Author: Steve Lewis

Interim study examines using fines and fees to fund court operations (Capitol Update)

Last week Rep. Chris Kannady, R-OKC, Chairman of the Judiciary-Civil Committee, held an interim study hosted by Rep. Danny Williams, R-Seminole, on the issue of excessive court costs, fees, and assessments in criminal cases. When a person is sentenced, in… Read more [More...]

TSET asks legislators to revisit definition of tobacco products (Capitol Update)

The Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) was created by voters in 2000 to manage and invest proceeds and earnings from the national tobacco lawsuit settlement in which former Attorney General Drew Edmondson was a leader with other AGs around… Read more [More...]

LOFT releases Early Childhood Education report (Capitol Update)

The Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) was created by the legislature in 2019 for the purpose of assisting the legislature “in performing its constitutional and statutory function of ensuring that government funds are expended in a fiscally responsible manner.”… Read more [More...]

Thoughtful legislation makes a positive difference outside the spotlight (Capitol Update)

In the August edition of the Oklahoma Economic Report, State Treasurer Randy McDaniel profiles House Bill 2178 that was passed at his request in the last session of the legislature. The bill creates a tax break allowing qualified persons with… Read more [More...]

Addressing the social, economic imbalances in Oklahoma’s rental laws (Capitol Update)

As with so many things, the COVID pandemic has shined a light on severe inequities resulting from Oklahoma’s rental laws, which consist of the Oklahoma Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (ORLTA) and Forcible Entry and Detainer actions that are tried… Read more [More...]

Will Oklahoma’s managed care proposals return? (Capitol Update)

Medicaid expansion, making low-income Oklahomans ages of 19 to 64 newly eligible for coverage, seems to be going well. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) reports that more than 158,000 Oklahomans have been approved for benefits since June 1, and… Read more [More...]

The winding path of SB 658 (Capitol Update)

It appears from a brief search of various public school websites that classes will begin anywhere from one to three weeks from now. With the spiking COVID cases and hospitalizations, I can only imagine the anxiety of school board members… Read more [More...]

Joint committee to evaluate uses for federal relief dollars (Capitol Update)

Last Wednesday the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding — co-chaired by Sen. Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, and Rep. Kevin Wallace, R-Wellston — outlined the process it will use to distribute the $1.87 billion that will be coming to Oklahoma through… Read more [More...]

Addressing ‘upstream’ issues in Oklahoma’s over-incarceration problem (Capitol Update)

Gov. Stitt’s new Secretary of Public Safety Tricia Everest attended last Monday’s Pardon and Parole Board meeting and publicly addressed its members. Her remarks were encouraging. Regarding criminal justice reform, she told the board that incarceration isn’t necessarily the best… Read more [More...]

Medicaid expansion coverage starts in Oklahoma (Capitol Update)

The citizens who organized, advocated, and voted for Medicaid expansion in Oklahoma saw a major milestone achieved on July 1 when the new law that was placed into the constitution by voters last year went into effect. Now anyone aged… Read more [More...]