Author: Steve Lewis

Building better paths: Oklahoma pilots new domestic violence reform (Capitol Update)

A lot of good things happen in state government that most of us citizens have never heard about. We tend to hear about some bill being introduced in the legislature that we think (or know) is downright stupid or the… Read more [More...]

Supreme Court, Oklahoma lawmakers weigh church-state boundaries (Capitol Update)

While the legislature was plowing its way through multiple bills toward this week’s deadline for floor passage of bills originating in the opposite chamber, issues of private religious faith in the public sector worked their way toward a conclusion. It has been a cardinal rule that public funding of private schools is prohibited by the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.  [More...]

The HB 1200 tax proposal would be a terrible legacy for this session (Capitol Update)

As legislators draft the state budget and conclude the session, they will confront the issue of what to do with Gov. Kevin Stitt’s proposal for an income tax cut and the eventual elimination of the state income tax. House Bill… Read more [More...]

Legislative committee investigating finances for state mental health agency (Capitol Update)

Legislative investigative committees in Oklahoma are rare, as they should be. The legislature has only four months to enact laws and policy for state government and to write a balanced budget for the coming year. Time spent taking testimony under… Read more [More...]

Lawmakers facing tough fiscal decisions, considering withdrawal from Rainy Day Fund (Capitol Update)

• OK Policy Advocacy Alert: Tell lawmakers to oppose tax cuts that benefit the wealthy and risk critical services With seven weeks remaining before mandatory sine die adjournment on May 30, appropriations committee members and leadership are now focusing on… Read more [More...]

Crossover week, special election results lead up to impending committee, floor deadlines (Capitol Update)

During the lull in legislative action in “crossover” week last week, a bit of politics filled the void. Crossover week is the week after floor deadlines during which House bills that remain alive officially move to the Senate, and Senate… Read more [More...]

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...]