Author: Steve Lewis

Bill would create state business court (Capitol Update)

In 2004, in response to the business establishment’s perennial call for “tort reform,” House Speaker Larry Adair and Senate President Pro Tempore Cal Hobson authored House Bill 2661 authorizing the Oklahoma Supreme Court to create a Business Court Division within… Read more [More...]

Bill would revamp Oklahoma’s economic development efforts (Capitol Update)

Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, Chair of the Senate Economic Development, Workforce and Tourism Committee, has been working more than two years to revamp Oklahoma’s economic development efforts, and the result was passage in the Senate last week of her Senate… Read more [More...]

Proposed new hurdles to state question process could be legislative overreach (Capitol Update)

The updated SB 1027 contains arduous requirements that will be a significant barrier to the people in exercising their rights to the state question process. [More...]

A look at HB 1008, a new abortion bill (Capitol Update)

House Bill 1008 by Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, would permit abortions in Oklahoma in cases where an abortion is required to save the life of the mother. The bill passed out of the House Health and Human Services Oversight Committee… Read more [More...]

Senate committee hears, rejects four controversial bills (Capitol Update)

The Senate Judiciary Committee devoted a good part of last Wednesday afternoon to hearing four, what might be called “religious right” bills, and killed all four of them. The committee meeting was unusual, to say the least. Normally, culture war… Read more [More...]

Legislature on track to approve mental health consent decree (Capitol Update)

It is gratifying to see the Legislature is set to approve the settlement negotiated by Attorney General Gentner Drummond and the plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit that complained of inadequate treatment services by the state to restore defendants to competency… Read more [More...]

A peek at the governor’s FY2026 budget proposal (Capitol Update)

The legislative session began last week with Gov. Stitt’s State of the State address and the unveiling of his executive budget. The speech didn’t seem much different than his previous efforts with the governor claiming “a mandate to support and… Read more [More...]

Mostly flat budget requests from state’s health, human services agencies (Capitol Update)

In the final week of budget hearings before the legislative session began this week, the health and human services agencies asked for basically maintenance increases for next year's budget. [More...]

Lawmakers weighing agency needs, budget cuts, and $4.6 billion in state savings (Capitol Update)

As the 2025 legislative session approaches, the appropriations and budget subcommittees continue to hear Fiscal Year 2026 budget requests from state agencies. Most of the agencies are asking for modest budget increases. Among the small but important agencies in the… Read more [More...]

Proposed legislation could help modernize state’s justice system (Capitol Update)

First Lady Sarah Stitt, who is serving as Senior Policy Advisor on the Women’s Justice Commission, joined other state leaders for the Commission’s conference in Tulsa last week. The Commission, chaired by former Obama Attorney General Loretta Lynch, is part… Read more [More...]