Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, filed SB 1100, which would require male and female to be the only options on birth certificates to identify a child’s sex at birth. “I was assured by the State Department of Health a couple months ago that they had no intention of adding another sex option to birth certificates, but…
Finding innovative approaches to Oklahoma’s teacher shortage while improving teacher quality was the focus of an interim study held Monday before the House Common Education Committee. The study’s host, Rep. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon. Baker, chairs the committee. “Oklahoma, like most of the nation, faces an acute teacher shortage,” Baker said. “I first wanted to examine…
Education officials offered differing explanations and solutions to recent student learning losses during a joint legislative interim study held amid state education funding increasing 35% in the past five years to a record $3.2 billion. Rep. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon, the chair of the House Common Education Committee, and Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, chair of the…
On Oct. 13, Rep. Sean Roberts, R-Hominy, hosted a SARS-COV-2 presentation and roundtable with fellow legislators and other government officials. Topics included SARS-COV-2 death rates, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing, masks, herd immunity, natural immunity, Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting (VAERS) data, and alternative therapeutics. “During this presentation, we had great discussions revolving around research that…
Reps. Ronny Johns, R-Ada, and John Talley, R-Stillwater, held an interim study to look at ways to increase pay for support professionals in Oklahoma’s public schools. “It is so important that we bring to the forefront how important our support staff is to our schools,” said Johns, a member of the House Common Education Committee…
State school board associations from across the nation are publicly condemning the National School Boards Association’s call for parents who object to Critical Race Theory to be investigated under anti-terrorism laws. But, so far, the Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA) is not among those criticizing the National School Boards Association. In a Sept. 29…
State Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, announced that he will seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in the 2022 election cycle. Dahm is challenging U.S. Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma. Tulsa Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer has also announced that he will run against Lankford in the GOP primary. Dahm has criticized Lankford for not doing more…
Rep. Jim Grego, R-Wilburton, wants more on- and off-ramps to the Indian Nation Turnpike in southeast Oklahoma. “This is a topic my constituents have asked me about since I first got elected three years ago,” Grego said. “My goal is to see how we can increase access for the folks living and working in southeast…
Rep. Mark Vancuren, R-Owasso, has floated the idea of forming an Oklahoma-only Division II Sports Conference. It was discussed at an interim study held before the House Higher Education and Career Tech Committee. “I wanted to explore whether forming an Oklahoma Athletic Conference for our Division Two schools is something that would be beneficial to…
OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Tammy Townley, R-Ardmore, wants to help Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority (OSIDA) reach its full potential as a competitive industrial authority. The Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority (OSIDA) is a development authority created in 1999 to operate a 2,700 spaceport near Burns Flat. The Oklahoma Air & Space Port and Aerospace…