All Oklahomans drive on the same roads and can access the same public-school system. But thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court’s McGirt ruling, some Oklahomans may no longer pay to fund those systems, creating increased financial burdens for everyone else.
On Monday May 2nd, Politico, a Virginia political journalism organization founded in 2007, obtained and released a 98-page draft document that indicated the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) is poised to strike down the landmark Roe vs. Wade(1973) and Planned Parenthood vs Casey(1992) decisions.
On Tuesday morning, SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the draft opinion was authentic, but stressed the opinion was ‘not a final decision by the court.’ Roberts vowed the leak would not undermine the integrity of the court’s operations and vowed to have the U.S. Marshal service investigate the leak.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 12th) – Yesterday, amid a crisis-level infant formula shortage in the United States, U.S. Reps. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) and Randy Feenstra (R-IA) introduced the Formula Act, which is legislation that would direct the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to establish and communicate to Congress clear standards by which it domestically regulates infant formula. These standards would in turn be applied to foreign infant formula to allow formula imports and support domestic manufacturers.
Currently, the United States does not import foreign infant formula because the FDA does not have interchangeable standards in place to regulate foreign formula to ensure it complies with U.S. health code and regulations. By codifying standard regulations for infant formula, this legislation would allow America to safely import foreign infant formula to complement domestic production, particularly during times of severe shortage like American families are now facing.
“Over the last 6 months, we’ve seen shortages for infant formula skyrocket to nearly 40%,” said Rep. Bice. “This is why I introduced the Formula Act with my friend Rep. Feenstra. This legislation is critical in combating formula shortages that are negatively affecting millions of American families. This problem has quickly evolved into a crisis. The House of Representatives should immediately take up this legislation.”
“The infant formula shortage is dire in Iowa, threatening babies who rely on formula for their health and development,” said Rep. Feenstra. “That’s why I introduced the Formula Act with my friend Rep. Bice to ensure that the FDA has clear, consistent standards in place to regulate foreign infant formula so that we can import supplies when domestic production fails to meet demand. Iowa families deserve to be able to easily buy infant formula at fair prices without worrying if the shelves are fully stocked. This is a distressing problem, and I am committed to finding a solution.”
Click here to read more about the Formula Act in the DailyWire’s article.
OKLAHOMA CITY – After being nominated by Governor Kevin Stitt, Keith Reed was confirmed as the Commissioner of Health for the state of Oklahoma by the Senate today. Reed has been with the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) for nearly 20 years, serving in various positions throughout the agency.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Kevin Matthews is inviting the public to come learn more about rural Oklahoma and one of Oklahoma’s 13 surviving all-Black communities. Boley, in Okfuskee County, is one of the stops for a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit highlighting rural America. The exhibit, “Crossroads: Change in Rural America,” will be open to the public from May 14 through June 25 at the Boley Community Center, 11 West Grant Street, with a special opening ceremony and ribbon cutting to be held this Saturday at 10:00 a.m.
Lankford, Cruz, Colleagues Defend Service Members from Vaccine Punishment
WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and 12 of their colleagues to introduce the Allowing Military Exemptions, Recognizing Individual Concerns About New Shots (AMERICANS) Act of 2022. The bill counters the Biden Administration’s efforts to coerce and punish service members who decline the COVID-19 vaccine and introduces accountability measures in response to DOD efforts to undermine transparency.
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| Damage from a semi-trailer truck colliding with an eastbound US-412/Cimarron Turnpike toll booth is shown Monday, May 9, 2022. The toll booth attendant working in the booth was injured and treated on scene. |
Crash at Hallett toll plaza emphasizes importance of motorist safety and PlatePay at toll booths
(May 11th) A semi-trailer truck crashed into the eastbound US-412/Cimarron Turnpike Hallett toll plaza at SH-99 (mm 48) in Pawnee County on Monday morning, injuring the tool booth attendant inside. She was treated by emergency medical personnel at the scene.
The crash signifies the importance of driver safety in toll booth plazas across the 624 miles of turnpikes across Oklahoma. Drivers must be attentive, putting away all distractions and monitoring slowing traffic in reduced speed zones for the safety of all motorists and the turnpike maintenance employees.
OKLAHOMA CITY (May 10, 2022) – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister announced today that the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) is investing $2.5 million in federal pandemic relief funds to expand Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to all 77 counties in Oklahoma.
The OSDE will provide a 1:1 match of all funds raised by local community partners, ensuring as many as 264,000 Oklahoma children from birth to age 5 have free, high-quality, age-appropriate books mailed to their homes on a monthly basis.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (May 11th) – Families for James Lankford announced James was endorsed by the Family Policy Alliance, which is the public policy partner of Focus on the Family. FPA's President and CEO issued a statement to endorse James's campaign.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Mary Boren has authored and filed Senate Concurrent Resolution 28 directing the State Auditor to audit the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA). This comes after recent news reports that the OTA is moving forward with plans to begin work on a controversial toll road expansion, including purchasing properties, after learning a $200 million line of credit cannot be used for the project because of pending lawsuits.
