23rd & Lincoln Expertise and insight to exclusive online coverage of the Oklahoma Capitol

Senate bills making the Oklahoma Human Rights Commission part of the Office of the Attorney General and doing away with common law employment-discrimination lawsuits drew passionate debate in the state House Tuesday, although both measures passed. SB 763, by Sen. ...

Tagged with: Clark Jolley Daniel Sullivan discrimination human rights commission Marie Price Mike Shelton Rebecca Hamilton Richard Morrissette SB 763 SB837

A bill that as filed merely changed the name of the Ardmore Higher Education Program emerged from the Senate Monday as a measure making the program a branch campus of Southeastern Oklahoma State University. The changes to HB1227were made in ...

Tagged with: Ardmore Higher Education Program branch campus Frank Simpson HB 1227 Josh Brecheen Marie Price Southeastern Oklahoma State University Susan Paddack

State senators gave quick passage Monday to HB 1439, which allows business owners, managers or employees to use deadly or defensive force to protect himself or herself or another person against bodily harm from someone who illegally entered a business or ...

Tagged with: business David Myers deadly force HB 1439 Marie Price Steve Vaughan

Gov. Mary Fallin signed a bill Monday that would ban protests within two hours before or after a funeral, or within 1,000 feet of where a funeral is being held. Current law bans protests within one hour before or after ...

Tagged with: funerals Marie Price Mary Fallin protest SB 406

Rural Oklahoma lawmakers will soon have to drive even farther to represent their districts, which already cover more geographical area than their urban counterparts’ districts do. “All of rural Oklahoma is going to have the big changes,” said Rep. Dale ...

Tagged with: Dale DeWitt House Marie Price population redistricting

Gov. Mary Fallin used her veto pen for the first time Friday, declining to sign a bill increasing the dollar amount of highway contracts that can be let without competitive bidding. The new governor need veto only301 additional measures by ...

Tagged with: Frank Keating HB 1812 Marie Price Mary Fallin veto

Oklahoma County Special Judge Stephen Alcorn Friday set an Aug. 8 preliminary hearing date for state Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore and former Sen. Debbe Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City, in a felony bribery case against the two. Alcorn also turned down motions ...

Tagged with: bribery Debbe Leftwich hearing job Marie Price Randy Terrill

Just because things go relatively quiet on the Fourth Floor of the State Capitol, that doesn’t necessarily mean nothing is happening—quite the opposite, in fact. There comes a time every session, usually post-major-deadlines, when the legislating process takes on a ...

Tagged with: $500 million Asian bond issues Brian Bingman budget budget gap Hispanic Kris Steele Marie Price Mary Fallin Middle Eastern military pay redistricting runoff elections standing conference committees trial de novo

Oklahoma’s multicounty grand jury will begin meeting for the first time this year on Monday, information from the office of Attorney General Scott Pruitt revealed Friday. Grand jurors will meet Monday through Wednesday of next week in the Oklahoma County ...

Tagged with: Charles Rogers Marie Price multicounty grand jury Scott Pruitt

Fearing a federal takeover of the state’s effort to establish a health insurance exchange, Gov. Mary Fallin and legislative leaders joined forces Thursday to turn back a $54 million grant to help set up a state program, opting for the ...

Tagged with: $54 million Brian Bingman health insurance exchange Kris Steele Marie Price Mary Fallin ObamaCare