Young House Speaker designate to lead issues on energy next year

A state legislator from Bristow, Rep. Kyle Hilbert will be the top man in charge of the state House next year and he will be responsible for leading efforts to handle energy bills and legislation.

Hilbert is the new Speaker Pro Tempore after being elected Monday morning by the Oklahoma Republican Caucus as speaker-designate for the 60th legislature.

“I appreciate my colleagues’ trust and confidence as we take the first step to prepare for the 60th Legislature,” said Hilbert, who has served as Speaker Pro Tempore of the House since 2022.

“The speaker serves at the pleasure of the members, and I’m fortunate to be surrounded by people who want to tackle the hard problems. We have no shortage of challenges facing our state, and by working collaboratively with members from rural, suburban and urban Oklahoma, we can craft policies that make a lasting difference for our constituents.”

Hilbert, 29, would be the youngest House speaker in Oklahoma state history and only the second Republican speaker 30 years old or younger in any state since 1873.

“Fresh ideas, courage, and vigor are what Oklahomans deserve from their leadership. People are frustrated with unresponsive politicians in Washington,” Hilbert said.

“If we want to see Oklahoma continue to grow and flourish, I encourage more young, emerging leaders to engage in their communities and in their state. Oklahoma is the best place to raise a family, and I embrace this opportunity to fight for Oklahomans and their families.”

In Hilbert’s eight-year tenure in the House, he has carried over 40 bills into law. He served three years as vice chair of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee, during which time he helped craft the annual state budget, funding education at record levels and sustaining essential functions of state government during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hilbert has tackled numerous policy challenges head-on. He authored the DRIVE Act, which brought the state’s transportation funding into the 21st century, while simultaneously spearheading modernization of Oklahoma’s ad valorem tax reimbursement system. Hilbert also led the charge to create and implement a transparent process for the distribution of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to targeted and transformational projects across the state.

Additionally, Hilbert was the author of the Redbud School Funding Act, which directs a portion of revenue generated from marijuana taxes to school districts with below-average local property taxes, enabling them to address pressing infrastructure needs. This legislation also stopped countless lawsuits in their tracks as it settled longstanding questions of funding disparity amongst public schools.

The post Young House Speaker designate to lead issues on energy next year first appeared on Oklahoma Energy Today.