluations

of student achievement and school performance.

It is my hope that through responsible leadership we can

work together, across party divides, to better serve our citizens and

enact policies that can better the daily lives of all Oklahomans.

Throughout the legislative session I will be keeping you aware of Senate

news and the business of the state. I am greatly looking forward to

doing my part to help the state move toward a more prosperous second

century. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as your state

Senator.

As always, I welcome your comments on state government.

Please feel free to contact me by writing to Senator Mike Schulz at the

State Capitol, Room 515-A, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105; call me at (405)

521-5612.