1889 Institute: OK Bar Association lawsuit exposes issues beyond just free speech

ISSUES WITH ATTORNEY LICENSING BIGGER THAN SCHELL v. WILLIAMS The problems go beyond violations of free speech OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (March 29, 2019) – In its February 2019 report, “The Oklahoma Supreme Court’s Unchecked Abuse of Power in Attorney Regulation,” the 1889 Institute brought up the free speech issue over which...

Gov. Stitt requests audit of OMES division

GOVERNOR KEVIN STITT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER JOHN BUDD ANNOUNCE PLANS TO AUDIT FINANCES OF INFORMATION SERVICES DIVISION OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND ENTERPRISE SERVICES Oklahoma City, Okla. (March 28, 2019)— Governor Kevin Stitt, in conjunction with his Chief Operating Officer John Budd, announced today that he...

Bipartisan Task Force Recommends Restarting House Page Program

Bipartisan Task Force Recommends Restarting House Page Program OKLAHOMA CITY – The bipartisan task force assigned to evaluate the House of Representatives’ Page Program has voted unanimously to restart the program beginning next week with the implementation of immediate changes. The Page Program Task Force has recommended...

Voter Registration Maps: Party Growth, 2018 to 2019

Continuing my Voter Registration Maps series update, here are maps representing the changes in percentage by county of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. The OKGOP posted the lowest statewide increase and lost ground in more counties than any other year since I started making these voter registration maps in 2013....

Map: Majority/Plurality Party by County

In this update to my Voter Registration Maps series, we're looking at majority/plurality party by county. Republican majority: 31 counties (27 in 2018) Republican plurality: 12 counties (13 in 2018) Democratic plurality: 12 counties (8 in 2018) Democratic majority: 22 counties (29 in 2018) There...

Treat appoints senators to pension working group

Pro Tem Greg Treat appoints senators to pension working group OKLAHOMA CITY – President Pro Tempore Greg Treat appointed seven senators on Monday to serve on a pension working group to study long-term pension reform as well as make recommendations to his office on pending pension reform legislation. Pending in the Senate...

OK congressional delegation comments on release of Mueller report

Following Sunday's release of Special Counsel Robert Meuller's report on the "Russian collusion" investigation that vindicated President Trump and his 2016 campaign, the Oklahoma congressional delegation (with the exception of 2nd District GOP Rep. Markwayne Mullin and 5th District Democratic Rep. Kendra Horn) issued their...

Music Monday: Transcendental Étude No. 4, "Mazeppa"

This week's Music Monday is Transcendental Étude No. 4 in D minor, "Mazeppa", composed by 19th-century Hungarian composer Franz Liszt, and performed here by Russian virtuoso pianist Daniil Trifonov. Enjoy! See below for all previous Music Monday posts. Do you have a song you'd like to suggest for a future Music Monday? Email me at JamisonFaught@MuskogeePolitico.com. March 18th,...

County-by-county voter registration swings, 2018 to 2019

This Voter Registration Maps series post shows the county-by-county trend in voter registration since last January. Registration swung toward the Republican Party in 75 counties, with the only exceptions being Tulsa and Oklahoma counties. Haskell County had the largest swing, posting a shift to the GOP of 9.55%. Oklahoma...

Oklahoma Voter Registration Map, January 2019

(click image to view larger) In the latest installment of my long-running Voter Registration Maps series, we will once again take a look at voter registration across the state. These statistics are from the annual January 15th report from the State Election Board. I'm a bit behind on posting these, but better late than never. Since...

Pro Tem Treat announces bipartisan working group for Senate confirmation process

Pro Tem Greg Treat announces bipartisan working group for Senate confirmation process OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat on Wednesday announced the members of a bipartisan working group to study the Senate’s confirmation process for executive nominations. Pro Tem Treat made the announcement a week...

Music Monday: St. Patrick's Day in the Morning

This week's Music Monday is St. Patrick's Day in the Morning, an old Irish jig from the mid-1700s (although it may have originated from a Scottish composer). This particular recording is played on a fiddle believed to have been owned by American frontiersman and folk hero Davy Crockett.  Enjoy! See below for all previous Music Monday posts. Do you have a song you'd like...

OCPA column: SB605 is bad policy, no matter where you try it

Senate Bill 605 is bad policy, no matter where you try it By Kaitlyn Finley, policy research fellow at the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs. Although Oklahomans have wisely rejected repeated attempts to expand Medicaid under Obamacare, new proposals keeping popping up in their place like the many-headed Hydra. The...

Local School Protection Bill Passes House

Local School Protection Bill Passes House OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill authorizing local school boards to adopt policies allowing authorized personnel to carry guns on campus passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Wednesday evening. House Bill 2336 would allow districts to authorize certain personnel to carry a handgun...

1889 Institute argues against Medicaid expansion

INSTITUTE ARGUES AGAINST MEDICAID EXPANSION Less affordable than it seems OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (March 18, 2019) – The 1889 Institute has published “Obamacare Medicaid Expansion: Still a Bad Idea,” which points out the drawbacks of Oklahoma expanding Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). In analyzing...

Treat's abortion "trigger" bill changed to 2020 state question, passes Senate

Senate approves Pro Tem Treat bill to call a legislative referendum on abortion Bill would let people vote to restrict Oklahoma Supreme Court’s ability to construe right to an abortion in state constitution OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Senate on Thursday in a bipartisan vote approved a bill from President Pro Tempore...

State House Passes Bill to Protect Election Integrity

House Passes Bill to Protect Election Integrity OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday evening to authorize the State Election Board to check various databases to confirm the citizenship status of a person registering to vote. House Bill 2429 by Rep. Sean Roberts, R-Hominy, authorizes...