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The Tulsa Beacon

 

Legislative Update

Initiative-petition reforms head to OK House floor

Tulsa Beacon

Legislation that would require initiative-petition efforts to gather signatures from Oklahomans across the state is now headed to the floor of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The bill passed over the objections of urban Democrats who argued the legislation would reduce the ability of urban areas to dominate initiative-petition efforts. Senate Bill 1027, by state…

Bill advances to protect religious foster parents

Tulsa Beacon

Legislation that would preserve the religious rights of foster parents has advanced from an Oklahoma House committee. “Senate Bill 658 simply clarifies that no one is excluded from the pool to be considered for a foster parent based on a religious or moral belief,” said state Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont. Senate Bill 658, by…

Jenks Student Pages at OK House

Tulsa Beacon

OKLAHOMA CITY – Eli Westemeir, a junior at Jenks High School, recently served as a page for Rep. Mark Tedford, R-Jenks, during the tenth week of the Oklahoma House of Representatives’ 60th Legislature. Westemeir is actively involved in several academic and extracurricular programs, including National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Spanish Club and pre-med. He…

Stitt issues Executive Order targeting costly Contractor Conversions

Tulsa Beacon

Today, Governor J. Kevin Stitt signed Executive Order 2025-09 to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure transparency and accountability across agencies. Governor Stitt has set a goal to have fewer state employees when he leaves office than in 2019. He makes it clear with this order that transitioning full-time equivalent (FTE) to contractors to achieve numbers…

Phaseout of Oklahoma Income Tax continues to advance

Tulsa Beacon

Legislation that would gradually phase out Oklahoma’s tax on work and investment—the personal income tax—continues to move ahead, clearing its first Oklahoma Senate hurdle this week. House Bill 1539, by state Rep. Mark Lepak and state Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, would cut Oklahoma’s 4.75-percent personal income-tax rate by a quarter point each time that net state…

Republican special elections headed to runoff May 13th

Tulsa Beacon

The April 1st Special Election primaries for House Districts 71 and 74 resulted in two Republican runoff elections and one Democrat primary decided. Amanda Swope resigned from House District 71 and the Republican primary for that district sported three Republican candidates.  Attorney Beverly A. Atteberry garnered almost enough votes to win out with 48.56 percent…

Initiative-petition reforms clear OK house committee

Tulsa Beacon

Legislation that would require initiative-petition efforts to gather signatures from Oklahomans across the state has cleared another legislative hurdle, easily winning approval in a state House committee. “The integrity of our election system is essential for our democracy to survive and thrive, and that’s what this legislation is about,” said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow….

State revenues show strong growth

Tulsa Beacon

OKLAHOMA CITY  – Oklahoma State Treasurer Todd Russ announced the state’s tax revenue for March topped $1.31 billion, marking an 11.4% increase over the previous month. The report reflects widespread month-over-month growth across all major tax sources, a sign of resilience as the state’s economy adjusts to shifting national conditions. “All tax sources for the…

Bill to Penalize Trafficking of Abortion-Inducing Drugs Moves to Senate

Tulsa Beacon

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont, on Tuesday passed legislation in the House that would outlaw the trafficking of chemical abortion pills. House Bill 1168 would create a felony trafficking offense for anyone who knows or has reason to know that another person intends to use an abortion-inducing drug and knowingly delivers such…

Senate Approves Bill to Strengthen Penalties for Dangerous Police Pursuits

Tulsa Beacon

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Senate has passed Senate Bill 871, authored by Senator Aaron Reinhardt, to enhance public safety by increasing penalties for individuals who cause accidents while attempting to elude law enforcement. Senate Bill 871 adds the crime of causing an accident that results in great bodily injury while fleeing from law enforcement…