The Oklahoma Energy Resources Board (OERB) is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its well site cleanup program, which is voluntarily funded by oil and natural gas producers and royalty owners. To date, 17,000 orphaned or abandoned well sites have been cleaned at a cost of $120 million. Oklahoma is the only state in the nation…
Tulsa Attorney Cheryl Baber announced her Republican candidacy for Oklahoma State Senate District 35. Baber is a former assistant U.S. attorney and federal law clerk who worked on several high-profile cases, including one in which she successfully defended two Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) officers who were working to arrest an illegal immigrant fugitive. Baber…
Gov. Kevin Stitt’s budget sets aside $200 million in savings, pumps an extra $203 million into public education and gives teachers an annual pay hike of $1,220. The House passed the budget on Friday and now it goes to the Senate. The budget has an additional $157.7 million for common education (K-12) and $28 million…
The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, a free-market think tank, has filed a legal challenge to an initiative petition that would expand the state’s Medicaid welfare program, saying the proposal is unconstitutional and the petition gist is so misleading it violates state law. “There are a lot of policy reasons to oppose Medicaid expansion,” said…
Legislation providing for greater inclusiveness of Oklahoma military personnel and veterans in the Oklahoma Veterans Registry was signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt in late April. The Oklahoma Veterans Registry is a voluntary registry of all Oklahoma residents serving on active duty or in the Oklahoma National Guard, as well as all honorably discharged…
A bill clarifying confusing language regarding the protection of military airspace and training routes was signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday. House Bill 2118 was authored by Rep. Charles Ortega, R-Altus, who said the legislation is the continuation of efforts to protect military airspace after legislation passed during the 2018 session left…
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law a bill that could help non-violent offenders with felony convictions find high-paying jobs. House Bill 1373, by state Rep. Zack Taylor, known as “Fresh Start Act,” will allow people with felonies on their records the opportunity to still seek occupational licensing for certain professions as long as the crimes…
Oklahoma set another record for tax collections in April – including $693,500,000.00 in individual income taxes, which is an increase of $106,900,000.00 (up 18.2 percent) from April of 2018. Gross production taxes on oil and natural gas brought in $79,800,000.00 in April, an increase of $19.2 million, or 31.6 percent, from last April. But compared…
Millions of Americans hitting the road for the summer driving season can forgo the extra toilet paper when making a pit stop. GasBuddy says that gas station restrooms are getting cleaner, with the top-rated gas station brands in each state leading the charge. Casey’s General Store has the cleanest restrooms in Oklahoma. According to GasBuddy…
The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) and the Okmulgee County Health Department are investigating a confirmed case of measles in Okmulgee County. This is the first confirmed case of measles in Oklahoma since May 2018. As of January 1, there have been at least 839 cases of measles reported in the United States from…