News

New 3,000-ft. runway at Skiatook Airport

May 27, 2021

SKIATOOK — The Skiatook Municipal Airport hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 14, in honor of the airport’s new 3,000-foot runway. The $2 million project began in 2020 with reconstruction of the existing asphalt runway with concrete and the upgrading of the existing stake mounted runway edge lights to higher quality base mounted fixtures. The…

HB1775 signed into law

May 20, 2021

Gov. Kevin signed a bill that will prohibit Oklahoma public schools, colleges and universities from teaching “Critical Race Theory” and from requiring mandatory gender or sexual diversity training or counseling. House Bill 1775 is authored by Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore. “Already, this harmful indoctrination has infiltrated Oklahoma schools from as early as pre-kindergarten classrooms all…

Unrestricted visitation law

May 20, 2021

Legislation allowing patients to designate a visitor to have unrestricted visitation has been signed by the Governor. House Bill 2687, titled the “No Patient Left Alone Act,” is authored by Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin. She filed the legislation after hearing from constituents whose loved ones were not allowed to have a single visitor during the…

Aiding foster children who age out

May 20, 2021

Stitt has signed legislation to help children aging out of the Oklahoma foster care system become self-sufficient. House Bill 1709, also known as the Successful Adulthood Act, lowers the age that someone in foster care could access federal funding through the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP), operated by the U.S. Children’s Bureau,…

Education bill needs assessment

May 20, 2021

Stitt signed into law a bill intended to expand the use of the Oklahoma Prevention Needs Assessment Survey to 100% of Oklahoma public schools. Rep. Mark Vancuren, R-Owasso, is the author of House Bill 1103, which requires public schools throughout the state to administer the survey every two years, beginning with the 2022-23 school year,…

Kidnap victims and cell phone taps

May 20, 2021

A bill to help law enforcement locate kidnap victims faster has been signed into law. Sen. Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, and Rep. Rande Worthen, R-Lawton, are the principal authors of Senate Bill 272, the “Kelsey Smith Act,” which will require cell phone companies to provide phone location information to law enforcement in emergency situations, such as…

Oklahoma courier applications

May 20, 2021

The Oklahoma Courier Application Services Act was signed by the governor, ensuring individuals involved in local delivery services will not be regulated like the trucking industry by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission Authority. Senate Bill 999, authored by Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, would provide an exemption from regulations designed for for-hire motor carriers. These will no…

High school apprenticeship program

May 20, 2021

Sophomores will be able to participate in more school-sponsored career opportunities beginning with the 2021-2022 school year under legislation signed into law. Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, is the author of Senate Bill 619 allowing sophomores, 16 years or older, to apply for apprenticeships, internships, and mentorships through their school. Bullard said, “It’s one thing to…

Monitoring for nonviolent criminals

May 20, 2021

More of Oklahoma’s nonviolent offenders will soon qualify for the state’s Electronic Monitoring Program thanks to legislation signed into law. Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, said Senate Bill 456 addresses two eligibility issues within community sentencing to help nonviolent offenders re-enter society while keeping predators out of the program. “This bill improves our community…

Personal Information of students

May 20, 2021

The governor has signed into law two measures that will protect the privacy of students as well as public employees such as teachers, police officers and others. House Bills 1875 and 1876 both were authored by Rep. Tammy West, R-Oklahoma City. Both measures passed unanimously in both the House and state Senate. “In this day and…