Bingman Is Officially Elected President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma State Senate

Sapulpa Republican Brian Bingman was formally elected as the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma State Senate Tuesday during the senate’s organizational day session. Bingman received a unanimous vote from senate members to serve as leader of the Oklahoma State Senate.

“I am honored to be given the opportunity to serve Oklahoma in this capacity as Pro Tem of the State Senate,” Bingman said. “Receiving unified support means a lot and I appreciate the task ahead as we all work together to improve Oklahoma.

Bingman said his priority will be to promote an agenda that creates jobs and economic opportunity in Oklahoma. He said that Oklahoma’s conservative values and character set it apart from the rest of the country.

“I am optimistic for Oklahoma. Recently we have seen announcements that Boeing is moving 550 jobs to Oklahoma City and Baker Hughes over 600 to their northeast Oklahoma facilities, all evidence that we are gaining momentum in Oklahoma and that efforts to make our state more business friendly are paying off,” said Bingman.

“I challenge the Senate, the new Governor and our colleagues in the House to be bold and move Oklahoma,” said Bingman. “We must courageously confront our most pressing challenges and leave this state better for our kids and grandkids.”

Also mentioned in his speech, Senator Bingman brought attention to the many difficulties looming in the upcoming session such as budget deficits and unfunded liabilities. Oklahoma’s pension system faces a $16 billion unfunded liability and the state’s budget deficit is expected to be somewhere between $225 million and $600 million.

“We must always remember who we work for and as Oklahoma families and businesses cut back; we cut back. Unlike the federal government, we will be responsible with your tax dollars and keep our spending down to affordable levels, focusing on priorities.”

Bingman concluded that the legislature should focus on priorities and things that matter to Oklahomans. According to the new President Pro Tempore, doing things that were promised on the election trail will be a measure of their success. “We need to do what we said we would do when we were running for office,” Bingman said.