Today, the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted 52 to 45 to pass Senate Bill 1616, commonly known as the Budget Bill. The appropriations in the bill cover $969.3 million of the $1.3 billion budget. Because the Oklahoma Constitution requires a balanced budget, state agencies must swallow about $360 million in cuts. House Republicans spent much […]
On Wednesday, the Senate passed House Bill 2599 to address growing concerns surrounding the popular use of drones. Sen. Ron Sharp is the principal Senate author of the measure that restricts flight of unmanned aircraft over “critical infrastructure” less than 400 feet above ground level or past their fence lines. “What fences and barriers do […]
Governor Mary Fallin today thanked the Oklahoma Senate for its bipartisan and overwhelming approval of four criminal justice bills related to reforms spotlighted in her State of the State address at the start of this year’s legislative session. “Oklahoma’s drug possession sentences have filled our prisons to over capacity,” said Fallin. “These sentences, while well […]
MIDWEST CITY (March 12, 2016) — Midwest City resident Jeff Ferguson announced today that he will seek the Democratic nomination for State House District 101. The seat is being vacated by long-time State Representative Gary Banz, who is term limited. When asked why he is running, Ferguson offered many reasons. “Now more than ever, House […]
by Amy Pope Summary: Get the details on how the United States is responding to the Syrian refugee crisis. The President’s number one priority — and my focus every day — is the safety and security of the American people. At the President’s direction, bolstered by a global coalition of 65 partners, we are taking the fight to […]
Sen. Kyle D. Loveless (R-Oklahoma City) joined with the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, the Oklahoma Policy Institute, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma at the state Capitol on Thursday to release the results of a recent poll commissioned by OCPA and OKPolicy. The poll, conducted by SoonerPoll, asked participants a series of […]
Sean Reed, Midwest City native and businessman, has announced his candidacy for Ward 4 of the Midwest City Council. The graduate of Midwest City High School has lived in the city all of his life and is vice-president of Reed’s Tax Service. Reed’s father Eddie Reed served as mayor of Midwest City for 13 years […]
House Democratic Leader Scott Inman on Tuesday rebuked Oklahoma Republican Party officials who insulted Oklahomans who receive assistance with food security, comparing them to animals. “Certainly we should do all we can to reduce the number of our citizens – children, seniors, working mothers and others – who receive food stamps,” the Del City Democrat […]
Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed H.R. 208, the Superstorm Sandy Relief and Disaster Loan Program Improvement Act of 2015. The legislation included as a provision the same language as Cole’s previously introduced Tornado Family Safety Act. Currently, the Small Business Administration (SBA) provides homeowners, […]
The Research Institute for Economic Development (RIED), a non-partisan organization and producer of the annual RIED Report, a grading system of Oklahoma legislators’ votes on key economic development issues, recently announced that Senator Ron Sharp (R-Shawnee) recorded a score of 94 on the 2015 RIED Report. During the first three legislative sessions served of his […]
