Legislative Update

Legislation filed to fight destructive woke gender ideology

January 19, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, has filed legislation to fight the dangerous and destructive woke gender ideology of the left. “For years, Senate leadership has dismissed the threat that the left’s gender ideology poses to our state,” Dahm said. “However, with instances of ‘family friendly’ drag shows, drag queen story hours, and…

Bill filed by Bullard prohibiting genital mutilation of youth under 26

January 19, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, recently filed Senate Bill 129, also known as the Millstone Act, to prohibit Oklahoma doctors from providing gender transition procedures or referral services relating to such procedures to anyone under the age of 26. The bill would further authorize the state’s attorney general to enforce the act and…

House Committee, Leadership appointments

January 19, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma House of Representatives committee leadership and Republican majority leadership appointments have been made for the 59th Oklahoma Legislature. House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, was formally elected Tuesday by the full House to his fourth two-year term as speaker, making him the longest-serving speaker in state history. Speaker Pro Tempore Kyle…

Jan. 30 is deadline to apply for absentee ballots for Feb. 14 election

January 19, 2023

Voters in Tulsa County who want absentee ballots mailed to them for the February 14, Board of Education Primary for ISD-11 Owasso Public Schools Office No. 3, Special Propositions Elections for ISD-7 Skiatook Public Schools, ISD-5 Jenks Public Schools and ISD-9 Union Public Schools; as well as the City of Broken Arrow Special PSO Utility…

Teacher bonuses with federal funds?

August 18, 2022

OKLAHOMA CITY – The House education budget chairman has suggested Oklahoma immediately offer teachers relocation and retention bonuses funded by a portion of more than a billion dollars of federal pandemic relief funding available to the public education system. House Appropriations & Budget Education Subcommittee Chairman Mark McBride, R-Moore, suggested the State Department of Education…

Gov. Stitt eliminated budget shortfalls

August 18, 2022 Ray Carter

As a gubernatorial candidate in 2018, Kevin Stitt vowed to bring private-sector management to state government and help the state avoid a repeat of the fiscal chaos experienced during then-Gov. Mary Fallin’s second term, which was marked by repeated tax increases and budget shortfalls. In 2019 Stitt unveiled a plan calling for the state to…

Help for state transit is included in the budget

June 23, 2022

Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond, and Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow, recently supported a section of Oklahoma Senate Bill 1040 that allowed for a desperately needed increase in state transit funding in the state budget. As chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations & Budget Subcommittees for Transportation, the two worked to secure this first increase…

NSU School of Optometry funds

June 23, 2022

Rep. Bob Ed Culver, R-Tahlequah, celebrated passage of a bill he carried in the House regarding ARPA funding for the Northeastern State University School of Optometry. Senate Bill 8 in the second extraordinary session of the 58th Legislature appropriates $15 million to complete the new NSU School of Optometry. These funds are coupled with $18…

House, Senate clash on inflation aid

June 23, 2022

The Oklahoma House and Senate can’t seem to agree on how to enact a budget package to help Oklahomans struggling with high inflation. On June 15, the House passed a series of relief measures, including lowering sales tax on groceries and reducing state personal income tax. The Senate has argued that since the House also…

I-44/Bailey Turnpike is converted to cashless tolling

June 23, 2022

The I-44/H.E. Bailey Turnpike began its transition to PlatePay on the mainline between Lawton and Oklahoma City on June 21. It is the first of three H.E. Bailey turnpike sections converting to cashless tolling. The timeline for the three I-44/H.E. Bailey Turnpike sections converting to PlatePay are: June 21: Chickasha, Newcastle and SH-4/H.E. Bailey spur…