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Literacy is a major focus of OK leaders

Tulsa Beacon

Efforts to improve Oklahoma’s bottom-of-the-barrel results in K-12 reading will be a major focus of this year’s legislative session, with the Speaker of the House and several other lawmakers leading the charge. Oklahoma House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, has filed legislation to strengthen Oklahoma’s Strong Readers Act, reinforcing the state’s commitment to ensuring every child…

Bill to protect Veteran Property Tax Exemptions

Tulsa Beacon

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond, has filed a bill that would make it easier for 100% veterans with disabilities and their surviving spouses to maintain property tax exemptions when moving to a new home. While Oklahoma law allows these exemptions to transfer when a veteran relocates, gaps in the current process can cause…

Bill to abolish Abortion filed in Oklahoma

Tulsa Beacon

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA — Oklahoma State Representative Gabe Woolley filed the Abolition of Abortion in Oklahoma Act this week to completely abolish abortion in the state. House Bill 3038, which is co-sponsored by Oklahoma State Senator Warren Hamilton, would acknowledge the sanctity of life made in the image of God and the protections that must…

BA City Council denies mosque zoning

Tulsa Beacon

A special meeting of the Broken Arrow City Council met on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at the NSU BA campus to hear from the public and determine the fate of an application for a zoning change from Agricultural (AG) to Commercial General (CG). The zoning request change was to enable the land to be used…

Christian employers score major win on abortion and gender-identity mandates

Tulsa Beacon

Washington, DC – The pro-life and pro-family business community scored a major legal victory after the Christian Employers Alliance (CEA) reached a monumental agreement with the Trump Administration’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the federal court granted a stay in CEA’s lawsuit challenging the EEOC’s approach to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and…

Oklahoma restaurant owner warns SQ 832 will kill jobs, businesses

Tulsa Beacon

A ballot measure going before Oklahoma voters calls for imposing a dramatic increase in the state’s mandatory minimum wage with continued, rapid escalation based on the cost of living in urban centers in states like California and New York. State Sen. Kristen Thompson, whose family operates two restaurants, warns the real-world impact of that proposal…

Broken Arrow Council to vote on zoning for Mosque

Tulsa Beacon

The Broken Arrow City Council will meet to consider a planning commission’s recommended approval of a rezoning application and conditional use permit for the building of a mosque and future retail center just south of the Creek Expressway at Olive on January 12, 2026 at 6 p.m. in the Northeastern State University Administrative Services Building…

New OK law closes loophole allowing abusive school employees to hop districts

Tulsa Beacon

Newly elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2024, state Rep. Derrick Hildebrant was quickly approached by a prosecutor friend to file legislation addressing a longstanding problem: Under Oklahoma law, teachers accused of abusing students could resign and then obtain a job at another school without the new school knowing about the allegations. While…

Early-Elementary Reading Improvements Proposed in Oklahoma READS Act

Tulsa Beacon

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Rob Hall, R-Tulsa, and Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, have filed legislation to address Oklahoma’s reading crisis. Hall introduced the Oklahoma Reading Excellence through Accountability, Development, and Standards (READS) Act in House Bill 2944, while Bergstrom filed mirror legislation, Senate Bill 1271. The measures introduce early intervention for K-3rd students who have…