How to Track Legislation
Today is a big day for the 58th Oklahoma legislature - it’s the annual Bill Filing Deadline, which means that all bills must be pre-filed by 4:30pm to be considered this year. Just over 1,700 bills and joint resolutions have been filed thus far, and it’s reasonable to expect another 500 to 1,000 more will be filed today. Now, just because a bill is filed doesn’t mean we know what it will actually do, much less whether or not the bill will even get heard in committee. Let’s break down the legislative process, clarify few key terms, and show you how to keep track of legislation as it moves through the Capitol.
THE PROCESS
Once filed, nearly all bills follow the same path to becoming a law: pass out of committee, pass the floor in the chamber of origin, pass committee in the opposite chamber, pass the floor of the opposite chamber, and be signed into law by the Governor. (There are a lot of caveats in that process; we’ll have a longer post outlining the full process soon - stay tuned!)
BILLS vs JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Typically the term “bills” refers to pieces of legislation that are statutory changes - that is, they pertain to the the Oklahoma Statutory Code (i.e. the “regular” state laws). These differ from “joint resolutions,” which are pieces of legislation that will amend the Oklahoma Constitution and therefore are placed on an upcoming ballot for a vote of the people. Bills and joint resolutions are numbered sequentially and identified by the chamber in which they originated (e.g. HB = House Bill, HJR = House Joint Resolution, etc.)
SHELL BILLS
Legislation that has been filed with a title but without any substantial language in the body are called “shell bills.” And there are a lot of them; according to eCapitol’s Shawn Ashley, more than a third of the bills filed thus far fall into this category. Only members of the House are allowed to file shell bills, and most are filed by members of the House leadership. Some shell bills are filed because the member is still working out the final language with the intent of inserting the language later (usually before it is heard in committee). Other shell bills are filed to serve as placeholders for what will become appropriations and budget bills later in the process. That’s why many shell bills have a generic title, like this one, the “Transportation Modernization Act.”
JOINT COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS AND BUDGET (JCAB)
As the name suggests, the Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget (JCAB) is a large committee comprised of members of both the House and Senate who deal with - you guessed it - appropriations and budget bills. However, in practice JCAB ends up being the conduit for all kinds of bills near the end of session. It is the exception to all the rules. Bills that were thought to be dead earlier in session will suddenly show up on the JCAB agenda, full of new life and new language (thereby earning the macabre moniker “zombie bills”). JCAB meets with increasing frequency as the legislature nears sine die, often staying late into the evening hours. Typically this culminates in the final days of session with the budget itself, which is often presented just hours (or even minutes) before a vote is held, often with very little time questions or debate. It is the epitome of “how the sausage gets made” and arguably as gross as that phrase suggests.
TRACKING LEGISLATION
There are a number of methods for tracking legislation, both free (e.g. LENS, LegiScan) and paid (e.g. eCapitol). Many people use a combination of sources to keep tabs on bills. We made this brief video to walk you through how to (1) lookup bills on the Legislature’s website, (2) how to track bills using LENS, and (3) how to search for and track bills using LegiScan.
STAYING UP-TO-DATE
Tracking legislation on your own can be fun, helpful, and rewarding, but sometimes things don’t quite go according to plan. This is especially true near the various legislative deadlines and generally anytime there is an important or contentious bill being considered. In these situations, it’s helpful to be connected with an advocacy organization that focuses on a particular issue area. Many of those organizations have lobbyists or other “Capitol insiders” that may know the most current status of bills, which can be key.
keeping an eye on the legislature
I’ll end with an important reminder during these Covid times: it sounds like the Capitol will be operating with a reduced capacity during session this year, including the House & Senate galleries, which may make in-person advocacy more difficult. However, you can watch all committee meetings and floor proceedings on the House and Senate websites and you can always contact your elected officials by phone and email.
Remember: Decisions are made by those who show up. If you don’t show up (virtually or in person), someone else well…and you may not agree with them! Don’t let them be the only voice in your legislator’s ear. Take a few minutes to send an email and start to build a relationship with your elected officials. They’re more accessible than you think!
Virtual Civic Saturday: Perseverence
Below are the full text of the “civic scriptures” and “civic sermon” read during the event.
Civic Scripture
From the late Senator Margaret Chase Smith’s “declaration of conscience”:
Those of us who shout the loudest about Americanism in making character assassinations are all too frequently those who by our own words and acts, ignore some of the basic principles of Americansim -
The right to criticize.
The right to hold unpopular beliefs.
The right to protest.
The right of independent thought.
The exercise of these rights should not cost one single American citizen his reputation or his right to a livelihood nor should be in danger of losing his reputation or livelihood merely because he happens to know someone who holds unpopular beliefs. Who of us does not? Otherwise none of us could call our souls our won. Otherwise thought control would have set in.
The American people are sick and tired of being afraid to speak their minds lest they be politically smeared as Communists or Fascists by their opponents. Freedom of speech is not what it used to be in America. It has been so abused by some that it is not exercised by others.
From Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham City Jail”:
We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of good people. We must come to see that human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and persistent work of men willing to be coworkers with God, and without this hard work time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.
From the American author and artist, Mary Anne Radmacher:
Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying 'I will try again tomorrow.'
From the farewell address of President Dwight D. Eisenhower:
As we peer into society’s future, we - you and I, and our government - must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.
Down the long lane of history yet to be written, America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.
Civic Sermon
I started to write this civic sermon at least a dozen times over the past few weeks. Sometimes with pen and paper, sometimes on the computer, other times just speaking my thoughts aloud to myself in the car while I drove around. But every time I had the same experience - I hit a wall. I found it hard to focus on writing when there were so many other things in our world that I felt I needed to worry about.
There’s Covid, obviously, where earlier this week our state surpassed 100,000 cases and saw record-breaking numbers of people hospitalized and in the ICU due to the disease. When we crossed the 100,000 cases mark on Monday, I did some quick arithmetic and posted the result to Twitter, stating simply: 1 in 37 Oklahomans has been diagnosed with COVID-19. As of today, that tweet has been shared nearly 300 times and liked by more than 600 people. However, it did nothing to stop the six deaths that were reported that same morning, nor the other 50 deaths that have been reported in our state since then. By the time this is over, the odds are we’ll all have lost someone we know to the disease. Wondering who - and how many - can be downright crippling.
Then there’s the impending election, which is arguably of larger consequence for the future of our great nation than any other presidential election in two generations. It sure feels that way, at least. You can’t escape it. Billion-dollar campaigns are now the new normal, with ad buys designed to permeate every form of media we consume. In the face of unprecedented attacks on voting rights and our electoral process itself, we find ourselves looking for help from the companies we love to hate - Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have all reminded me to register to vote nearly every day for at least the past six weeks. Even Yelp got in on the action, interrupting me with an election reminder while I was trying to look up what time Roxy’s Ice Cream store closed one night. I wanted ice cream, and I got politics. Maybe that’s smart marketing, though - catching people in their moment of vulnerability.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the impending election are stress-inducing events for lots of reasons, and it's important to acknowledge that not only have they added stress to our lives, they have amplified other, baseline, "normal" stressors that we all experience every day. Something as simple as going to work or buying groceries now requires additional research, planning, and strategy. Getting food from a restaurant, buying toilet paper, going for a run, voting - it's all different now. We find ourselves cut off from our friends and family, restricted to open-air hangouts at the end of the driveway, nervously wondering if our children are asymptomatic carriers and fearing they'll infect their grandparents. Hugs, once relished in my family like chocolate icing on a big slice of yellow cake, have been sidelined completely.
How do we carry on when everything feels so bizarre, so distant, so uncertain?
While the circumstances have changed, the associated feelings are not new to most Oklahomans. Amongst our American brethren, we are uniquely accustomed to the sudden and complete interruption of life. Many of us know someone - or several someones - who have had their trees and lives uprooted by a tornado. I vividly remember my friend Jon tweeting that he had just watched his house in Moore get blown away on the news...on a television in the hospital, where he sat with his newborn child in the NICU. Or my friend Amy, who sat across the desk from her boss at 9:01 am on April 19, 1995; and a moment later the wall and the floor and her boss were all gone.
This year was supposed to be the 20th annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, but, like everything else, the event was forced to become "virtual." Registrants received boxes in the mail with their shirts and blankets and medals, along with instructions to run their selected race sometime in the two weeks between October 4th and tomorrow, October 18th. I don't know if you know this, but there are a lot - I mean, a LOT of marathons out there - but the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is different from all the rest. It was the first half marathon I attempted when I started running in 2014, and this year will be my sixth time. Once I actually run it, I mean. Because, as I mentioned at the beginning of my talk, I don't know about about you, but lately I'm having a hard time finding the motivation to keep going. I don't know what I'm waiting for, exactly...but I do think it seems appropriate for us to talk about perseverance today.
Regardless of how you feel about running, we can all admit that it provides a wonderful analogy for just about everything in life. And while sports drinks and fancy, stretchy clothing have renewed our interest in running for exercise and sport, running has been a part of human existence since…forever, really. Scientists believe that one of things helped humans rise to the top of the evolutionary food chain is our ability to run long distances and simply wear out our prey and other predators. People, it seems, were built to keep going.
And, perhaps that’s why running has been used as an analogue for getting through life for thousands of years. You can even find running analogies in the Bible. The Apostle Paul wrote letters to the church at Corinth and to his friend Timothy that include phrases like "running to win" and "finishing the race,” which is somewhat ironic because history records Paul as being not just blind and bald but also bowlegged, an affliction that would have made running unduly difficult for him. Perhaps that’s the reason why running analogies resonated with him so strongly. He knew, quite intimately, how hard it was to simply keep going.
I took up running when I was in my early 30s, after the birth of my first child. I was pretty clearly running from existential dread; it was my attempt to avoid or postpone or at least slow down the inevitable aging and weakening of the human body that befalls all of us. When I started running, I learned a lot about myself, about other people, and about how we all interact and flow together as one community. When you run through the streets of your town you see and feel all the cracks, all the bumps, all the glistening lawns and empty lots, the formidable mansions and the homeless shelters, the exhaust of our cars and the exhaustion of our resources, the children at the park and the dirty needles in the gutter.
Obviously, I’m not here to talk about running. I’m here to talk about stuff that’s way harder than running. Community-level change. Making a difference in the lives of our neighbors. And why it is so danged important that, even when it gets hard, you keep going.
To do that, I’m going to share with you the three most important lessons I have learned from running: It’s easy starting out, Just make it to the next block, and Never waste a downhill.
Lesson 1: It’s Easy Starting Out
This one seems obvious. All you have to do find a place to run, lean forward a little bit, put one foot in front of the other, and let gravity do the rest. It feels…natural, right? After just a few steps you begin to build up some momentum and feel the breeze in your face and, Wow! Look at you! You’re doing it! You are running!
I love the beginning of a race, especially big ones, like marathons. Thousands of people joined together with a common purpose. It’s dark, the music is thumping, the air is absolutely electric. There is a collective sense of We’re going to do this. We’re going to run and we’re going to finish, and it’s going to feel great. Look at how awesome we are.
And as you stand in that corral, you may begin to look around at the other runners, sizing them up, trying to decide which ones "look like real runners,” which ones you think you can beat, trying to make yourself feel better and justify your presence there by devaluing others. “Look at them. Psh. What do they know about running? Look at those shoes. Look at that old guy. Is that a fanny pack? Ugh." Don't give in to those thoughts. Viewing your neighbors as competitors rather than teammates is a surefire way to suck the joy out of the experience.
Because once you start running, you'll soon realize that what you thought was a solo exercise is really a group project. The more you try to look out for yourself, the more likely you will collide with someone else, particularly if they are only looking out for themselves.
Like so much of life, running a marathon is a community effort. The road is long and if we’re going to get there, we must realize that we’re all in this together and therefore we need to lookout for one another, encourage one another, and try not to get in each other’s way.
Lesson 2: Just Make It To The Next Block
Before long, you notice the crowd around you is thinning. Some people are still cruising along, but others are breaking to walk or stand and stretch and catch their breath. You begin to question yourself and what you’re doing. Doubt creeps in. "Should I walk? Why did I start down this road in the first place? Ugh, what if I can’t finish? Do I even want to finish any more? Is there a way for me to quit so that no one will notice?”
In any race, there are a million points along the way where you may feel like giving up. I get it. It’s hard, it’s uncomfortable, it feels lonely, it makes you hurt. Caring about something and sticking with it to the end requires incredible stamina and grit. While things were easy starting out when everyone was there together, now you look around and may not recognize the people around you. The rallying music has faded and the finish line feels impossibly far away. So you pull over to the side, step out of the flow, and disconnect a bit from the community around you.
It's okay to take a break if you need it; there is absolutely no shame in that. But, I have found that if you tell yourself "just make it to the next block" before you stop, often you'll end up going two or three more as well. Sometimes, just giving yourself permission to stop provides enough relief that you don't need to actually stop at all. You're doing the best you can, and you can make it to the next block.
Lesson 3: Never Waste a Downhill
Every race has hills. Some are well known and highly anticipated, like Gorilla Hill in the Oklahoma City marathon, where the local residents of a big yellow house along the route rent a 30-foot inflatable gorilla and volunteers dress up and hand out bananas to runners. Other hills are smaller, less flashy. Some are low and long, like the rolling highways of western Oklahoma. Regardless of the size of the hill, I am always thankful to reach the top. It feels like an accomplishment, something to be celebrated, and, too often, a permission slip to stop trying. After all, what goes up must come down, and what better time to walk than when gravity is pulling you along?
One of my former running buddies has a habit of shouting “Never waste a downhill” whenever we reached a peak. She recognized that our natural inclination is to put in less effort when the road gets easier. Which is silly, of course - that kind of complacency is exactly how the hare lost to the tortoise in Aesop's classic fable. When we see that things may be easier ahead, we should press on even harder. If the wind is at our back, we can accomplish more than we might otherwise. We should call to the others around us, rally them to the cause, and not let that downhill go to waste. We. must. keep. going.
One more thing
Before I bring Chris back up to take us out with a song, if you'll permit me, I'd like to add one more lesson that I learned from running. I wasn't really planning to share this, but as we've gone along today, I think it's fitting for where we're at as a country and as a community.
On April 30, 2017, I was running the Memorial Half-Marathon, per usual, and I just was not into it. I had not really trained for it, it was cold and rainy, and I was grumpy about the whole deal. I was running by myself and felt disconnected from the event and the people around me. As I came west down 23rd Street, under the highway and started up the hill toward McDonald's, I ran into my friend Adi. Adi is a gifted yoga instructor and a talented writer and, I recently learned, when she was younger, Adi was an aspiring advocate who wanted to “free the dolphins.” As luck would have it, Adi is also a runner. Not a “runner” like me - she is a legit ultramarathoner. 50 milers, 100 milers, this girl can get after it.
Anyway, there I was, wallowing in my own self-loathing about my poor performance in the race when I see Adi stopped in the middle of the road, on a hill, trying to hold still the wheelchair she was pushing while she stretched a rain fly over the little girl who sat in the chair. I helped her get situated and then we continued on along the course, laughing and talking as we jogged.
After a couple of miles, Adi paused and graciously said “Andy, you don’t have to stay with us. We’ll just slow you down.” Little did she know - they were the only things keeping me going.
I had never run with a rider before. I saw people in chairs during races, but I knew nothing about them aside from that very passive awareness. I assumed whoever was pushing them was a friend or relative, but in this case, I learned that Adi had simply volunteered, and by sheer luck of the draw she was paired up with Mariela.
From the moment I started running next to Mariela, I...disappeared from public view. There were still runners streaming past us on all sides, and literally everyone offered words of genuine encouragement - “Good job!” “You’re doing great!” “Keep it up!” - all of it directly squarely at Mariela. Who, I must admit, soaked it up with a smile from ear to ear. “Thank you!” she’d call back after each one.
We didn’t run the whole way, and when we did run, we were slow. It’s hard enough to push your own body down the street for 13 miles; an additional 70 lbs of chair and rider makes it that much more difficult. My time ended up being a full 30 minutes slower than the year prior, but I didn’t care.
When we were about a mile from the end, Adi leaned over to tell me that Mariela’s family would be waiting near the finish line with her walker, and we were going to get her out of the chair so she could walk across the finish line herself. And so, we did. This photo explains how it felt.
My entire perspective on running changed that day. I had been focused on just getting to the finish line and doing it for me. And if that’s where you’re at because that’s where you need to be, that’s perfectly fine. You gotta be present for yourself, I get that and I affirm that. You do you. But, hear me out - what if you also show up for the folks around you?
America has this weird thing about rugged individualism and bootstraps and blazing your own trail and all this. We’re like a teenager who thinks they can make it in the world on their own without any help from anyone because they have a car and a job making sandwiches at Subway. Too often we - collective we, societal we - fail to appreciate or even acknowledge the relationships and reciprocity we have with other nations, with other states, with other cities, with the people who live in the neighborhood across the highway or the house right next door.
What if we acted like we’re all running side by side? What if it wasn’t a “race,” but rather, just run with friends? What if your neighbor needed you to push them? What if you needed them to push you?
How to Vote by Mail
Just a quick reminder that any registered voter in Oklahoma can vote by mail – no excuse necessary! (Although a pandemic is certainly a worthy excuse!) All you have to do is sign up online.
We made this quick "how-to" video for requesting an absentee ballot:
And here's some Step-By-Step instructions, in case you're into that kind of thing. I was overly detailed; it's really pretty simple.
Go to the state's Online Voter Tool website.
Enter your name and date of birth, then click "Find Me."
Scroll down a bit; below the blue Voter Services heading you'll see a checkbox for "Request an Absentee Ballot." Check that, then click the blue "Begin" button at the bottom.
On the next screen you will need to enter your Driver's License number (or a state ID) and/or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you have a Voter ID PIN, you can enter that as well. (I honestly don't know what that is.)
Read the instructions, scroll to the bottom, check the two affirmation boxes, and then click the blue "Validate Me" button.
On the next screen, select the reason you are requesting an absentee ballot and check whichever box is appropriate for you. Most people will fall into the last category listed: "All other voters."
Scroll on down and decide if you'd like an absentee ballot for just one election or for all elections for the remainder of the calendar year. (You have to renew your absentee status annually.) Select which ever one you want. (I suggest "all," especially in year like this when things are so uncertain.)
Below that, you can enter your phone number and/or email address if you'd like to (and you should, because the Election Board will notify you of upcoming elections!)
And finally, if you are an Independent (or "Unaffiliated") voter, you can choose which party's primary & run-off ballots you'd like to receive. (At this time, only the Democratic Party allows Independents to vote in their primaries, so that's your only option.)
Click the blue "Continue" button.
The next page is just a confirmation of everything you've entered and a final attestation that it's all valid & correct. Look it over, check the three boxes, type your name, click Submit and you're all done!
Podcast Ep. 86 | Can we run OKDHS like a business?
Episode Description
We discuss the pros & cons of Governor Stitt replacing the veteran director of DHS with a young venture capitalist, Justin Brown. Special guest: attorney Brian Ted Jones.
News & Links
'He served humbly': Former Sen. Jonathan Nichols has died at age 53 (NonDoc)
Auditors find overpayments in Okmulgee County (The Oklahoman)
Redistricting Guru's Hard Drives Could Mean Legal, Political Woes For GOP (KGOU)
FY 2020 Budget Highlights - Oklahoma Policy Institute (Oklahoma Policy Institute)
Announcements
Podcast Ep. 85 | The Art of Activism
Episode Description
We're joined by Oklahoma state Senator Carri Hicks and local actress/producer/activist Cacky Poarch to get their perspective on the 2019 legislative session and learn about "Faces of the 47th: The Art of Activism," a documentary feature film debuting at the deadCenter Film Festival next week.
Important Links:
Podcast Ep. 83 | "I Stand With Pruitt!"
Episode Description
The #okleg reaches a budget agreement, the Governor sold his airplane, Andy's bill was vetoed, and we have not one but TWO Pruitt Watches. The end of session must be near!
News Roundup:
A target of Gov. Stitt's first executive orders, state airplane sells for $1.2 million (Tulsa World)
PruittWatch
BudgetWatch2019
Announcements/Upcoming Events
Civic Saturday - June 15th @ 10:30am at Paramount Theater on Film Row.
Podcast Ep. 82 | Mo Money, Mo Problems (w/ Jonathan Dodson)
Episode Description
As #okleg nears a budget agreement (or ARE they??), we turn to the municipal level and discuss designing safer, "complete" streets with guest Jonathan Dodson.
Articles, Links, and Show Notes
News Roundup:
As State Government Goes More Digital, Tag Agencies Endure (Oklahoma Watch)
Donations to Lawmakers Keep Flowing Even As They Vote on Bills (Oklahoma Watch)
Oklahoma conservative group challenges Medicaid expansion petition (NewsOK)
Special counsel to investigate allegations against state House member (Tulsa World)
BudgetWatch 2019
May 2: Compromise on teacher pay raise floated in #okleg (NonDoc)
May 8: Lawmakers remain divided over education budget (Journal Record)
May 8: Governor Avoids Questions On Transparency After Senate Committee Meeting (News9)
May 10: Stitt expects to announce a budget early next week (Tulsa World)
Announcements & Upcoming Events
Wed 5/15: The West Wing Weekly Watch Party - “Let Bartlet Be Bartlet.”
Panelists will be Steve Hill (Chief of Staff to the Mayor of OKC) and Donelle Harder (former deputy campaign manager and current chief spokesperson for Governor Stitt).
Podcast Ep. 81 | BudgetWatch 2019
Description
With less than a month 'til the end of session, we discuss rumors about the budget, the status of criminal justice reform, and Governor Stitt's use of the veto. We also curse more than usual. Earmuffs, kids. #SSGOTV.
Announcements
A Night to Remember! May 4 letsfixthisok.org/prom
Capitol Days: May 8th is Child Advocacy Day with OICA. Register at oica.org.
Episode Notes
Overview:
Most bills thru both House & Senate. Those with issues headed to conference committee.
Which means it’s time for...JCAB!
Budget Watch 2019:
OK House Dems release their budget proposal
How does this stack up against the Governor’s proposal from February?
Does it really matter? (Spoiler: No.)
Rumor has it that the House & Senate reportedly in agreement...which means the Governor is now the issue. (Dun dun DUUUUUN)
But also...where are we on Criminal Justice Reform?
Gov. Kevin Stitt rolls out new criminal justice reform package (Tulsa World)
New funding structure for DAs and courts
$10m to mental health
Occupational licensing
Expedited commutation for offenders convicted of drug possession crimes to other felonies that are now misdemeanors
Expedited process for expungements
HB1269: sentence modification by courts
Capitol Insider: Is Judicial Reform On Stitt's Agenda? (KGOU)
In other news...
Governor signs bill to make rib eye the ‘state steak of Oklahoma (KFOR)
Stitt vetoes bills on hunting, #oklaed, public workers
No guides on publicly managed lands
No mechanism to certify new police & fire unions
No “instructional expenditure”
No overtime for low-paid state employees
Podcast Ep. 80 | Government overreach!
Episode description
From map data to prison data, from county government feuds to former legislators back in the news, from Medicaid expansion plans to a ban on bans, we've got a little something for everyone this week!
News, Articles, & Show Notes
Stitt would absolutely oppose Medicaid expansion ballot initiative (NewsOK)
But he can’t veto it…
The people are for it
Wayne Greene does the math on...everything (Tulsa World)
Series where he goes through agencies budget proposals
Most recently on the prison system
1,079 per 100,000 vs 600 per 100,000
National average would put us at 15,327 fewer people in prison and save (conservatively) $100 million a year
Gov. Stitt signs bill to prohibit cities from banning or taxing plastic bags and other containers (Tulsa World)
“Over regulation, manufacturing jobs and consumer freedom”
Michigan must redraw congressional and legislative maps (Detroit Free Press)
Coming soon to an Oklahoma ballot near you…
Two Oklahoma County officials trade accusations (NewsOK)
What part of the county SHOULD sheriff's patrol
Lawsuit claims Oklahoma FSAA director threatened farmers (NewsOK)
When the hell did he get back in OK??
Pruitt Watch
Scott Pruitt left the EPA mired in scandal. Now he is lobbying Indiana lawmakers
Scott Pruitt hired to lobby to keep coal fired power plants open in IN
Ex-EPA chief Scott Pruitt’s lobbying bid has likely filed
It was over before it began
CD5 Race
State Sen Stephanie Bice
Terry Neese
Mick Cornett??
Bueller….Bueller??
Legislative Recap
HIV Education
HB1018
Passed
Consent as part of sex ed
Passed
Environmental self-policing (HB1003)
Passed
Optometrists?
The budget…still pending
Announcements
A Night to Remember! May 4 letsfixthisok.org/prom
Capitol Days: May 8th with OICA
Podcast Ep. 78 | Legislative Update and Texts with Mom (with Effie Craven and Jason Dunnington)
Episode Description
Special guests Effie Craven and Rep. Jason Dunnington join the show to discuss where the legislature is with various bills and what it's like to text their moms.
News Roundup
Senate confirms Patrick Wyrick to federal district court (NonDoc)
US district judge for the Western District of OK
Presidential candidate commentary
Discussions planned to reach compromise over mineral rights legislation (Journal Record)
OIPA - Yea; OEPA - Nay
Uncertainty over how state’s settlement with Purdue Pharma will impact other lawsuits (Frontier)
Are counties and municipalities out in the cold due to the state’s settlement?
We don’t know why it came to this (WaPo)
White women dying at alarming rates
It’s not just opiates
A National Atlas of Neighborhood Change (CityLab)
Just play with these maps
Legislative Recap
Criminal Justice Reform
What has been done?
What is left
SQ 780 retroactivity?
COLA
HB2304
2% instead of 4%
Education
More guns in schools?
Leftover food?
Education tax credits
Health care
Step Therapy reform: HB 2638
Medicaid expansion?
Optometrists in stores
Budget
Education budget by April 1?
Teacher pay raise?
$200m to savings or agencies?
Upcoming Events
April 23: Capitol Day
May 4: A Night to Remember: A prom for adults [Fundraiser]