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Oklahoma News
Oklahoma House fails bill protecting disabled kids from corporal punishment: The Oklahoma House of Representatives decided not to spare the rod, not even for disabled kids, and voted down legislation Tuesday to bar schools from spanking special needs students. [Tulsa World]
- Citing scripture, lawmakers narrowly reject bill to bar physical punishments for students with disabilities [CNHI via Ada News]
- Oklahoma votes down ban of corporal punishment on disabled children [Washington Post]
Library CEO: Proposed legislation infringes on right to ‘open access and freedom of information’: If state Senate Bill 397 becomes law, minors won’t be able to access large sections of the Tulsa City-County Library system without written permission from a parent or guardian. [Tulsa World]
Will the Oklahoma Legislature make it harder for residents to propose their own laws?: The Oklahoma State House of Representatives soon could consider a bill already passed by the Senate to make it more difficult for residents to propose their own laws. With Senate approval and signature by the governor, proposals like the recent recreational marijuana initiative would be more difficult to get on the ballot. [The Oklahoman]
- From OK Policy: State questions have played a vital role in enacting needed change — we should not be creating more barriers in this process.
Contrasting the Censure of Rep. Mauree Turner With Inaction Against GOP Lawmakers: Oklahoma’s House Republicans have declined to criticize two of their fellow representatives with pending criminal charges, but were quick to pass judgment last week on a Democrat who is the nation’s first non-binary state lawmaker. [Oklahoma Watch]
State Government News
Could Oklahoma legislators have $698M more to spend after failed Volkswagen deal?: Oklahoma lawmakers could have $698 million more to spend this year after a deal to lure a Volkswagen battery manufacturing plant to the state fell through. But Gov. Kevin Stitt’s office on Tuesday said it’s too soon to talk about spending funds that were set aside as economic development incentives to lure a major manufacturer to the state. [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma lost VW, but Legislature gained $700M [The Oklahoman]
Both chambers have now passed their own education plan: Education policy is at a crossroads at the capitol. Both chambers have now passed their own education plan and sent it across the building for the other chamber to consider. Proposals include teacher pay and tax credits for parents with private or home school students. [KOCO Oklahoma City]
- Some bills from senator’s education reform package sent to Oklahoma House [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma rejects EPA plan to transfer contaminated soil from East Palestine to hazardous waste facility: According to an email obtained by The Frontier, the Environmental Protection Agency notified the governor’s office on Saturday that it planned to send 3,640 tons of waste to the Clean Harbors Lone Mountain facility near Waynoka. [Public Radio Tulsa]
‘Marriage should not penalize any taxpayer’: Tax reform bill passes Oklahoma House: On Monday afternoon, the Oklahoma House passed HB 2697 — an amendment to the state’s tax code. [KTUL]
Non-profit organizations could be exempt from sales tax, under House bill: Some non-profit organizations could be exempt from sales tax under a bill approved by the Oklahoma House of Representatives. [Lawton Constitution]
What to watch for now that Oklahomans have rejected recreational marijuana: Oklahomans voted down legalizing recreational marijuana more than a week ago, with nearly 62% of voters rejecting State Question 820. Oklahoma lawmakers and leadership have come out and said the vote is a clear sign that Oklahomans want a more dialed back medical industry. Last week, Gov. Kevin Stitt told reporters, “We don’t believe that anybody with a hangnail should be able to get a medical card.” [KOSU]
Federal Government News
Biden’s proposed budget includes tens of millions for downtown OKC federal courthouse: President Joe Biden’s proposed budget for 2024 includes tens of millions of dollars for upgrades to an Oklahoma City federal courthouse and historic post office. The Biden administration announced Tuesday that the White House budget includes funding for improvements to the William J. Holloway Jr. U.S. Courthouse and the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in Oklahoma City. [Oklahoman]
Criminal Justice News
A high-profile rape case involving the Oklahoma County jail has been dismissed: Prosecutors have dropped a highly publicized case against an inmate accused of raping another inmate while she was handcuffed to a wall at the Oklahoma County jail. A judge dismissed the case March 7 after prosecutors reported “victim unable to be located at this time.” [The Oklahoman]
Former office manager pleads guilty to bank fraud, tax evasion: A Tulsa County woman pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to charges related to the embezzlement of more than $2 million from her employer, according to a plea agreement with prosecutors. [Tulsa World]
Economy & Business News
Oklahoma banks reassure customers in wake of California, New York bank failures: Banks in Oklahoma have rushed to allay the concerns of customers amid the recent failures of financial institutions on both coasts. The biggest takeaway from the local experts: maintain perspective. [Tulsa World]
OKC, Tulsa housing markets offer opportunity for Hispanic homebuyers: Oklahoma City and Tulsa both landed in the Top 25 “opportunity markets for mortgage-ready Latinos” as determined by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals in its 2022 State of Hispanic Homeownership Report. [Oklahoman]
Federal labor violations reported at several Oklahoma Starbucks stores: In a press release, Starbucks Workers United said the National Labor Relations Board has investigated their complaints about the company’s federal labor violations at two stores in Oklahoma City, one in Nichols Hills, and one in Norman. [KGOU]
General News
In OKC and Tulsa, A Small Project to Address Panhandling is Working — Too Well: A Better Way is a program operated by the Mental Health Association Oklahoma that offers work and assistance to homeless and out-of-work residents in Oklahoma’s two biggest metros, both of which have introduced laws criminalizing panhandling. With only one van operating three days a week in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, there are more people seeking A Better Way than funding and resources can support. [Oklahoma Watch]
Oklahoma Local News
- Tulsa County launches voluntary buy-out program for flood-prone neighborhoods [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“Why don’t we follow all the other Old Testament laws? There’s about 4,000 of them, and one of them is to not allow wives to wear jewelry, or stone your child if they’re disobedient. Why don’t we do that? Because we pick and choose what we want to follow.”
-Rep. John Talley, R-Stillwater, and a minister, said he disagreed with fellow lawmakers’ religious interpretations for arguing against a proposed bill that would prevent Oklahoma schools from using corporal punishment on children with disabilities. The bill failed to get enough votes to pass on Tuesday. [Washington Post]
Number of the Day
82%
In 2022, women earned an average of 82% of what men earned, according to an analysis of median hourly earnings of both full- and part-time workers. [Pew Research Center]
Policy Note
The gender pay gap has hardly budged in 20 years. What gives?: Tuesday was Equal Pay Day: March 14th represents how far into the year women have had to work to catch up to what their male colleagues earned the previous year. In other words, women have to work nearly 15 months to earn what men make in 12 months. Studies find that women still earn about 8% less than their male colleagues for the same job. “It’s what we call the ‘unexplained pay gap.’ Or, you could just call it discrimination,” one researcher said. [NPR]
Tuesday was #EqualPayDay for women, and March is Women’s History Month
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