As millions of people across the United States came together for the National March for Life last weekend, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced a ban on state-funded travel to the State of California.
“California and its elected officials over the past few years have banned travel to the State of Oklahoma in an effort to politically threaten and intimidate Oklahomans for their personal values,” Stitt said. “Enough is enough. If California’s elected officials don’t want public employees traveling to Oklahoma, I am eager to return the gesture on behalf of Oklahoma’s pro-life stance. I am proud to be Governor of a state that fights for the most vulnerable among us, the unborn.”
The most recent government action from California came from the City of San Francisco in October 2019, which banned city-paid travel to the Sooner State, citing Oklahoma’s laws that protect and ensure the right of an unborn child’s life.
EO 2020-02 bans all non-essential travel to the State of California for all state employees and officers of agencies that is paid for by the State of Oklahoma. The executive order provides an exemption to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce in order for the agency to continue its recruitment efforts to bring more job creators to the business-friendly state of Oklahoma.