Author: Steve Lewis

Proposed bill would provide overdue reform of the criminal legal process (Capitol Update)

House Bill 3777, which deals with discovery in criminal trials, is an important and long overdue reform in the criminal legal process. [More...]

Governing is finding a way to say ‘yes’ to solving problems (Capitol Update)

Legislators during appropriations hearings — or in private conversations in the hallways or in their offices — hear from state agencies anxious for funding to do their jobs and to provide services to Oklahomans. The governor’s budget would lead one to believe that Oklahoma has arrived, that we are near the top on measurements of quality of life. In fact, the opposite is true — from mental health to education to health care.  [More...]

Special session went according to script, but tax cuts still major topic during next few months (Capitol Update)

The special session last week went pretty much according to script. The House, following Speaker Charles McCall’s lead, passed the governor’s .25-percent income tax cut along strict party lines. The Senate made good on President Pro Tempore Greg Treat’s announced intention to adjourn the session with no action. Both chambers adjourned to the call of the chair so they could take up a tax bill later in either the regular session that started Monday or in the special session. [More...]

An early look at recommendations from the governor’s MODERN criminal justice task force (Capitol Update)

Gov. Stitt’s MODERN criminal justice task issued its report on February 2, and the recommendations presumably serve as a guide for criminal justice reforms the governor in the upcoming legislative session and beyond.  [More...]

Gov.’s task force is latest step away from practical solutions in Tribal/state relations (Capitol Update)

Tribal leaders took offense at both the composition of the task force and the tenor of the governor’s executive order. Only two of the 38 federally recognized Tribes were to be represented on the 13-member task force. The executive order characterized McGirt as “continuing to wreak havoc in nearly half of the State of Oklahoma and calls for “recommendations relevant to the speedy resolution of the broken system created by the McGirt decision.” Tribal leaders do not view McGirt as having “wreaked havoc” or created a “broken system.” [More...]

Big ticket tax cuts could prevent strategic investments in Oklahoma’s future (Capitol Update)

Big ticket outcomes for the upcoming legislative session have yet to come into focus. Big ticket items could include passage of one or more of the various tax cut proposals being discussed or appropriations that affect budgets across state government. [More...]

Addressing deferred maintenance on Oklahoma’s higher ed campuses (Capitol Update)

Today’s deferred maintenance for higher education facilities exists largely because, with paltry legislative appropriations to higher education in recent years, only around 4 percent of the college and university budgets have been allocated for maintenance. As recently as 2016 to 2018, for example, higher education appropriations were cut by $250 million. [More...]

Equalization board sets estimate for FY 2025 budget (Capitol Update)

The most important number is the amount certified for the general revenue fund from which most appropriations for agency operating budgets are appropriated. The board’s preliminary estimate for the general revenue fund is $8.7 billion for Fiscal Year 2025, which starts on July 1, 2024. [More...]

Rep’s. call for investigation on supervision fee shines light on appropriations, fines & fees (Capitol Update)

Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, who wears the mantle of criminal justice watchdog well, is at it again. His latest foray into reform is a letter to Attorney General Gentner Drummond asking the AG to investigate the $40 per month “supervision”… Read more [More...]

Last year’s voucher push prompts Senate to commit to budget transparency 

It’s going to be interesting to see how the new, more transparent appropriations process works in the Senate next session. Dissatisfaction with the process seemed to reach a high-water mark in the Senate last session.  [More...]