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Legislative Update

Bill would protect workers from Biden’s mandates

Tulsa Beacon

Sen. Blake Cowboy Stephens has filed Senate Bill 1128, called the “Employee Liberty and Freedom Act,” to ensure current employees are exempt should employers institute new mandates for vaccines or other medical treatments. Stephens, R-Tahlequah, said he was particularly concerned about loyal workers suddenly being faced with a new requirement that could force them out…

Reforming the excise taxes on Oklahoma vehicles

Tulsa Beacon

Rep. Steve Bashore, R-Miami, has filed legislation for 2022 that would reconfigure how the base excise tax is determined when a vehicle is transferred and would allow a trade-in deduction allowance on the purchase price of a vehicle in Oklahoma. “Letting individuals to keep the money they’ve earned allows them to make their own decisions…

Improving the finances for public school districts

Tulsa Beacon

Sen. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan, has filed legislation to help further improve accountability and transparency of local school district funding. Senate Bill 1126 would remove the carryover caps for school district general funds and require those carryover amounts be reported to the State Department of Education (SDE). “It bothers me that our school funding formula penalizes…

Park changes would go through the Legislature

Tulsa Beacon

Sen. George Burns, R-Pollard, has filed a bill to require legislative approval on decisions by the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission that would affect a property’s status as a state park. Burns pointed to the Commission’s decision in 2013, removing the state park status of Hugo Lake Park—a decision he said negatively impacted local economies…

Lt. Col. Michael Coloney

Lt. Col. Michael Coloney is honored for his heroism

Tulsa Beacon

The Oklahoma Air National Guard held a ceremony December 5th celebrating the heroic airborne acts of Lt. Col. Michael Coloney of Tulsa during a Taliban attack on U.S. and Afghan Special Forces in Afghanistan on April 30, 2018. Originally from Georgia, Coloney joined the Oklahoma Air National Guard in October 2005, married his wife Courtney…

Three inches of highway to be named after Lincoln Riley?

Tulsa Beacon

Following the sudden and unexpected departure of the University of Oklahoma’s former head football coach that left the Sooner Nation and other football fans in shock, Sen. Bill Coleman has requested legislation to properly “honor” Lincoln Riley. The bill request asks to name the last three inches of the westbound lane of State Highway 325…

Biden’s vaccination mandate put on hold by a federal judge

Tulsa Beacon

Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, said he is encouraged by Oklahoma’s recent court victory in challenging the Biden administration’s vaccine mandates. Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor’s and 11 other state attorneys general in November challenged the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for health care workers. On November 30, a federal court granted an…

Vinitia Veteran Center

Tulsa Beacon

Reps. Rusty Cornwell, R-Vinita, and Steve Bashore, R-Miami, responded to news that the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs is seeking to close the Veterans Affairs clinic in Vinita. “I am deeply disappointed by the sudden news that the Veterans Affairs clinic in Vinita will be closing,” Cornwell said. “I’ve seen firsthand what a burden it…

Reporting motor vehicle deaths

Tulsa Beacon

Sen. George Burns, R-Pollard, has filed Senate Bill 1123, calling for a change in the way motor vehicle accident deaths are handled. Under current statute, once law enforcement has completed their investigation, the body cannot be moved from the scene until a medical examiner (ME) has arrived and conducted their own investigation. Burns said this…

Forum spotlights effort to defund law enforcement

Tulsa Beacon

Efforts to “defund the police” and claims that Oklahoma district attorneys are racially biased were touted by speakers at a recent race-relations program sponsored by Paycom and other state business entities. “It is possible to defund the police,” said Tiffany T. Crutcher, executive director of the Terence Crutcher Foundation and an official with the Demanding…