The Oklahoma Senate passed a second version of the Survivor’s Act legislation on Thursday. Senate Bill 1835 by Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat was a follow up bill to the original Survivor’s Act measure which was vetoed by Governor Kevin Stitt. Treat amended SB 1835 to include the original language and the clarification of when the law can be used in sentencing. The original intent was to allow consideration of domestic violence and human trafficking when sentencing. When Stitt vetoed the bill, SB 1835 was going through the process to provide clarification. “The Survivor’s Act protect vict ..read more

Negotiators made some headway on Wednesday during day 4 of the Budget Summit. While he was there for the first three, scheduling took Governor Kevin Stitt away from the room. The day started mid-morning with lawmakers being jovial as they assembled in the Governor’s Large Conference Room on the second floor of the Capitol Building. Wednesday also marked the Hispanic Cultural Day at the Capitol. Because of the recent passage of House Bill 4156, the “impermissible occupation” measure to counter undocumented immigrants coming to Oklahoma, this would become a factor during the talks. That’s becaus ..read more

During Wednesday’s U.S. Senate Intelligence Hearing focused on foreign threats to this year’s elections, U.S. Senator James Lankford raised his concerns about China’s capabilities. The panel included the Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Jen Easterly, and Executive Assistant Director for the National Security Branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Larissa Knapp. Lankford asked what the intelligence community knew about what China was doing right now in the U.S. He also wanted to know how to expose the Chinese ..read more

By Congresswoman Stephanie Bice There is no more noble duty than to serve others. Officers throughout Oklahoma, and across the nation put their lives on the line everyday so our communities are safer. Law enforcement is our essential line of defense in maintaining law and order, and they deserve our full support. Since becoming a Member of Congress, I have had the opportunity to spend more time with law enforcement in the State and throughout the Fifth Congressional District. I visited areas devastated by tornadoes with them, went on “ride a- longs” in the Oklahoma City Metro area, and toured ..read more

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond on Tuesday filed suit against major diabetic drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) for “unfair and deceptive” pricing of insulin which has cost Americans billions of dollars. Drummond alleges the companies have violated the Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act (OCPA) by raising prices in lockstep with each other, even as the cost of manufacturing the life-saving hormone has dropped. “It is despicable that these companies preyed upon Oklahomans who were desperate for life-saving medication to bolster their profits,” Drummond said. “The out ..read more

Congressman Frank Lucas would like to see the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill when it comes up for a vote on Wednesday. He spoke on the House floor on Tuesday to show his support for the legislation which would set in motion the formation of a plan to improve air traffic controller training. Oklahoma City hosts a federal air traffic controller school at the Mike Monroney FAA Center. The Senate amendment to the legislation also set the air traffic controller hiring goal to the maximum number of students that can be trained. Yo ..read more

During Monday morning’s budget summit, Governor Kevin Stitt took another swing at trying to convince Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat to take up a person income tax cut. Treat continued to hold his ground. Stitt asked both the House Speaker Charles McCall and Treat if they would put up a tax cut for an up or down vote in their chambers. Treat asked Stitt if he could point out what state services the Governor would cut to pay for the estimated cost of the tax cut. When pushed on why he wasn’t willing to move on a tax cut, Treat listed the cuts and reforms made over the past few years specifi ..read more

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has joined two lawsuits aimed at blocking regulations which push trucking companies to adopt electric fleets. In the lawsuit filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 24 states are petitioning to challenge the Biden Administration’s new regulation of heavy-duty vehicles through the Environmental Protect Agency (EPA). The other lawsuit against California was filed by 17 states in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. It targets state regulations requiring trucking companies to retire traditional ..read more

By Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy CEO Joe Dorman The Oklahoma Legislature is approaching the constitutionally binding end of the annual session which must occur by 5 p.m. on the final Friday of May. Each year, lawmakers come to the State Capitol in Oklahoma City to debate policy ideas for improving conditions for certain Oklahomans, and to pass an annual budget to keep state government operating. In the work done by the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA), much of our mission is driven to provide greater opportunities for young people often receiving delivery of services by the ..read more

Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat is calling a tax cut plan backed by House Speaker Charles McCall and Governor Kevin Stitt a “shell game that will cost $809.5 million a year.” Tulsa World Randy Krehbiel writes Treat said that Friday in Tulsa after two rounds of negotiations with McCall and Stitt. You can read the Tulsa World story here. Round three of the Budget Summit is expected to get underway Monday morning ..read more