News

Bill offers a clearer picture of federal spending in state

March 21, 2019

The Senate approved legislation to provide the public and legislature with a clearer picture of what federal funds Oklahoma receives and spends. Senate Bill 271, by Sen. Nathan Dahm, will require state agencies that receive federal funds to annually publish a list on their website of the funds, what programs they are used for and…

Stitt gets more authority

March 21, 2019

Passage of five reorganizational bills will give Gov. Kevin Stitt and future governors more authority to hire and fire agency leaders for the Oklahoma Healthcare Authority (SB 456), Oklahoma Department of Transportation (SB 457), Oklahoma Department of Corrections (HB 2480), Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs (HB 2479), and Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance…

Tax credits for teachers

March 21, 2019

The House of Representatives unanimously passed a measure that would provide Oklahoma school teachers some financial relief when they spend money out of pocket for their classrooms. House Bill 2502, by House Speaker Charles McCall, would provide a $1,000 tax credit that teachers can claim for classroom expenditures and fees associated with the teacher certification…

Bill to expand OLAP

March 21, 2019

The House passed a bill that extends eligibility to the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OLAP), granting access to college tuition for students who otherwise might not be able to attend college. House Bill 2227, authored by State Rep. Todd Russ, R-Cordell, extends OLAP for qualifying students in 11th or 12th grades or who are…

More retiree benefits

March 21, 2019

The House of Representatives passed a bill that would grant an increase in retirement benefits to retirees of Oklahoma’s six retirement systems. House Bill 2304, authored by State Rep. Avery Frix, R-Muskogee, would give a permanent 4 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA) to all retirees of the Teachers’ Retirement System of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Firefighters…

No to teacher bonus ban

March 21, 2019

A measure to prohibit the use of state funds for recruitment bonuses for teachers failed narrowly in the Senate, 22-20. Retired educator Sen. Ron Sharp said he authored Senate Bill 57 to stop the practice of virtual charter schools rewarding teachers financially with state appropriated dollars for successfully recruiting other teachers and students to their…

More rules for charters

March 21, 2019

A bill to require the same level of transparency from virtual charter schools as other public schools passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives. House Bill 1395 amends language in the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act of 2012 to hold virtual charter schools subject to the same financial reporting requirements and audits as traditional school districts. The…

State revenues climb in Feb.

March 21, 2019

The price of oil and gas dipped but total revenue for the state government in February showed growth – a trend that has stretched back for the past 23 months. State Treasurer Randy McDaniel said February receipts of $971.5 million are 10.7 percent higher than collections from the same month of last year. “Oklahoma’s economic…

Three Tulsa landmarks are ‘endangered’

March 21, 2019

The Brookshire Hotel, a bunker built by billionaire J. Paul Getty and the Griffin-Goodner Grocery Warehouse are three landmarks on the 2019 list of Oklahoma’s Most Endangered Places, according to Preservation Oklahoma, Inc. (POK). According to a press release, “POK aims to promote the places where Oklahoma history lives by bringing awareness to historic landmarks…

Tulsa author Jim Stovall donates $1 million to ORU

March 21, 2019

Tulsa author, entrepreneur and columnist Jim Stovall presented a $1 million donation to Oral Roberts University, his alma mater, to help create the Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship. The million dollar donation, plus a $500,000 matching grant, is not the first donation Stovall has made to ORU. “The Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship will enable ORU to…