OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma's Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Tuesday that he's hiring a $120,000-per-year lobbyist in Washington, D.C., to advocate on the state's behalf and help protect federal funding.

The governor's office said Christina Gungoll Lepore will help identify federal grant opportunities, communicate the state needs in real time, collaborate with the offices of other governors and "push back on burdensome federal regulations and initiatives which could negatively impact the State."

Stitt said in a news release that he was also opening an office in Washington, making him...