Author: Steve Lewis

Contentious budget negotiations opened door for governor’s business court plans (Capitol Update)

During contentious budget negotiations between the House and Senate at the end of the 2024 session, Gov. Kevin Stitt seized the opportunity to make a deal with legislators not to veto the general appropriations bill — if lawmakers agreed to… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma destined to remain poor state without investments (Capitol Update)

It is almost certain those running our state are making a serious mistake with the $340 million tax cut passed by the legislature last week. The best evidence of that is the debate made by the chairman of the Senate… Read more [More...]

When the budget becomes a bargaining chip (Capitol Update)

The state budget for the next fiscal year was announced last week, setting the stage for the legislature to complete its work by the constitutionally mandated deadline: the last Friday in May. The budget process relied on an unprecedented level… Read more [More...]

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...]