OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) – Rep. Kyle Hilbert is officially the Oklahoma House of Representatives’ speaker-elect.
The Oklahoma House of Representatives Republican Caucus elected Hilbert, R-Bristow, to serve as the House’s speaker-elect for the upcoming 60th Legislature.
Hilbert will succeed House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka. He is 30 years old and will be the youngest House speaker in Oklahoma history.
“I am deeply honored and humbled by the trust the Republican caucus has placed in me heading into the 60th Legislature,” Hilbert said. “Together, we must rise to the occasion of the urgent challenges facing Oklahomans, including the ongoing pinch of inflation, a widening workforce skills gap and much-needed investment in our public infrastructure system including transportation, water, wastewater and broadband connectivity. Our caucus is ready to make the tough decisions needed to move Oklahoma forward.”
As speaker, Hilbert will be the House’s presiding officer. His responsibilities will include committee appointments, the flow of legislation and management of the House budget and staff. He will also be an ex-officio voting member on all House committees.
He was elected in 2016 to represent House District 29, which contains portions of rural Creek and Tulsa counties.
Hilbert accomplished the following as a representative:
- Wrote DRIVE Act, which moved Oklahoma’s transportation funding into the 21st century;
- Spearheaded modernization of Oklahoma’s ad valorem tax reimbursement system;
- Led the effort 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; and
- Authored the Redbud School Funding Act, which directs a portion of marijuana tax revenue to school districts with below-average local property taxes, enabling them to address urgent infrastructure needs. The act also stopped countless lawsuits in their tracks as it settled longstanding questions of funding disparity amongst public schools.
“I came to Oklahoma City to get things done,” said Hilbert. “My record in the House reflects that. I will work diligently to conserve tax dollars while looking for wasteful or duplicative services and continue to fight for a stronger, brighter Oklahoma.”
Hilbert’s Republican colleagues elected him speaker-designate in March.
The House Republican caucus also elected Rep. Anthony Moore, R-Clinton, to serve as speaker pro tempore-elect; Rep. Stan May, R-Broken Arrow, as caucus chair; Rep. Nick Archer, R-Elk City, as caucus vice chair; and Rep. Josh Cantrell, R-Kingston, as caucus secretary.
Moore, who has served in the House since 2020, said he is grateful to serve as the speaker pro tem.
“It’s an honor to be selected by my peers to serve in this capacity,” he said. “I appreciate their trust and look forward to supporting the goals of our caucus and to serving as second to our new Speaker-Elect Kyle Hilbert. Together we will work toward improving our state’s economy to ensure the needs of all Oklahomans are met, whether in our schools, on our state’s roadways, in our hospitals, in our places of employment or in any agency that serves the public. Oklahoma’s best days are in front of us.”
Hilbert said he looks forward to working with Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, who was elected last week by his caucus to serve as Senate president pro tempore-elect.
“I have worked closely with Sen. Paxton on significant legislation – including combatting ghost employees and allowing gubernatorial appointment when there is a U.S. Senate vacancy – and look forward to partnering with him and Gov. Stitt as we build on the momentum from Election day for a conservative vision for Oklahoma,” he said.
The entire House will formally vote for its next speaker on Organizational Day for the 60th Oklahoma Legislature on Jan. 7, 2025.
