Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma President Brook A. Simmons issued a critical response to President Joe Biden’s efforts to phase out the oil and natural gas industry, including canceling the Keystone XL pipeline permit and halting the sale of oil and gas leases on federal lands. “Just as we repeatedly warned, the new Administration launched a…
State Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, has filed legislation to give Oklahomans civil recourse when social media platforms unfairly target posts or accounts for their political or religious speech. Standridge said Senate Bill 383 is aimed at ensuring such speech is treated fairly. “I’ve had constituents tell me they’ve had their social media posts censored for…
Legislation to address concerns over data privacy and data manipulation was filed for the 58th Legislative Session. The Oklahoma Computer Data Privacy Act, House Bill 1602, would require internet technology companies to obtain explicit permission to collect and sell personal data. The legislation has bipartisan support and is authored by Rep. Josh West, R-Grove, and…
With the goal of increasing student outcomes, State Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, filed Senate Bill 437, which would require each school district to provide remediation courses for high school students who score below the benchmark on specific subject areas of the ACT or SAT college entrance exams. “At present, schools have the option to provide…
While Oklahoma has one of the highest active and retired military populations in the nation, it has been ranked as one of the least tax-friendly states for military retirees. Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, believes one way to help make Oklahoma more attractive to military veterans is to eliminate the income tax on their retirement. With…
State Rep. Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, has filed House Bill 2234, The DRIVE Act, to ensure all vehicles utilizing our state highways are contributing to the cost of maintaining this system in a fair and equitable manner. Joining as co-authors of the legislation in the Oklahoma House are State Reps. Brian Hill, R-Mustang; Dustin Roberts, R-Durant;…
State Rep. Ryan Martinez, R-Edmond, filed legislation to create accountability and transparency regarding the movement of state assets. Martinez’s House proposal will directly specify that no state asset is to be moved farther than 10 miles from wherever it was located on July 1, 2020, without the approval of the Oklahoma State Legislature. Martinez said…
Sen. Paul Rosino, R-Oklahoma City, has filed legislation to prohibit discrimination against a potential organ transplant recipient based solely on the person’s physical or mental disability. Rosino said Senate Bill 378, creating Everett’s Law, was requested by Edmond parents Rhys and Neely Gay. Their middle child, Everett, was diagnosed with Down Syndrome shortly after he…
In a court filing, an Oklahoma school district has declared the issuance of either a passing grade or a high school diploma is not—“and never has been”—an indicator that a student mastered state-mandated core courses. Lone Grove Public Schools also stated that any court order tethering a high-school diploma to mastery of high-school core course…
The Stay in School Fund tuition assistance program, launched by Gov. Kevin Stitt in July of 2020, has exceeded expectations in ensuring low-income families who suffered a COVID-19-related job loss or demonstrated financial challenges could maintain consistency in their child’s learning environment. “Our Stay in School program has successfully supported more low-income children and their…