Gov. Stitt taps Tipton to spearhead operation to work with Trump admin on expelling illegals from Oklahoma prisons

Governor Stitt Taps Public Safety Commissioner Tim Tipton to Spearhead Operation Guardian

OKLAHOMA CITY (November 15, 2024) - Today, Governor Kevin Stitt announced Oklahoma Commissioner of Public Safety Tim Tipton will lead the charge to expel those serving time in Oklahoma correctional facilities who are in the country illegally.

“The Oklahoma taxpayer should not be left holding the bill for President Biden’s open border policies,” said Governor Stitt. “As law and order returns to the White House, Oklahoma will lead the charge with a comprehensive plan to deport those who have committed crimes in Oklahoma while in the country illegally.

New Tulsa VA Medical Center to be named after late U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe

New VA Hospital in Tulsa, under construction (image source)

Lankford, Mullin Honor Legacy of Senator Jim Inhofe by Securing His Namesake for New Tulsa VA Medical Center

WASHINGTON, DC (Nov. 19th) – The Senate unanimously passed a bill introduced by Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to name the new Veterans Administration (VA) 75,000-square-foot, 58-bed medical-surgical hospital in Tulsa the James Mountain Inhofe VA Medical Center in honor of the life and legacy of the late-Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe, who tirelessly served our military, veterans, and their families for his entire public service career. Lankford helped ensure the hospital received funding to commence construction in 2020 and helped ensure the skyrocketing inflation of the last three years did not interrupt the construction schedule with additional unforeseen costs. Representative Kevin Hern (R-OK) is introducing companion legislation in the House of Representatives. 

Small: Proposals could cut red tape in Oklahoma

Proposals could cut red tape in Oklahoma

By Jonathan Small

Despite being a conservative electorate, Oklahomans still face more state regulations than citizens in most other states. The accumulation of those rules impedes economic growth and job creation.

Fortunately, legislative leaders are preparing to tackle this problem.

At a recent meeting jointly led by state Rep. Gerrid Kendrix and state Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, who each chair their respective chamber’s administrative rules committee, lawmakers reviewed initiatives that have pared down regulations elsewhere.

State Sen. Bergstrom files bill to gradually eliminate state income tax

Bergstrom Files Bill to Gradually Eliminate Oklahoma Income Tax

OKLAHOMA CITY (Nov. 20th) – Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, has filed Senate Bill 1, a tax reform proposal designed to reduce Oklahoma’s income tax rates in a responsible and measured way.

Under SB1, the state’s marginal income tax rate will be reduced by 0.25 percentage points across all income brackets. Future reductions are tied to revenue growth, with the Board of Equalization tasked with determining if total state revenue has increased by at least $400 million compared to the fiscal year before the most recent tax cut. Each time this benchmark is met, another 0.25 percent reduction will be triggered, continuing until the top marginal income tax rate is zero.

Conservative leaders, orgs push back against California-style 'jungle primary' proposal

Unable to win elections in Oklahoma the old-fashioned way, with... you know... votes, liberals are now attempting to change the game by messing with the way Oklahoma elections work.

Under the guise of "increasing voter participation", left-wingers of both parties (including one has-been and one current liberal Republican elected officials) announced an initiative petition today for a state question that would switch Oklahoma to the same sort of "top two" jungle primary system used in California that often cuts Republican candidates completely out of the general election.

Pro Tem-designee Paxton names key Senate leadership positions

Pro Tem Designee Paxton Names Key Leadership Positions

OKLAHOMA CITY (November 12th) – Senate Pro Tem Designee Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, today has named key members of his leadership team after being tapped as the Senate’s next leader.

Pro Tem Designee Paxton has appointed Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, as the Senate Majority Floor Leader, Sen. Chuck Hall, R-Perry, as Appropriations Chairman and Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow, as Vice Chairman of Appropriations.

State Auditor: forensic audit finds gross mismanagement in city of Lindsay

FORENSIC AUDIT REVEALS GROSS MISMANAGEMENT IN CITY OF LINDSAY

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (November 13, 2024) Oklahoma State Auditor & Inspector [SA&I] Cindy Byrd today released her forensic audit report for the City of Lindsay in Garvin County. Auditor Byrd launched the investigation after receiving a request from District Attorney Greg Mashburn.

The SA&I investigated the city’s financial records from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2022. The audit uncovered significant mismanagement and a failure of Lindsay City Council members to provide proper oversight of expenditures.

BREAKING: State Sen. Paxton defeats Bullard by 1 vote in Pro Tem-designate race

As I just broke on the Muskogee Politico Twitter feed,  establishment pick State Sen. Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) defeated conservative challenger David Bullard (R-Durant) by one vote in the Oklahoma State Senate GOP caucus vote for President Pro Tempore-designate. 

In the vote to lead the legislature's upper chamber, Paxton received 20 votes to Bullard's 19.

Oklahoma State Election Board celebrates 2024 voting records

Statement about Oklahoma's 2024 General Election from Paul Ziriax, Secretary of the State Election Board

(Nov. 6th) "Oklahoma's 2024 General Election is one for the history books. Unofficial results show that more Oklahomans cast a vote for President than any previous election. Voters set a new record for in-person early voting by more than 120,000. We also had the largest number of registered voters heading into this election since we began tracking this statistic in 2000. 

Small: Voters send message with vote on judges

Voters send message with vote on judges

By Jonathan Small

Oklahomans sent a message this week when they voted, for the first time in state history, to oust a sitting member of the Oklahoma Supreme Court while two other justices came within a whisker of sharing the same fate. The question is whether defenders of the status quo will listen to the voters.

In 1967, Oklahoma voters chose to alter our state’s system of judicial selection including retention-ballot elections for key judicial appointees. Public evaluation of judges was always supposed to be a key component of the process.

But in the 57 years that have since passed, Oklahomans typically had little information provided about the judges they were supposed to evaluate. As a result, no member of the Oklahoma Supreme Court ever fell short on a retention-ballot vote before this year.

That changed in 2024. For the first time, Oklahomans were provided information on the justices facing a retention vote. For the first time, citizens had a way to evaluate judicial performance. And, for the first time, voters chose to remove a justice from the Oklahoma Supreme Court bench.

Election Results Maps: More on Oklahoma's Trump vote

Following up on yesterday's post about Donald Trump carrying all 77 Oklahoma counties for the third time, here's another set of Election Results Maps from Tuesday. Trump scored 66.17% statewide (third highest for Republican presidential candidates, behind Reagan's 68.61% in 1984 and Nixon's 71.78% in 1972), beating Kamala Harris by 34.27%. First up, let's look at which direction Trump's 77-county win moved in each county compared to 2020.

State House interim study examines rural firefighter retention

Smith Studies Rural Firefighter Retention

OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 30th) – Rep. David Smith, R-Arpelar, last week held an interim study to examine issues surrounding recruiting and retaining volunteer rural firefighters.

The packed study was held before the House Public Safety Committee on Oct. 21 at the State Capitol.

"Living in rural Oklahoma, I know the importance of rural firefighters," Smith said. "We've got 60 and 70-year-olds fighting fires because we can't get some of the younger people to come up."