More Gambling OK? Legislators reach agreement with Thunder, tribes on Sports Betting

Why is it that some of the greatest social ills chronically plaguing Oklahoma are advanced under the guise of "helping the children" through some sort of rosy promise of "more money for education"? Here's something I wrote back in 2025 when the last version of Coleman and Luttrell's bill passed the State House (in 2023, like true politicians, they lamented missing out on all that juicy tax revenue this would generate):

Terrible idea. Of all the things to be on a multi-year crusade about, State Rep. Ken Luttrell and State Sen. Bill Coleman have been on one to expand gambling in Oklahoma. Society - and sports at all levels - will reap a negative harvest from this in years to come. Shame on every legislator who voted for this.

Read the amendment. It includes a veritable slush fund specifically for the OKC Thunder, I mean, "a professional sports team that is part of the National Basketball Association and located in a county in this state with a population exceeding six hundred thousand (600,000)" of up to $7,000,000 per year - ostensibly "for the purposes of economic development, job training, community improvement, regional tourism assistance or new tourism attraction creation, including capital improvements or debt service support in connection therewith, tourism marketing separate from or in connection with an agency of this state, supplemental educational or vocational programs in science, technology, engineering, arts, or mathematics, public safety, other projects in this state in the public interest," – but get the very next words – "or other team business operations."  

Coleman, Luttrell Reach Agreement with OKC Thunder, Majority of Tribes on Sports Betting

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Bill Coleman and Rep. Ken Luttrell announced today that they will move forward with a new version of a bill to legalize sports betting after securing support from key stakeholders.

After years of negotiations, the Ponca City Republicans said this new legislation that supports public education and economic growth has support from the Oklahoma City Thunder, a supermajority of the tribes that are members of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association and the state’s leading public universities.

Coleman filed new bill language today through an amendment to House Bill 1047. He said he expects the full Senate will vote on the measure this week.

City of Muskogee: sirens failed prompt activation due to communication disruption

In the aftermath of Tuesday's tornado in Muskogee and the failure of the tornado sirens to go off until after the EF1 twister (with a final path length of 14.3 miles) had blown through southern neighborhoods in the city, officials have tracked down the issue that caused the delay:

Statement on Outdoor Warning Siren Activation

MUSKOGEE, Okla. April 17, 2026 -  The City of Muskogee is providing an update regarding the delayed activation of the Outdoor Warning System during the severe weather event on April 14, 2026.

Following an extensive investigation by the contractor responsible for maintaining and servicing the Outdoor Warning System, the City of Muskogee has been informed of the conditions that prevented the timely activation of the sirens.

The investigation found that the system controlling the sirens functioned properly and issued the activation command immediately after the tornado warning was released by the National Weather Service. However, a disruption in the system’s communication link prevented that activation command from reaching the sirens.

City responds to siren delay after tornado strikes southern part of Muskogee

Last night around 11pm, a tornado struck southern portions of the city of Muskogee, with damage focused in the Grandview 7 and Hilldale areas. It seems to have been relatively minor, with no injuries reported that I have heard.

However, I noticed that tornado sirens did not go off in the city limits of Muskogee until the tornado was already crossing the Arkansas River headed toward rural portions of the county between Fort Gibson and Braggs, well after the damage had already been caused. 

Contrary to assumptions that some are posting on social media, the National Weather Service has no input or responsibility for activating sirens during severe weather. That lies with the local government bodies, in this case, the city emergency management department. The city will activate the sirens during damaging wind events in addition to tornado warnings. This storm system dropped a tornado in fairly rapid fashion, so whether the failure was because the system itself failed or because it wasn't activated by those responsible remains to be seen.

Here is the response from the City of Muskogee:

Muskogee Responds to Severe Storm 

MUSKOGEE, Okla. April 15, 2026 - The City of Muskogee is aware of concerns regarding the delayed activation of outdoor storm warning sirens during last night’s severe weather event.

Brief Blogging Bullets: a news recap

It's been a busy spring for me, and I'm rather behind on my blogging. I have literally dozens of press releases in my inbox waiting for publication, and since it's just not realistic to get them all published, I'm bringing back a Brief Blogging Bullets recap to try and catch up on some of the recent political and legislative news in Oklahoma.

Some notable pieces of legislation:

• The Legislature has passed a $12.8B state budget (largest in state history) at an uncharacteristically early date: House leadership  and Senate leadership comments. Look in-depth at the appropriations: House budget portal, Senate budget dashboard. Includes another $2,000 teacher pay raise. Here's more on the other budget bills that fill in the details from the main bill.
• Conservative State Rep. Jim Shaw got national attention for a brief question that blew the cover off HB 3660, which would legalize procedures for composting of human bodies. The authors of the bill are presenting it as a cheaper funeral choice...
• Of particular interest to the Muskogee/Fort Gibson area: the Senate unanimously passed SB 1319, directing the Corporation Commission to establish a process for homeowners to receive remediation assistance if their property is contaminated by a substance under the commission’s jurisdiction. This was a local story after a family in Fort Gibson had to leave their home after it was infiltrated by a leak from an abandoned well.

Small: TSET failure shows need for reform

TSET failure shows need for reform

By Jonathan Small

In 1998, four major tobacco companies agreed to a settlement with 46 states, including Oklahoma. The tobacco companies promised to pay participating states at least $206 billion over the first 25 years in exchange for those states dropping litigation.

In 2000, Oklahomans approved a constitutional amendment requiring that the state’s annual payments from tobacco companies be deposited into the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) with investment earnings earmarked for smoking cessation and other health-related measures.

In theory, TSET was supposed to eliminate “politics” from spending decisions. In practice, it simply eliminated voter input and left unaccountable, unelected bureaucrats in charge of TSET spending.

The results are embarrassing, at best. After a quarter-century, Oklahoma still ranks among the worst states for smoking. States that simply spent their tobacco settlement money on general expenditures are doing much better.

Initiative petition begins to put legislative bill hearing reform on ballot

Signature Collection begins April 18 for State Question 840

Oklahoma City, OK, April 10, 2026 — Supporters of State Question 840 today announced that the official 90-day signature collection period will begin on April 18, 2026, marking a key step toward placing the proposed constitutional amendment before Oklahoma voters. 

State Question 840 would amend the Oklahoma Constitution to guarantee legislative bill hearing rights for all duly elected members while establishing enforceable accountability measures. The proposal is intended to ensure that all representatives have a fair opportunity to present and advance legislation on behalf of their constituents. 

Candidate filing concludes - with some surprises

Candidate filing for 2026 statewide, legislative, and judicial offices concluded yesterday, and boy were there some surprises.

First up, the official press release from the Oklahoma State Election Board, then a quick recap on the filing news:

Statement from Paul Ziriax, Secretary of the State Election Board RE: 2026 Candidate Filing 

Oklahoma City, April 3rd — The 2026 Candidate Filing Period closed today – April 3, 2026 – at 5:00 p.m. The Secretary of the State Election Board announced that a total of 611 candidates filed for state, federal, legislative, or judicial office, making the 2026 Candidate Filing Period the second largest candidate filing period in the past 25 years. The largest occurred in 2018 when a total of 794 candidates filed for office.

Jed Cochran announces campaign for Congress in 1st District

The first time I encountered Jed Cochran was at the 2008 2nd Congressional District Convention. There was a near-even split between the libertarian Ron Paul supporters and the GOP activists, fighting over three delegate and alternate-delegate slots to the 2008 Republican National Convention. Each vote was on a knife's edge and hotly contested.

One of the delegate candidates that nobody knew, a kid from Atoka County named Jedidiah Patriot Cochran, gave such a great stump speech that both sides thought he was one of theirs, and as I recall he received the most votes of anyone that contested day, winning his race handily. There was palpable confusion afterwards as both camps realized that, no, he wasn't "one of theirs" after all... or with the "other side"... but just a conservative rural kid who wanted to be a RNC delegate.

Cochran later went on to work for both U.S. Senators Coburn and Inhofe, and on Steve Russell's successful 2014 congressional campaign staff.

JED COCHRAN LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN FOR U.S. CONGRESS

TULSA, OK (March 26th) — Today, Tulsan and fifth-generation Oklahoman Jed Cochran announced his candidacy for Oklahoma's First Congressional District. A loyal America First conservative, Cochran has dedicated his entire professional career to serving Green Country and advocating for the people of Tulsa. He has worked alongside some of Oklahoma's most respected conservative leaders, including Senator Jim Inhofe, Senator Tom Coburn, and Congressman Steve Russell. Over decades of service, he has built a reputation as a trusted advisor, a results-driven leader, and a steadfast voice for conservative principles. He has spent his career working behind the scenes to deliver results, not headlines.

Congressman Brecheen announces Service Academy appointees from 2nd District

Congressman Josh Brecheen Recognizes Service Academy Appointees

Washington, DC (March 17th) – Congressman Josh Brecheen recognizes the students from Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District who received nominations from our office and have received appointments to the United States Service Academies.

Mullin confirmed as DHS Secretary, Stitt appoints Alan Armstrong as replacement

In a 54-45 vote yesterday afternoon, the United States Senate confirmed Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin as the new Secretary of Homeland Security. Three senators crossed party lines in the vote; Rand Paul (R-KY) voting against, while John Fetterman (D-PA) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) voting for Mullin. 

With Mullin's resignation to take the cabinet position, Governor Kevin Stitt this morning announced his selection of energy executive Alan Armstrong to fill Mullin's seat for the remaining nine months of the Senate term.

Armstrong, stepping down as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at Tulsa-based Williams Companies, says he will be focused on achieving permitting reform for large-scale infrastructure and energy projects. Stitt indicated conversations with Senate leadership and the White House led to specific requests for an appointee that could help in this area.

Given Armstrong's limited time as the placeholder for the Senate seat, there is a very short window of time in which he will have ability to act on legislation. Stitt said he chose Armstrong to help work across the aisle to bring movement on this particular area of policy (again, with confirmation from Senate leadership and the Trump administration).

Stitt mentioned transmission line projects during the press conference, in addition to other energy-related issues, which will likely cause ears to perk up among local activists across the state (and region) who have fought against similar projects and proposed wind-energy farms.

You can watch Stitt and Armstrong at the press conference here:

Gov. Stitt orders comprehensive review of Oklahoma's public education spending

Governor Stitt Orders Transparency of Public School Spending

OKLAHOMA CITY (March 20, 2026) - Governor Kevin Stitt today signed an executive order requiring a comprehensive review of how Oklahoma’s public education funding is being spent.

Under the Governor’s leadership, state appropriations for Oklahoma’s public school system have increased more during the last seven years than in the past 25 years combined. Between local, state, and federal dollars, $9.6 billion is allocated to public education each year, representing the largest annual investment of taxpayer dollars.

Small: The compounding effect of good policy

The compounding effect of good policy

By Jonathan Small

The combination of good government policies, over time, has a compounding effect that reaps growing benefit for a state. The same is true of bad government policies.

Oklahoma’s loss of major company headquarters in recent months is tied to the latter and shows why lawmakers must not retreat from undoing the harmful policy legacy of Oklahoma’s first 100 years.

When officials with Devon Energy and Coterra Energy announced the two companies are merging, they also announced the combined company will be headquartered in Houston, Texas, not Oklahoma City.

Shortly after, Expand Energy—formerly known as Chesapeake Energy—announced a similar headquarters relocation.