Monday, March 18, 2024

Dahm and Deevers discuss Tyrannical Treat's 'terrorist' tirade after Senate filibustering


(Couldn't help myself with the alliteration there.)

On Thursday, conservative state senators Nathan Dahm (R-Broken Arrow) and Dusty Deevers (R-Elgin) engaged in a filibuster of-sorts to protest, among other things, the lack of action on conservative members' priority legislation and the general state of how things are run in the Senate under Pro Tem Greg Treat.

At a press conference during the day, Treat commented on the action, saying that he "doesn't negotiate with terrorists," before back-tracking moments later to say, "I am not calling them terrorists; I'm calling their actions 'terroristic'". And yet, as Sen. Dahm points out below, everything that he and Deevers did was above board and by the Senate Rules.

Congressman Brecheen announces 14 town halls, April 2nd-4th


Congressman Josh Brecheen Announces April In-Person Town Halls

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Josh Brecheen announced the following in-person town halls for the month of April. Constituents are invited to attend and share their thoughts and ask questions on policy issues impacting Washington, D.C. and Oklahoma.
 
Congressman Brecheen held 18 in-person town halls in February. For a recap of those town halls, please click here

Friday, March 15, 2024

Clock wars: State Senate passes bill to adopt permanent Daylight Saving Time

While a lot of people like the "fall back" clock switch, practically nobody appreciates "spring forward". There's a push in the state legislature, and across the country, to pick one and stick with it. So... Standard Time, or Daylight Saving Time? You have both camps in the Oklahoma Legislature. Earlier this week I ran a column from one House member who wants to switch to permanent Standard Time. The State Senate, however, once again has voted to adopt permanent Daylight Saving Time. Confused? Yeah. We all are.


Senate approves bill to adopt permanent Daylight Saving Time

OKLAHOMA CITY (March 12th) – Senate Bill 1200 received approval from the full Senate Monday and provides that Oklahoma remain on Daylight Saving Time year-round should Congress pass legislation allowing states to choose whether or not to take part in the bi-annual time change. The bill’s author, Sen. Blake “Cowboy” Stephens, R-Tahlequah, has long advocated for locking the clock, citing the health and safety benefits of having an extra hour of light in the evenings.

Drummond urges FTC to strengthen online privacy, safety protections for youth

Drummond urges FTC to strengthen online privacy, safety protections for youth

OKLAHOMA CITY (March 12, 2024) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond and a coalition of 39 other attorneys general are urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to update and strengthen the rules technology companies must follow under the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Drummond said the update is necessary because the rules governing online privacy protections for children under the age of 13 have not been revised in more than a decade. At the same time, the digital world has evolved rapidly — with smartphones, social networks and connected devices now a big part of daily life.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

House passes three income tax cut bills by Speaker McCall

The State Senate's GOP leadership is adamantly opposed to cutting the income tax this year, but House Speaker McCall is just as determined to put the ball in their court, with the House sending the following income tax cut bills to the Senate this week:


Speaker McCall Tax Bills Pass House

OKLAHOMA CITY (March 13th) – Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, this week gained House passage of multiple bills he authored regarding Oklahoma's tax structure and policy. The bills were in addition to tax policy legislation passed by the House earlier this session.

"I made a promise to Oklahomans when the grocery tax passed earlier this session that the House was not done delivering tax relief to our citizens," McCall said. "This week, the House kept that promise. State savings are at record levels, our economic outlook as a state continues to rise and now is the time to allow Oklahomans to keep more of their hard-earned money. The House believes that principle, and that is reflected by the overwhelming number of votes these bills received."

State Senate votes to raise age of consent from 16 to 18


Senate votes to raise age of consent

OKLAHOMA CITY (March 12th) – Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, received overwhelming approval for his legislation to raise the age of consent from 16 to 18. Senate Bill 615 aims to protect minors from predation by giving them two additional years of legal protection.

House passes social media age-limit and verification bill


Social Media Age-Limit Bill Passes House

OKLAHOMA CITY (March 14th) – Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, today passed a bill in the House that would limit social media accounts for youth.

House Bill 3914 would require social media companies to verify account holders are over the age of 18 or to confirm parental consent for those aged 16 to 18.

Former State Rep. Avery Frix announces bid for State Senate District 9

At an event in Fort Gibson this evening, former State Rep. Avery Frix (R-Muskogee) announced his candidacy for Senate District 9, currently held by retiring State Sen. Dewayne Pemberton (R-Muskogee). So far, he is the first candidate to start campaigning for this open seat.

Frix previously served in the Oklahoma State House for three terms (from 2016 to 2022), representing House District 13, before running for Congress and losing to now-Congressman Josh Brecheen in the Republican runoff election (he loaned his campaign $255,000 in that failed effort).

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Small: Child protections merit lawmakers’ support


Child protections merit lawmakers’ support
By Jonathan Small

Amid the typical debate over budget priorities and policy issues this year, Oklahoma lawmakers are also considering bills to better prevent child exposure to pornography. Those bills deserve legislators’ support.

State Sen. Jerry Alvord, R-Ardmore, and state Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, have filed legislation to give home-Internet access subscribers and cellular-data-plan subscribers the ability to block access to porn sites.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

McBride bill would honor OK National Guard with Capitol Arch


McBride Bill Would Honor OK National Guard with Capitol Arch

OKLAHOMA CITY (March 7th) - Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, on Wednesday passed a bill in the Oklahoma House of Representatives that would fund the building of an arch at the Oklahoma Capitol to serve as an honorary symbol of the services performed by the Oklahoma National Guard.

McBride said the arch was part of early drawings of architect Solomon Layton before the Capitol was built in 1917. It was originally designed to stretch across Lincoln Boulevard much like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It was one of the structures, like the dome, however, that was laid aside because of lack of funding at the time.  

House passes bill to fix teacher signing bonus issue


McBride Passes Teacher Signing Bonus Fix

OKLAHOMA CITY (March 8th) – Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, this week passed a bill in the Oklahoma House of Representatives that he said would fix the State Department of Education's flawed signing bonus for teachers returning to Oklahoma public school classrooms.

House Bill 4017 directs the Oklahoma State Board of Education to establish a $7,000 annual signing bonus program for teachers who return to teaching in state public schools beginning with the 2024-25 school year and who agree to serve for five years. The signing bonus shall be paid in five equal annual installments not to exceed $35,000 per participant.

Rep. Kevin West continues pushing switch to permanent Standard Time

Rep. Kevin West Legislation Would Address Time Change

OKLAHOMA CITY – Feeling sleep-deprived after Sunday's bi-annual time change pushed clocks forward an hour?

Don't blame Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore.

West authored House Bill 2217, which would send to a vote of the people a question on whether to adopt permanent standard time in Oklahoma. The measure was filed last year and assigned to the House Rules Committee but has not been heard. It is similar to legislation he's filed in the past.