Stroud pastor, businessman announces candidacy for State Senate District 28

Well Known Pastor and Business Leader Announces State Senate Campaign for District 28

STROUD, OK 03/31/2020 -- Mike Haines is pro-life, pro-second amendment, and a champion for religious freedom. He is a Republican who believes the state has a duty to limit federal control and that the best engine of our economy is the free-market.

Mike Haines, pastor of Deer Creek Baptist Church and founder of Well Checked Systems International has announced that he intends to file for Oklahoma State Senate District 28, Jason Smalley’s vacated State Senate seat.

Candidate Haines said, “I have watched as decades have passed while issues that concern District 28 continue to be overlooked. We have ongoing economic development, rural healthcare, and addiction issues. Oklahoma State District 28 deserves a strong faithful leader that will not back down until our issues are solved.”

Mike Haines grew up in small-town rural Oklahoma working hard as a young man in quarries and his family’s small ranch. He received his Masters of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and holds three patents with two more pending. An award-winning software developer for IBM, he has built his business career on solving difficult problems.

“Many in the legislature continue to ignore the issues that affect our rural communities. We have to fight them to retain control over our schools, our businesses, our farms, and our families. The oil patch is in free fall and so many of our neighbors are out of work. There is no bottom in sight and no answers coming out of Oklahoma City, even though international bad actors are in direct violation of their own agreements.”, Mike Haines said.

He continued, “I am not running for a title or a seat, I am running for us. I will stand with our folks from Wellston to Pink and from Wewoka to Kendrick. There is no unimportant area of our district and we deserve to be represented with strength and integrity.”

For more information about Mike Haines, visit: hainesforsenate.com or facebook.com/okdistrict28

OK Senate Republicans elect new caucus chair, vice chair

Senate Republicans elect new caucus chair, vice chair

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Senate Republicans have elected Senator Dave Rader caucus chair and Senator Greg McCortney caucus vice chair, the President Pro Tempore’s Office announced Wednesday.

The elections were necessary due to the resignation of Senator Jason Smalley, who previously served as caucus chair.

Rader, R-Tulsa, previously served as caucus vice chair. McCortney, R-Ada, recently was appointed chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee to fill a vacancy created by the resignation.

“Caucus chair and vice chair are important leadership roles, and I know Senator Rader and Senator McCortney will do a great job on behalf of the Senate Republican Caucus,” said Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City.

Treat announces new Senate HHS committee chair, other leadership changes

Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat announces new HHS committee chair, other leadership changes

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat on Friday announced leadership changes made necessary due to the recent resignation of a member of the Senate.

“With a new legislative session drawing upon us, I am making these changes so the Senate can seamlessly move forward with our role in the legislative process. I am very confident in the members stepping into these new leadership roles and know they will do a great job for the Senate and the people of Oklahoma,” said Treat, R-Oklahoma City.

Treat said he has named Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada, to serve as the new chair of the Senate Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee to replace Sen. Jason Smalley, who had served as chairman but has resigned from the Senate effective January 31. Treat has named Sen. Paul Rosino, R-Oklahoma City, to replace McCortney as vice chair of the HHS committee. McCortney previously served as chair of the Rules Committee but will relinquish that role to serve as the new HHS committee chair.

Treat has named Sen. Darcy Jech, R-Kingfisher, the new chair of the Senate Rules Committee. Sen. Mark Allen, R-Spiro, will remain vice chairman of the Rules Committee.

Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City, will fill the vacancy on the Senate Education Committee, Treat said.

Additionally, Treat announced the appointment of Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, as an assistant floor leader to replace Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City, who has stepped down from that leadership position. Bice will remain chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

The resignation also created a vacancy in the position of Republican Caucus chair. Treat said Republicans will hold an election in the coming days to select a new caucus chair.

Sen. Smalley, chairman who obstructed abortion abolition bill, resigns to take private-sector job

The favorite pastime of the Oklahoma Legislator in recent years continues to go on. Another month, another legislative resignation for a job outside elected office. Last month, it was Democrat State Rep. Shane Stone; this month, it's Republican Sen. Jason Smalley.

In the past three and a half years, something like a dozen legislators (only two of which were Democrats) have resigned either in disgrace or to take another job.

Hat tip to NonDoc.com for reporting the news, and uploading Smalley's resignation letter, shown below:

Smalley would have been up for reelection this year, having been elected to the State House in 2012 and then moving to the Senate by winning his seat in the 2014 election.

More from NonDoc:

Smalley said he will not be a registered lobbyist for Motorola in Oklahoma but that he will supervise the duties of a registered lobbyist. In his official resignation letter to Gov. Kevin Stitt (embedded below), Smalley said he will “be in charge of [Motorola’s] Oklahoma operations.”

Last session, Senator Smalley received national attention for refusing to give the Abolition of Abortion in Oklahoma Act a fair hearing in the Senate's Health & Human Services Committee, which he chaired. Smalley stood in the way of a measure that sought the same consistent goal that he has repeatedly espoused over the years -- the end of abortion in Oklahoma.

While some of those who advocated for the bill could have followed more advisable methods of urging him to allow the bill to be heard, the fact remains that abortions are being performed today because Senator Jason Smalley took the side of Planned Parenthood and quashed the idea of trying a new strategy to bring abortion to a swift end.

Good riddance.

UPDATE -- Sen. Smalley issued the following press release:

Sen. Jason Smalley announces resignation from District 28 seat

State Senator Jason Smalley announced Tuesday he would resign office effective January 31.

“It has been an honor to serve the people of Lincoln, Pottawatomie, and Seminole counties, and I will always treasure the trust that the citizens of Oklahoma have placed in me,” said Smalley, R-Stroud. “After serving my country in the U.S. Marines for six years and eight years in an elective office, I believe it is the right time and opportunity to enter back into the business world.

Smalley said he would be named Senior Account Manager for the Motorola Solutions Corp., in charge of its Oklahoma operation.

“Motorola Solutions provides critical-mission technologies utilized by our first-responders, ensuring public safety across Oklahoma and the country,” Smalley said. “My experience in public office and as a Marine makes it a great fit and opportunity to continue to improve the communities in Oklahoma.”

Smalley passed the most significant teacher pay raise in state history and was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from Higher Education three times, most notably for his work on reforming the Oklahoma Promise scholarship. Smalley was the first member to raise the income cap in over fifteen years. He also laid the framework to allow ridesharing networks like Uber to operate in Oklahoma.

Smalley was raised in Stroud, graduating from Stroud High School, where he earned a music scholarship to the University of Central Oklahoma. While attending college, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, where he served multiple tours. Following an honorable discharge in 2006, he received his degree in Social Science from the University of Oklahoma. He was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representative in 2012, and two years later, to the Oklahoma State Senate. Smalley currently serves as the Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee and as a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, Education, General Government, and Rules.

He and C’Anne have been married since 2003 and have three boys, Gideon, August, and Lincoln.

Smalley said he would send his resignation letter, to be effective January 31, 2020, to State Senate Pro-Tempore Greg Treat later today.

Speaker McCall appoints Rep. Baker to national education policy group

Speaker McCall Appoints Rep. Baker to Serve on National Education Policy Organization

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma House of Representatives Speaker Charles McCall has appointed House Education Committee Chair Rhonda Baker to serve on the Education Commission of the States (ECS), a national organization that develops education policy ideas and provides state-by-state research for policymakers.

“I am very honored to join the Education Commission of the States and represent Oklahoma on a national stage,” said Rep. Baker, R-Yukon. “As a long-time public-school teacher, I understand our school system, and I know the challenges that our teachers and our students are dealing with. We need solutions that make our schools safer and more effective, that improve morale of teachers and administrators and, most importantly, that improve student outcomes. The Commission has a long history of proposing workable solutions that better our schools, and I am excited to join this organization and get to work.”

Rep. Baker, who was a public school teacher for nearly 20 years and holds a master’s degree in education, has served as chair of the House Education Committee since 2017.

“The Commission needs an education policy expert who has a vested interest in improving our school system,” said Speaker McCall, R-Atoka. “No one in the House of Representatives advocates for improving Oklahoma’s school system as well as Rep. Baker. She has devoted her entire career to teaching and shaping public education policies that make our schools better and improve student outcomes. She will be a fantastic addition to the Commission, and I am very thankful for her willingness to serve.”

The ECS is part of the Compact for Education. Oklahoma is a member of the Education of the States located in Denver, Colorado. The ECS provides a forum for all branches of government in the compact states to discuss educational policies.

According to the ECS website, “each state appoints seven commissioners who help guide our work and their own state’s education agendas; territorial appointments vary. Commissioners also have the authority to approve amendments to bylaws and provide strategic information to our staff regarding state education policy issues.”

Oklahoma’s current Commissioners include: Gov. Kevin Stitt and his proxy, Secretary of State Michael Rogers, Superintendent of Education Joy Hofmeister, State Regents for Higher Education Chancellor Glen Johnson, Board of Career and Technical Education Director Marcie Mack, state Sen. Jason Smalley and state Sen. Gary Stanislawski.

Missing In Action: the Oklahoma Legislature and the fight for Life

Legislation on abortion has topped the national news this year. Blue states like New York and Vermont have swung heavily toward expanding infanticide (even to infants post-birth, as voiced by Virginia's governor), while some red states are changing tactics to more intense assaults on Roe v. Wade.

In the last two months, seven states have passed legislation that would dramatically restrict abortion. In recent weeks, movement on these pro-life bills has accelerated.

• May 15th - Alabama: near-total abortion ban signed by Governor
• May 15th - Louisiana: heartbeat bill (6-week) authored by Democrat passes House, Democrat Governor indicated he will sign if passed.
• May 15th - Missouri: heartbeat (8-week) and trigger bill passed Senate. Final House vote expected tomorrow.
• May 7th - Georgia: heartbeat (6-week) bill signed by Governor.
• April 11th - Ohio: heartbeat (6-week) bill signed by Governor.
• March 21st - Mississippi: heartbeat (6-week) bill signed by Governor.
• March 15th - Kentucky: heartbeat (6-week) bill signed by Governor.

Where is Oklahoma in this fight?

We have a Governor on the record pledging to sign any pro-life bill sent to his desk. We have a supermajority of legislators in both houses who claim to be pro-life.

And yet, where is the fruit? The pieces are present, but why haven't they been assembled?

When it comes to significantly advancing the rights of the preborn this year, the Oklahoma Legislature is MIA - Missing In Action.

Rose Day after Rose Day, Oklahoma legislators line up for a group photo, proclaiming their allegiance to the pro-life cause, and touting their dedication (and their 100% rating) to defending Life. Yet, behind the scenes, many in leadership kowtow to corporate and media interests who despise the pro-life cause and claim that such policies would bring economic disaster to Oklahoma.

Earlier this year, a bill was filed to take a lead among the states and abolish abortion in Oklahoma. Senate President Greg Treat and Senate Health Committee Chairman Jason Smalley refused to allow the measure to even get a discussion in committee. Citing quibbles with the wording, they rejected allowing the bill to go through the legislative process whereby differences in legislation are worked out.

Then, to some fanfare, Sen. Treat revealed the "new strategy", his answer to Silk's SB13 that was not going to be allowed to be heard. The new bill, an effort to appease pro-lifers upset by the shelving of SB13, was a "trigger bill", which would only go into effect if Roe v. Wade gets overturned or Congress passes a constitutional amendment returning abortion law to the states.

But wait! There's more!

When Treat's bill hit the Senate floor, he changed it again (this time without the proclamations that accompanied the initial unveiling). Now, his SB195 sends to a vote of the people a constitutional amendment to "clarif[y that] no provision of the [Oklahoma] Constitution secures or protects a right to perform or receive an abortion". Since passing the Senate, that measure has received no action in the House, no public promptings for passage by the authoring Senate President, no attention whatsoever.

This year, legislative leadership has absolutely zero priority for advancing action on behalf of the preborn. However, they did find it important enough to pass a bill designating the ribeye as the state steak. It's a sad day when a steak takes precedence over preventing the death of thousands of babies every year. 

Oklahoma had a chance to lead the nation in advocating for Life this year. Pro-life Republicans control the House of Representatives, the Senate, and a pro-life Republican sits in the office of Governor. Even after SB13 was shelved, it was still possible for another measure of import to be proposed and advanced. If it was truly a priority for legislative leadership, they could have made it happen. Instead, pro-lifers and the pro-life cause are an afterthought, only considered when an election is on the line.

While states like Alabama, Georgia, and Missouri take the forefront in the battle for the preborn, Oklahoma's place in the ranks is empty. The lack of significant action speaks to the lack of priority.

The Oklahoma Legislature is Missing In Action in the fight for Life in 2019.

SB13 should receive a fair hearing and vote in the legislative process

Senate President Greg Treat (R-OKC) and State Sen. Jason Smalley (R-Stroud)

State Senator Jason Smalley (R-Stroud) is the chairman of the Senate Health & Human Services. One of the bills assigned to his committee is Senate Bill 13, the Abolition of Abortion in Oklahoma Act, authored by State Senator Joseph Silk (R-Broken Bow). Silk has been a champion for the unborn during his tenure in office, and has consistently been one of the top three most-conservative members of the State Senate by any metric (he ranked 1st in my 2016 and 2017 Conservative Performance Indexes).

Most Republicans profess allegiance to a pro-life ethic when they campaign for office. Especially in conservative states and regions, it's incredibly difficult for a Republican to espouse support for abortion and win. Yet, more often than not, that resolve melts away as soon as they take office. The rate at which self-proclaimed pro-life Republican elected officials betray and wimp out on their supposed convictions is alarming.

Sen. Smalley, as well as Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat (R-OKC), both claim pro-life credentials. They have both campaigned as pro-life conservatives, and both have advocated for pro-life legislation in the past.

And yet, both Smalley and Treat are standing in the way of a measure that seeks the same consistent goal that they have both espoused -- the end of abortion in Oklahoma.

Smalley and Treat have both told the media that they take issue with some of the language in SB13, and won't advance the measure due to that. Treat told the Tulsa World "The language that was in the final, introduced version of Senate Bill 13 was very troubling". This is being disingenuous. There is nothing "final" about any language in a legislative measure until it is enrolled and sent to the Governor for his signature.

If Smalley and Treat have any objections to specific language SB13, they should have the honesty to bring up the measure in committee and offer amendments according to the legislative process rather than kill the bill by purposeful inaction. 

Republican candidates and elected officials have been extremely willing to string pro-life voters along for as much as they can milk out of them -- volunteer hours, campaign donations, and votes. Such one-sided commitment must be reciprocated at some point, or else the relationship will not last and those candidates and elected officials will be up a creek without a paddle. Self-proclaimed "pro-life" elected officials who refuse to actually support and advance those values should be rejected by pro-life voters.

In recent days, SB13 has been coauthored by a wide-ranging group of Republican Senators: conservative members Nathan Dahm and Mark Allen, and moderate members Paul Scott and Casey Murdock. I was at a recent meeting where another moderate Republican spoke favorably of SB13. If given a fair opportunity, SB13 would have a very real chance of passage in the Legislature.

If the Senate passed the General Appropriations bill and sent it to the House, they would be outraged if the House dismissed it out of hand and refused to hear the measure simply because they didn't agree with 100% of the written language. Senator Treat would rightly expect the measure to receive a fair hearing and vote, as well as the opportunity to submit amendments in the normal legislative process.

The dirty little secret about any legislation dealing with protecting the unborn is that secular monied interests in this state oppose it on the grounds that it "hurts economic development", gives Oklahoma "a reputation as a backwards state", and runs counter to the worldview pushed by the [East and West coast led and based] cultural and societal establishment.

To Senators Treat and Smalley, I ask -- which is more important in the sight of God: the "almighty dollar", or the life of the unborn created in the image of God?

Senate Bill 13 should receive a fair hearing and vote in the Senate's Health & Human Services Committee.

State Senators file line-item budgeting measure

Sen. Stephanie Bice; R-Oklahoma City; Sen. Roger Thompson, R-Okemah; Sen. AJ Griffin, R-Guthrie, and Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, discuss line-item budgeting bill at a press conference held Tuesday at the state Capitol.

Senators file legislation to implement line-item budgeting

Seven members of the Oklahoma State Senate have co-authored legislation aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in exactly how tax dollars are being used by the agencies receiving the vast majority of state appropriations each year. Senate Bill 875 would require the Legislature to approve line-item budgets for agencies appropriated more than $100 million in state funds.

Sen. Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, is the principal author of the legislation, co-authored by Sen. AJ Griffin, R-Guthrie; Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City; Sen. Jason Smalley, R-Stroud; Sen. Marty Quinn, R-Claremore; Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle; and Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville. Thompson, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Finance, said the legislation would give legislators and their constituents a clearer understanding of exactly how agencies are using their state appropriated resources, and an opportunity to redirect how those resources are allocated to prioritize the needs of citizens.

“The biggest responsibility the Legislature has is writing and passing the budget. One way or another, it impacts every single person in our state,” Thompson said. “By digging deeper and really examining all the programs, services and other expenses these major agencies are funding, the public is going to be more fully informed about how those dollars are being used, and lawmakers will have the ability to be better stewards of those dollars.”

Agencies that would be subject to this legislation include the Department of Education; CareerTech; Department of Transportation; the Oklahoma Health Care Authority; the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse; the Department of Human Services; and the Department of Corrections. While annual appropriations to Higher Education are more than $100 million, the state constitution restricts the Legislature from specifying how the appropriation is allocated.

“Line item budgeting is not a new concept. It was done through 2009 and then was ended in order to give agencies more flexibility in times of limited resources,” Thompson said. “But the bottom line is lawmakers are the representatives of the people—we are making decisions on their behalf and are accountable to them in ways state agencies are not. This is our responsibility, especially as we face continued budget challenges.”