Mayor G.T. Bynum has revealed his new city budget, with is $845,800,000.00 and includes $100,000 for the “first phase” of an investigation of the possibility of mass graves from the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot. That riot was May 31-June 1, 1921, and dozens of deaths were confirmed while most of the Greenwood Business District was…
Speed limits on Oklahoma turnpikes will jump from 75 to 80 miles per hour and on certain state highways from 70 to 75 miles per hour following passage of House Bill 1071. Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, is the House author of House Bill 1071. Sen. John Michael Montgomery, R-Lawton, is the Senate author. Pae, serving…
Gov. Kevin Stitt has issued a report on the progress has made during his first 100 days in office. Stitt signed into law legislation that forces five of the 12 largest state agencies to answer to the executive branch. Past governors have produced blue-ribbon studies showing that responsibility and power are spread so far and…
The Senate advanced a measure to modernize the Oklahoma Supreme Court district boundaries in order to increase the pool of qualified applicants eligible to fill judicial vacancies in the future. Gov. Stitt signed the bill. House Bill 2366, by Senate principal author Julie Daniels, modifies the boundaries of the Supreme Court district map to align…
Governor Kevin Stitt recently signed legislation to ensure county records are preserved. Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow, and Rep. Mark Lawson, R-Sapulpa, are the authors of Senate Bill 442 to increase the record preservation fee collected by county clerks from $5 to $10 for each instrument recorded with the Registrar of Deeds. “There are innumerable…
Oklahoma will be designated as a Purple Heart State beginning November 1st thanks to legislation signed into law recently. Navy veteran, Sen. Frank Simpson said he authored Senate Bill 232 to give Oklahoma’s Purple Heart recipients the recognition they deserve. “The Purple Heart is the oldest military award given to those U.S. military members who…
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed legislation to help Oklahoma law enforcement investigate sexual assault crimes by creating a statewide tracking system for sexual assault evidence collection kits. Sen. Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City, is the author of Senate Bill 967, and was a member of the 2017 Oklahoma Task Force on Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE). “The…
Gov. Kevin Stitt has given his approval to legislation ensuring citizens can get emergency refills on life-saving prescriptions. Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, is the principal author of Senate Bill 1019. The House principal author is Rep. T.J. Marti, R-Broken Arrow. Hicks said the legislation sets out the guidelines for pharmacists to prescribe emergency refills…
The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1395 to improve the financial transparency and accountability of Oklahoma’s five public virtual charter schools. Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, and Rep. Sheila Dills, R-Tulsa, are the authors of the bill, which will subject virtual charter schools to same financial reporting requirements, financial audits, audit procedures and audit requirements as…
According to a national study, Oklahoma (on a per capita basis) is No. 1 in the nation the number of casinos per capita and the “legality of daily fantasy sports.” The WalletHub study, “2019’s Most Gambling Addicted States,” has Oklahoma as No. 2 in the nation in gambling machines per capita; No. 9 percentage of…