Which would you opt for?
OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 28th) – Three Oklahoma lawmakers say that legal legend Stephen Jones will argue on behalf of their petition against Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett, according to a notice filed at the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Friday.
OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 28th) – Rep. Gerrid Kendrix, R-Altus, and Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, recently held an interim study examining Oklahoma's current administrative rules process and considering how it could be made more efficient and transparent.
"One of the things we’ve been working on is trying to make this process more transparent, get more people involved in it, make it more accountable not only to us as legislators but also to the public, where more people are aware of the rules process—how it works, the notification process, the public comment process," Kendrix said during the study. "We've been working with the secretary of state on the portal that they have, to try to make that better for everybody involved."
(Oklahoma City, Oct. 28th) – “Early voting” – officially known as in-person absentee voting – begins at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday for the November 5 General Election.
Early voting will be held Wednesday, October 30 through Friday, November 1 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, November 2 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. No excuse is needed to vote early, but voters must provide proof of identity when checking in at their early voting site. More information about accepted forms of identity is available on the State Election Board website.
A good time to remind everyone to vote for State Question 834, which would specifically restrict Oklahoma voting to only citizens.
OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 29, 2024) – With a presidential election only days away, Attorney General Gentner Drummond is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to allow Virginia to remove non-citizens from its voter roll. In an amicus brief filed yesterday, Drummond and a coalition of 25 other states argue that a preliminary injunction halting the state of Virginia from removing self-identified non-citizens from its rolls undermines a state’s authority to determine voter qualifications. Virginia’s law provides mechanisms to protect election integrity, while ensuring only U.S. citizens remain on voter rolls.
OKLAHOMA CITY (October 29, 2024) - Governor Kevin Stitt announced today that Timothy Tardibono will serve as the executive director of the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs.
“Tim is one of Oklahoma’s leading experts on criminal justice, family, and public service, and I’m grateful for his willingness to serve our state,” said Governor Stitt. “I’m confident Tim will lead with integrity and a servant’s heart, and I know him as someone who will work tirelessly to provide young Oklahomans with opportunities to thrive.”
In recent years “environmental, social, and governance” (ESG) investing has become a prominent topic in the financial world as some large-asset managers have claimed they will now invest money based on political goals rather than the longstanding norm of maximizing returns.
Oklahoma lawmakers voted to prohibit ESG asset managers from having state contracts, arguing that ESG ultimately reduces taxpayer benefits compared to traditional investing strategies.
The law has drawn pushback, including from the managers of the Oklahoma Public Employees’ Retirement System (OPERS). But a new study, of which I am one of three co-authors, shows that lawmakers were justified in passing the law.
(October 25th) Today, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections announced a significant reduction in inmate-on-inmate assaults with serious injury, reflecting the success of ongoing efforts to enhance safety and security. Key reforms, including strategic population management, stricter enforcement policies, and enhanced technology, have significantly decreased the incidence of violence.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, responded on Friday to Thursday’s New York Times report that former President Donald Trump is seriously considering supporting eliminating the federal income tax.
“In a time when government bloat, earmarks, and abuse of funds are out of control, and when the American people are suffering under crushing inflation and taxation, the repeal of the federal income tax would be among the most historic achievements in American history. Should he win in November, I encourage former President Trump to follow through on what he is reportedly considering.”
I'm a little late on getting this posted, but this goes into some detail on State Question 834, which is the most easily-understood state question on the ballot (SQ 833... that's a totally different matter).
OKLAHOMA CITY (October 10th) – Yesterday, the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus led by Chairman Senator Shane Jett, joined with Americans for Citizens Voting in support of State Question 834 the Citizen-only voting amendment.
OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 23, 2024) – An Osage County judge today sentenced a man with ties to organized crime to life in prison for ordering the 2021 murder of a fellow Irish mob member. The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office and several partner agencies handled the case against Zachary Millard, who had been convicted earlier this month for the slaying of Mitchell Roberts in Tulsa.
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| Photo by RDNE Stock project |
OKLAHOMA CITY (October 23rd) – Sens. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, and Ally Seifried, R-Claremore, hosted a robust, two-day interim study this week to examine the detrimental effects of cell phone use among K-12 students in schools.
Pugh, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, and Seifried, the committee’s vice chair, urged their fellow committee members to invite local educators and national experts to present. As a result, about a dozen speakers from a wide range of backgrounds spoke at the study. They included teachers, school administrators, mental health experts, a psychiatrist and a neuroscientist.
The presenters noted the correlation between kids’ phone use and poor academic outcomes, increased anxiety and overall worse mental health. The speakers overwhelmingly expressed support for restricting students’ phone use in schools and many urged lawmakers to craft a statewide policy that provides districts some flexibility.
Pugh said he wants Oklahoma to lead the nation on this issue by empowering schools to find innovative ways to create phone-free campuses.
“The effects of social media and excessive device usage have significantly impacted the mental health, social skills, academic progress, and literacy rates of Oklahoma students, and exacerbated other concerns such as cyberbullying,” Pugh said. “The expertise and classroom experiences shared during this comprehensive interim study indicated that urgent action is needed to help school districts address these unique challenges. Our committee is dedicated to fostering positive learning outcomes for students across our state, and we will continue to explore legislative solutions to mitigate the issues associated with cell phone use in schools.”
After introducing legislation last year to create a pilot program to limit student phone usage, Seifried said legislative action to restrict devices for the entire school day is overdue.
“This study reinforces what many of us already know: Cell phones are undoubtedly a distraction in schools, negatively impacting students’ mental health and academic performance,” Seifried said. “Our job now is to build on this momentum and craft policies that restrict phone use from bell to bell in a manner that supports our schools and our dedicated educators.
“I’m committed to working with parents, teachers, administrators and mental health professionals to find a way to get smartphones out of classrooms so Oklahoma students can reach their full potential at school and at home.”
Mental health experts who presented in the study talked about the addictive nature of smartphones and social media, especially for kids because their brains are still developing. Across the country, test scores have dropped and rates of anxiety and depression among adolescents have skyrocketed as smartphones have become ubiquitous and social media platforms have become more popular, said New York University scientist Zachary Rausch.
Oklahoma Union Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Taylor said students, parents and staff in her district supported a new policy prohibiting smartphones in the classroom. Since the district implemented the change, teachers have noticed students are more engaged in their coursework, there are fewer distractions and kids are interacting with each other more, Taylor said.
Healthy Minds Policy Initiative Executive Director Zack Stoycoff said eight states have enacted statewide policies to ban or restrict cell phones in schools. He said there is clearly a link between youth phone usage and mental health and well-being.
Nationally, middle and high school students spend nearly five hours a day on social media. One in four adolescent Oklahomans said they typically feel like they can’t go a day without social media, and one in five Oklahoma high schoolers said social media made them feel worse about their lives, he said.
Seifried and Pugh plan to file legislation on this issue ahead of the 2025 legislative session. Bill filing begins Nov. 15.
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Josh Brecheen and Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced the Debt-Per-Citizen Transparency Act, which requires all Congressional Budget Office (CBO) cost estimates to include how much the bill will affect the total debt-to-citizen ratio.
“With our national debt at more than $35 trillion, it is essential that lawmakers are made aware of how much legislation will affect the total debt-per-citizen ratio before voting on it,” said Congressman Josh Brecheen. “Every child born today owes more than $104,000 as their share of our national debt. It is long past time we reverse this curse and stop stealing prosperity from our children and our grandchildren.”
An oft-overlooked but vital role for the Oklahoma Legislature is government oversight, especially in the approval or disapproval of administrative rules - how regulations are implemented by government agencies. I'm glad to see this getting some much-needed attention.
OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 23rd) - On Wednesday, Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, alongside Rep. Gerrid Kendrix, R-Altus, chaired an interim study with the Administrative Rules Committee to examine the current process agencies use to submit rules and how those rules are reviewed by the committee.
"It's important that we take a close look at each rule to ensure it serves a real purpose and doesn’t create unnecessary burdens,” Bergstrom said. “We also have to consider whether they have negative economic impacts or restrict individual freedoms. Above all, we must ensure they uphold constitutional principles."
Three notoriously pro-abortion members of the Oklahoma Supreme Court are on the JUDICIAL RETENTION section of the ballot for the November 5th General Election. Under the heading Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court are listed separately the names of Noma Gurich, Yvonne Kauger, and James Edmondson.
All three of these justices have shown themselves to be relentlessly in opposition to protecting the lives of unborn children.
In policy debates, facts matter even if everyone is entitled to his own opinions about those facts.
Unfortunately, when it comes to understanding the history of Oklahoma’s judiciary and ongoing debates about reform, some individuals cannot get basic facts straight.
With three members of the Oklahoma Supreme Court facing retention elections this year, an Oklahoma City TV news station recently aired a lengthy related story.
That story, as originally aired, was notable for containing demonstrably false and undeniably incorrect information.
OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 18th) – Sen. Darcy Jech, R-Kingfisher, held an interim study in the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday to evaluate how to protect children from the harmful effects of social media use and analyze potential regulatory solutions.
“The information brought forward during this study revealed the alarming prevalence of mental health issues among youth who are active on social media,” Jech said. “We are facing an epidemic that demands urgent action. It’s vital that we explore protective measures and regulations while also educating both parents and young people about the risks and mental health challenges linked to online activity.”
Oklahoma City, Okla – State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced the rollout of a new, comprehensive teacher recruitment tool, Teach-OK.com, today. Teach-OK.com is a comprehensive online resource designed to guide future and current educators through the certification process, connect them with teaching opportunities, and provide valuable financial and professional development resources in Oklahoma. Teach-OK.com supports Oklahoma’s teacher recruitment and retention efforts by providing a user-friendly platform that helps educators efficiently navigate their career paths.
The nationwide rash of campus radicalism, particularly anti-Semitism, has been disturbing. Even more disturbing is the fact that it is appearing in Oklahoma.
Eyal Yakoby, an incoming Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student who self-describes as being “dedicated to combating Jew-Hate and anti-Americanism,” highlighted an email distributed to students at Oklahoma State University that touted Students for Justice in Palestine (SPJ) events.
“The official diversity committee at Oklahoma State University’s psychology department sent an email soliciting students to participate in the ‘Week of Rage’ sponsored by SJP,” Yakoby wrote. “The first event is on Oct. 7th to celebrate the massacre. This is systemic antisemitism.”
OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 8th) – Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, on Tuesday led a study on the use and abuse of surveillance cameras and warrantless searches before the House State Powers Committee.
Gann particularly looked at the use of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs), which under state law only legally can be used to identify uninsured motorists who are in violation of the state's compulsory insurance law. The cameras, however, - many of them illegally placed, he said – are being used to track much other activity.
Oklahoma City, OK (Oct. 15th) – The Oklahoma Freedom Caucus challenges the decision to host and promote “National Coming Out Day” on Tinker Air Force Base.
Senator Shane Jett, OKFC Chairman and U.S. Navy veteran, expressed the criticism shared by thousands of military families. “Military bases have significant budgets to cultivate positive relationships in their communities. It’s incomprehensible that Tinker Air Force Base would openly promote a prurient lifestyle that would obviously affront the tenets of faith of over 75% of Oklahoma’s professing Christian population as well those practicing Jewish and Muslim faiths. It is vulgar, prurient, inappropriate, and unbecoming of our military facilities.” said Senator Jett.
OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 15th) – Reps. Tom Gann, R-Inola, Kevin West, R-Moore, and Rick West, R-Heavener, today issued statements regarding an Oklahoma Supreme Court request for oral arguments in their case against Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett.
"On Monday, the Oklahoma Supreme Court changed its position and took the extraordinary step of asking for oral arguments about our Petition for a Writ of Prohibition against Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett. We filed our case after allegations of sexual misconduct and public drunkenness were published, but Hiett refused to disqualify himself from Oklahoma Corporation Commission cases involving the victims and/or witnesses of his alleged criminal conduct. These utility cases are worth billions of dollars and affect millions of Oklahoma customers of Oklahoma Natural Gas, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, and Public Service Company of Oklahoma.
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| Photo credit: Becky Faught near Sequoyah Bay State Park |
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| From @RyanHanrahan this evening in CT |
The coronal mass ejection from Tuesday's X-class solar flare slammed into Earth's magnetic field hours ago, triggering a severe geomagnetic storm, and the Aurora Borealis ("Northern Lights") have already been sighted this evening as far south as the Bahamas! If you live in Oklahoma and want to see this tremendous atmospheric wonder, go outside and look to the north when it gets dark!
The geomagnetic storm is likely to last all night long, with "sub-storms" of varying intensity shifting auroras all over the map.
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| Taken by Twitter user @Jen_McClure10 in Marlow, OK - May 10th, 2024 |
Watch the ad from People for Opportunity:
OKLAHOMA CITY (October 7th) – A group of legislators is opposing an event at Tinker Air Force Base called "National Coming Out Day" and the affirmation that homosexuals are "born this way."
The following statement is issued by Reps. Jim Olsen, R-Roland; David Hardin, R-Stilwell; Clay Staires, R-Skiatook; Kevin West, R-Moore; Rick West, R-Heavener; and Danny Williams, R-Seminole.
"As one of the nation's most important and strategic military bases, Tinker should remain focused on our national defense and not expend taxpayer dollars to promote a lifestyle contrary to the values of the majority of Oklahomans.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (October 1, 2024) -- Oklahoma State Auditor & Inspector [SA&I] Cindy Byrd today released her forensic audit report for the Town of Red Rock in Noble County. Auditor Byrd launched the investigation after receiving a request from District Attorney Brian Hermanson.
The SA&I investigation covered a five-year period between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2023. The audit exposed a significant number of questionable expenditures among the Town Clerk/Treasurer and Town Board members.
Oklahoma has a reputation for being one of the nation’s most conservative states with Republicans routinely elected to statewide office and the legislature, where the GOP has long held supermajorities.
But our judiciary has been well to the left of the electorate for decades, according to recent independent research.
OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 2nd) – In support of bolstering educational excellence and understanding the formation of the United States, the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus (OKFC), led by Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee, Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, and Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, has thrown its support behind the Bible initiative in public schools proposed by Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters.
The Freedom Caucus applauded Walters' initiative to ensure the availability of a Bible in public school classroom across the state. Walters announced last week he would include $3 million in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget request to fund the initiative.
OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 25, 2024) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond launched a new campaign today to help capture some of Oklahoma’s most wanted fugitives from justice.
Drummond has partnered with the U.S. Marshals Service and other federal, tribal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies to identify 10 Most Wanted fugitives and to work to hold them accountable for their actions. Individuals on the Most Wanted list pose serious threats to public safety.
“The fugitives on this list are a threat to public safety. It is critical that we work together to hold these individuals accountable for their alleged crimes,” Drummond said. “We hope to enlist the help of all Oklahomans in this campaign to get these dangerous criminals off the street.”
OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 30th) – Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, has taken notice of what he believes is the first of many actions by Oklahoma courts to suppress evidence obtained from license plate scanners.
“The decision will place many cases against perpetrators of criminal acts in jeopardy,” Gann explained.
According to Gann, the issue arises from local government entities entering into contracts with a nationwide big-tech firm, Flock, to install 24/7 vehicle scanning technology—despite such actions being prohibited by Oklahoma law.
“When the government uses these devices to scan every passing vehicle, they are violating Oklahoma law. This puts every resulting conviction in jeopardy,” Gann stated.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (October 3rd) - In case you missed it, Americans for Prosperity-Oklahoma (AFP-OK) Deputy Director Bradley Ward, Ph.D., testified during a state House of Representatives interim study on Tuesday to advocate for moving Oklahoma's school board elections to align with state and federal elections.
Ward argued that Oklahoma's laws requiring standalone school board elections earlier in the year is a waste of money - nearly $17 million - that could instead fund education.
