Author: Steve Lewis

Interim studies highlight how other states passed meaningful law enforcement reform (Capitol Update)

There have been multiple interim studies on law enforcement reform in the past few weeks. Two of the better efforts, primarily because they brought in “how to” information from other states, was a bi-partisan, bi-cameral study in the House last… Read more [More...]

An early look at the FY 2022 budget (Capitol Update)

Altogether, from this early view, the bottom line for next fiscal year seems fairly good. The Senate Appropriations Chair is hopeful for a flat state budget meaning no further cuts, but things could be better than that. [More...]

Interim study considers proposed state race and equality commission (Capitol Update)

A short interim study was held last week on Senate Bill 1286 that was introduced by Sen. George Young, D-OKC, at the beginning of last session. The bill would have created a 30-member Oklahoma Commission on Race and Equality to… Read more [More...]

Interim studies examine police reform measures (Capitol Update)

It is an open question whether any sort of law enforcement reform will make it across the finish line during the session next year. The call for reform increased exponentially after the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota and other… Read more [More...]

Education Secretary appointment may set up interesting dynamic (Capitol Update)

Gov. Kevin Stitt recently announced the appointment of Ryan Walters, a young former classroom teacher from McAlester, as his new Secretary of Education. Walters, who was McAlester Teacher of the Year in 2015 and a finalist for State Teacher of… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma’s move away from private prisons (Capitol Update)

Due to a $24.4 million budget cut for FY 2021, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC) cancelled its contract with the Cimarron Correctional Facility, a private prison in Cushing. During negotiations, ODOC offered to decrease the number of beds in… Read more [More...]

Varied backgrounds of elected officials can bring innovative solutions (Capitol Update)

The Health Services and Long-Term Care Committee of the Oklahoma House of Representatives will be holding an interim study to explore a possible job training partnership between Oklahoma CareerTech and the Department of Corrections (DOC) that would train incarcerated non-violent… Read more [More...]

Eviction crisis likely to be important issue next session (Capitol Update)

One of the important but complex issues likely to come up next session is evictions. The economic dislocation occurring because of the coronavirus pandemic has illuminated this already existing crisis facing many Oklahomans. In a ranking of the top 100… Read more [More...]

Much to consider in reform movements for criminal justice and police (Capitol Update)

There are two movements going on today that are related but not the same thing. One could generically be called police reform, and the other is criminal justice reform. Criminal justice reform is in the midst of a near decade-long… Read more [More...]

Reflecting on public service and ‘the highest calling’ (Capitol Update)

I caught several portions of the various ceremonies celebrating the life of U.S. Rep. John Lewis this past week. Rep. Lewis was first elected to Congress in 1986 then re-elected 16 times before he died. His long service in Congress,… Read more [More...]