It is such an honor to be with you today. I’d like to take a moment to recognize the honored guests with us:

Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell, statewide elected officials, President Pro Temp Greg Treat, Speaker Charles McCall, Speaker Pro Temp Harold Wright, members of the 57th Legislature, cabinet members, Chief Justice Noma Gurich and members of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, tribal leaders, friends, guests, my beloved First Lady – Sarah, my six children, my parents, and the most important audience – my fellow Oklahomans.

I stand before you today to offer a vision for Oklahoma’s future that gives purpose and direction for how our new administration will lead the state. My vision for Oklahoma is very clear and simple: to make Oklahoma Top Ten. My purpose is to work with you to deliver a turnaround that ensures a better future for all four million Oklahomans. I believe it is a purpose we all share in this room today.

Before we get into the details of my very first budget, I want to discuss how we position Oklahoma well for a “turnaround” by defining the term and the expectations for this vision.

Oklahoma’s “turnaround” is when our state stops moving in the direction of decline and begins moving in the direction we want to go: to be Top Ten in the nation. To get there, it will require three steps:

First – We must bring together people from across the state, with various backgrounds, skills and talents, to serve in critical leadership roles.

Second – We must set measurable goals and put metrics in place so every state employee, agency leader, member of my administration, and each of you in our Legislature can be part of one team with one vision.

Third – We must hold ourselves responsible for delivering results and reimagine the possibilities. I’ve said it before, Oklahoma’s challenges are no different than any other state – and Oklahoma’s opportunities, I believe, are the best in the nation.

Going through this process will put Oklahoma on the path to be Top Ten. And if anyone thinks that becoming Top Ten is just a campaign slogan, let me tell you, this turnaround is already under way with individuals who are delivering Top Ten outcomes in their own classrooms, communities, and industries.

Consider Donna Gradel – An environmental teacher in Broken Arrow Public Schools. Two weeks ago, she was named one of the Top Four teachers in the nation. Donna reimagined the classroom. She moved beyond the textbook by taking her classroom outside to partner with the city of Broken Arrow to clean public water and by taking the classroom to the world by developing a system to provide sustainable food sources to orphans in Kenya.

Donna, thank you for being here today.

Consider the Gathering Place – USA Today named it the number one place in America to visit in 2019. It is an example of public-private partnership. Where 55 acres stretched across the Tulsa river front, the George Kaiser Family Foundation reimagined a free park that is bringing together all ages, races, and categories of people to enjoy Tulsa.

Consider the Oklahoma Youth Expo Community. In the early 2000s, this youth livestock show was struggling to survive, but donors, Oklahoma families, and the Legislature came together, assessed their resources, and reimagined the program. Today, OYE is not just the #1 junior livestock show in America, it is the largest in the world. Today, OYE garners young participants from all 77 counties, awards hundreds of thousands of dollars in education scholarships and has shown a $22 million economic impact on Oklahoma City.

These are just a few examples of Oklahomans who brought together a team, set measurable goals, reimagined the possibilities, and executed on their vision to deliver Top Ten results.

Today, as I present my first budget, I ask you to join me in reimagining. Today, as we consider the state of our state, Oklahomans are presented with revenue growth of potentially $600 million, a 3.6 percent unemployment rate, rising wages and a spirit of optimism.

This is because of Oklahomans who are working hard, taking risks, opening new businesses, and creating jobs. The government does not create wealth, only the private sector can. In my administration, every policy decision will promote a healthy economy.

I want to also recognize President Pro Temp Greg Treat and Speaker Charles McCall who provided committed leadership over the past few years to make hard decisions to demonstrate our state’s support of core services that Oklahomans and job creators rely on. As I promised on the campaign trail, I brought them in to our process of reimagining the budget.

As I outline my administration’s priorities this year, I want to make it clear: as elected officials, we will not always agree on the specifics of every policy – and that’s ok. We are each elected for different reasons and because of specific issues.

But you will always find my office willing to work with you and to be open minded on policy differences, because what unites us in this room is that we are committed to reimagining how we can do state government better and deliver a brighter future for Oklahomans.

First, let’s reimagine state government. Our state Constitution vests supreme executive power in the Office of the Governor, but too often that executive power has been delegated by statute to boards that are not directly accountable to the citizens of Oklahoma. State government today is much larger than it was 112 years ago. As a result, accountability for those in power is spread too thin and, at times, it seems as of no one is really in charge.

The Health Department’s crisis in 2017 taught us this lesson, and the Legislature wisely restructured the agency’s board into an advisory role and gave the executive branch the authority to fire and hire a new leader. Let’s not wait for another crisis to start making this necessary reform across our largest agencies.

Oklahomans want three things: accountability, transparency, and results. I know the legislature wants it too.

Both Senate and House leadership are committed to addressing the structure of our state’s largest agencies so that government is held more accountable to the people. By granting the governor hiring authority, you will know exactly where the buck stops – at my desk.

But reform should not stop here. We will also seek to remove board members across state government when they have conflicts of interest. And we will look to sunset and consolidate boards and commissions where there is overlap and duplication. This is common sense reform.

My budget will prioritize funding to continue performance audits of the top 12 agencies. We will fund this effort by immediately recalling the $30 million that was given to the Health Department after the agency misrepresented their financial standing to the Legislature.

We will also reimagine state government so that our customers – Oklahoma taxpayers – are the primary focus. This is why I have placed a special emphasis in my administration on the digital transformation of state agencies. Today, I am calling for the Legislature to fund a $20 million grant program where agencies can apply to receive funds to bring their services into the 21stCentury and to make government more customer-centered and efficient.

Imagine digital driver licenses that are Real ID compliant. Imagine titles available electronically. Imagine one site to obtain occupational licenses and one site to pay taxes. It is time to get it done.

It is time to improve our government’s “D+” ranking in digital transparency and for the state government’s checkbook to be online, up to date, and easy to navigate. It is time for an online dashboard where you can monitor my administration’s progress on performance metrics we will set for delivering state services.

Turning our attention to education, my administration is committed to public education and understands that the large majority of our students attend public schools. Over the next few years, we will move the needle in outcomes. We will set high standards. We will enact reforms. We will invest in the classroom.

But we must first continue our investment in the teacher, because it’s not programs, curriculum, or resources that students will remember. The magic happens between the student and the teacher in the classroom.

We are confronted with a nationwide teacher shortage. This is not a problem unique to our state, but Oklahoma was among the hardest hit. With recent revenue growth, I aks the Legislature to bring our teachers to number one in our region in pay and benefits. This amounts to a $1,200 increase per teacher.

I am also calling for the Legislature to funds a bonus recruitment program, up to $5 million, to encourage certified teachers to stay in Oklahoma after graduating college, to return to the classroom after a hiatus, or to move to Oklahoma for the first time.

I applaud Representative Rhonda Baker’s collaboration to get this effort underway, and I appreciate House Minority Leader Emily Virgin and her caucus for their support of a continued pay increases for our teachers.

We must also standardize the certification test for Oklahoma’s teachers, get rid of the five-year renewal fee, and reduce unnecessary paperwork and bureaucracy on high-performing schools and instead shift resources to help schools who need it the most.

But these reforms and continued investment from the state will not be enough to make Oklahoma’s education system competitive. We must do the hard work of reimagining education.

Consider Cecilia Robinson-Woods, the Superintendent of the Millwood School District in Oklahoma City. After assessing the resources and unique challenges of her district, Cecilia reimagined ways to recruit and retain talent in her classrooms. It was important that teachers were not just skilled in their profession, but that they also were passionate leaders who could shape the culture of their schools and district. Cecilia partnered with Teach for America, utilized opportunities offered under state law, and implemented a new reading program. Today, the Millwood School District has seen dramatic, positive progress in outcomes.

Cecilia, thank you for being here today.

We must also look at ways to better stabilize the funding of public education. The fact that Texas is preparing to pass a teacher pay increase – at a cost of $3.7 billion – compels us to review and reform our state’s funding formula and to take the handcuffs off local communities wanting to compete, recruit, and retain the very best teachers. We must chart a bold course that allows for communities to do more for their students without being penalized with the loss of state support.

State government cannot fix education’s funding needs alone. We must stand arm-in-arm with communities, cities, and counties. Oklahoma is stronger when we are all working together.

The process of reforming the formula demands a reimagining of school districts so we can ensure not just equal funding per student, but also equal opportunity. This will take time to study what other states are doing, what is working, and what challenges we must address that are unique to Oklahoma. I am committed to be a continuous learner in this area and a leader in the discussion.

We must not forget that education should be first and foremost about our students, not about systems. I will sign into law any legislation that seeks to break down the silos between common education, career techs, and higher education so that we can better align the education experience for Oklahoma’s children and prepare them for tomorrow’s workforce of machinists, computer programmers, engineers, and more.

Next, let us take a moment to reimagine our state’s criminal justice system. We are number one in the nation for incarceration. To move the needle, it will require us to change the way we see the person who is in a cycle of incarceration for non-violent crimes.

Many years ago, I was introduced to Melinda who held the titles of daughter, mom, and fellow Oklahoman – but to the prison system, she was a drug offender. When I met her, she was looking for hope, for a better life for her son, and for an opportunity to change course.

Today, she has been an employee at Gateway for more than 13 years. Her entry into the workforce was key to remaining sober and to becoming a thriving individual in our society. Melinda’s story of redemption was possible because of a community of people who stepped in, walked with her, and gave her opportunity.

Melinda, you are why I believe in second chances. Thank you for being here today.

There can be more stories of redemption like hers. It is why my budget requests:

$1.5 million to Women in Recovery, a public-private partnership to help women identify the roots of their addictions and develop life skills, and $10 million to the County Community Safety Investment Fund, a criminal justice reform initiative the people of Oklahoma approved with SQ 781.

But money is not the sole action government must take. I am encouraged by legislation in the House to accomplish licensing reform for those with a felony. We must give Oklahomans re-entering society more opportunities to be gainfully employed and we must give employers more discretion on who they can hire.

We must also remember the people who work hard every day to keep our correctional facilities clean, safe, and operating. They are on the front lines of delivering core government services, and as revenue continues to improve, I urge us to consider ways we can better improve their work conditions and compensation.

In my budget, we will also use revenue growth to address two critical healthcare programs in Oklahoma: The Graduate Medical Expense Program to train doctors, a cost of $62 million, and the Children Health Insurance Program, a cost of $14.8 million.

These programs remind us why we must be judicious and thoughtful about seeking federal funds. In Fiscal Year 2020, these two programs alone will cost the State of Oklahoma $77 million that the federal government once paid – a 6.8 percent increase to the healthcare authority’s budget. When Washington, D.C. wants to end a program, we are left holding the bag and covering the cost.

While Medicaid expansion currently stops at a 90 percent federal match, we cannot assume that it will remain this high forever. The estimated $150 million price tag today for Oklahoma to expand Medicaid could leave us down the road fronting more than $1 billion when the federal government pulls back on its commitment. They’ve done it before and they will do it again.

Medicaid is the fastest growing expense in our state budget, and before we commit our state to accepting even more Medicaid dollars, Oklahomans deserve accountability and transparency with our state’s management of the Healthcare Authority.

Oklahoma is the only state in the nation where the governor does not have the authority to provide oversight of this agency. We are sticking out like a sore thumb, and this must change.

Healthcare is also preventative, promoting wellness through education, personal responsibility, and raising awareness. Today, I am announcing my partnership with the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon to hold a Governor’s Relay Challenge, and I invite you to join me! I’ll be forming my own team to compete in the relay, and the team that wins will join me for lunch at the Governor’s Mansion later this year.

Let’s now move to the economy. In order to make our efforts in state government sustainable, we must first grow Oklahoma. We need more taxpayers, not more taxes.

We will reimagine our economy by diversifying our marketplace, strengthening our workforce, and encouraging Oklahomans to start new businesses. Our rules must be clear, our regulations must make sense, and our tax code must remain competitive with our neighbors.

At the Department of Commerce, I have hired the very best talent in the state to lead this critical agency, and they have set measurable goals and are running hard to tell the world Oklahoma is open for business.

To best equip the agency’s mission, I ask the Legislature to support additional funds for the governor’s Quick Action Closing Fund. Since its inception, the state has granted $11 million in total awards which attracted high paying jobs with the Macy’s large distribution center in Owasso, with Boeing’s relocation of the Aircraft Modernization and Sustainment business unit, and with the Commercial Metals Company in Durant and many more.

Today, the balance of Oklahoma’s Quick Action Closing Fund is $4.3 million. By comparison, the latest legislative report for the Texas Enterprise Fund indicates the state has awarded $609 million from its Quick Action Closing Fund, resulting in 94,347 jobs. In Arkansas, their fund has awarded over $120 million, resulting in 26,684 jobs.

You can help me sign on the dotted line for new opportunities to grow Oklahoma and demonstrate to the nation that Oklahoma is not afraid to compete with our neighbors and that we intend to win!

As we close our time together, let’s end by reimagining our state budget. I promised Oklahomans that we would get to the bottom of every tax dollar and I promised to be transparent and open about the budget process.

For the first time in recent history, the governor’s budget provides you with every tax dollar we could find across the 12 largest agencies, which are spending 90 percent of the state’s total budget. It is important we talk in total dollars. This was the one consistent request I heard from Oklahomans across the campaign trail.

In this budget packet I have also included agencies’ current performance goals. As we move forward together this year, my administration will be working with agencies to hire the best people, raise accountability, and deliver measurable results.

My vision for the budget is for it to become a meaningful resource each year, to establish a common language for lawmakers and tax payers and create a transparent budget process.

Now, as we dig into the numbers, instead of across the board increases in FY’20, my budget addresses more than $230 million in obligations and another $151 million in critical needs.

My budget also casts a bold goal for our state’s savings account, I have said often why I believe the state needs $2 billion in savings.

When we look at states where the economy depends on the price of oil, they place a strong emphasis on saving during the good years. One thing we know is true, oil prices are going to go up and oil prices are going to go down.

When energy prices tumble, it directly impacts the state’s Sales Tax collection, the state’s Income Tax collection, the Gross Production Tax, and various other revenue streams. We must be honest with ourselves and recognize that last year’s tax increases made us more dependent on the price of oil. We must be good fiscal stewards of this decision by creating more stability through savings.

At the end of FY’19, our Rainy-Day Fund will have approximately $874 million with no additional support from a stabilization fund often seen in oil-rich states. Meanwhile, Texas has $12.5 billion in total savings to weather another economic downturn. North Dakota’s total savings is more than $5.8 billion.

This is why I am setting a goal for Oklahoma to have $1 billion in our savings by the end of FY’20. To get there, we must set aside an additional $250 million from revenue growth.

Being conservative with our budget surplus today will protect Oklahoma from having to cut core services in the future.

As I close, let us remember, the future doesn’t just happen. We make it happen. As public servants, our responsibility and purpose are to ensure a better future for all four million Oklahomans. This will require us to be good listeners, continuous learners, committed communicators, and bold leaders – both inside the building and around the state.

Our vision is to make Oklahoma Top Ten.

Join me! As we work together, we will move our whole state forward.

God bless you and God bless the State of Oklahoma!

House Republicans Elect Leadership for 57th Legislature
Charles McCall Named Speaker-elect

OKLAHOMA CITY – The House Republican Caucus today elected its leadership for the 57th Legislature and re-affirmed state Rep. Charles A. McCall as their choice for House Speaker-elect.

Speaker-elect McCall served as Speaker during the 56th Legislature and was elected by the caucus in May as House Speaker-designate for the 57th Legislature. Today’s election gave the 37 new Republican House members an opportunity to vote on leadership.

“I am grateful that my colleagues have confidence in me to lead this chamber,” said McCall, R-Atoka, who ran unopposed for the position. “We just emerged from a challenging time with great success, and I am hopeful that better economic times are ahead. The House is the chamber closest to the people, and our lawmakers have spent the last six months on the doorsteps and in town halls hearing directly from citizens. I am confident the House has a great understanding of what issues are important to the citizens of our great state. Voters just gave our caucus the largest Republican super majority in state history. I believe this is evidence that Oklahomans continue to trust our members to lead and solve the state’s problems. The upcoming session will present its own unique challenges, but I am confident that we can all work together to move our state forward.”

The Republican caucus also elected several top leadership positions today.

In addition to electing McCall, the caucus chose state Rep. Harold Wright to serve as Speaker Pro Tempore-elect for a second term.

“It’s a great honor to be chosen by your peers to do a job, and to earn their trust and be re-elected is deeply gratifying,” said Wright, R-Weatherford. “We have a very good leadership team in our caucus, and I am really looking forward to working with our members and Speaker McCall to meet our challenges and improve this state.”

State Rep. Tammy West was elected as Caucus Chairman. Rep. West served as Caucus Vice Chair during the second half of the 56th Legislature.

“It has been a privilege to serve the caucus as vice chair during the past session, and I am honored to be elected as caucus chair,” said West, R-Bethany. “I view this position is an opportunity to serve the members and help maintain a unified, effective team that accomplishes all of our goals on behalf of our citizens.”

Other elected leadership positions include:

Vice Caucus Chairman, state Rep. Ross Ford, R-Broken Arrow, who ran unopposed.
Caucus Secretary, state Rep. Carol Bush, R-Tulsa, who ran unopposed.
During the next several weeks Speaker-elect McCall will announce additional appointed leadership positions, as well as committee structure and committee appointments.

On Thursday, November 15 at 10:00 a.m., the newly elected members of the entire House will be sworn in at the Capitol. On January 8, the full House will convene for an Organizational Day to certify newly elected members and formally elect House leadership.

-30-

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — When voters booted a dozen Oklahoma Republican legislators from office in the primary, the common thinking was that educators angry about classroom funding were behind the ousters.

But there were forces at work beyond just agitated teachers.

A top GOP House leader actively participated in a plan to take down several hardline members of his own caucus, a move that went far beyond what former President Ronald Reagan once called the 11th Commandment: never to speak ill of a fellow Republican.

Meanwhile, a dark-money federal super PAC based in Alexandria, Virginia, spent nearly $750,000 launching a parallel attack against several of the same Republicans. The Conservative Alliance PAC, which can raise and spend unlimited sums of money without disclosing its individual donors, targeted several House Republicans with mailers, radio ads and other attack ads.

“They’ve gotten rid of us troublemakers who were holding the Republican principle line,” said Rep. George Faught, a 10-year Muskogee Republican targeted with a mailer that featured him with a long Pinocchio nose.

Conservative Alliance PAC also targeted Republican state legislators in primary elections in Ohio, where the PAC is being sued for defamation for some of its attacks.

In Oklahoma, Republicans have been steamrolling Democrats in elections for a decade, racking up super majorities in both legislative chambers and laying claim to the entire congressional delegation and every statewide elected office.

As a result, much of the state’s political wrangling takes place within the GOP, evident earlier this year when hardline conservatives like Faught in the state House thwarted GOP leadership’s plan for tax hikes to help fund teacher pay increases.

With a teacher walkout looming, Republican House leaders were forced to broker a compromise with Democrats to get the necessary votes, further exacerbating the rift within the GOP. Several anti-tax conservatives even joined an effort to roll back the tax hike that ultimately fell short.

But the last straw came when some of the Republican hardliners called publicly for more conservative challengers to run for office, said Rep. Chris Kannady, a House floor leader and chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee who acknowledged helping launch the attack on his own colleagues.

“All I did was have conversations with people and set things in motion to say that, this situation has to be addressed. We cannot let members of our own caucus actively be against the rest of us because we disagree on policy decisions,” said Kannady, R-Oklahoma City.

“Sometimes you have to take leadership whenever it might be uncomfortable to do so, especially once we were provoked, and start having conversations with stakeholders in the community.”

Kannady declined to name individuals with whom he met but said there was a broad coalition interested in taking out the caucus’ more conservative members, a group that referred to itself as the “Platform Caucus.”

“You can name any sector in the community, and I can tell you every one was frustrated,” Kannady said. “That’s indicative of the amount of money that was infused into the process.”

Kannady said he acted separately from House leaders and did not discuss his plans with his fellow colleagues. He also said he did not know who was behind the Conservative Alliance PAC or who its donors were.

Campaign finance records show Kannady gave $500 to Tulsa Republican Jeff Boatman, who was running against state Rep. Scott McEachin, and $2,000 to Stan May, a Broken Arrow Republican running against Rep. Mike Ritze.

Both Ritze and McEachin were defeated, along with six other GOP incumbents who had voted against leadership’s plan to raise taxes on cigarettes, motor fuel and oil and gas production to help pay for a pay raise for teachers.

Ritze, a five-term incumbent best known for his anti-immigration rhetoric and personally financing a Ten Commandments monument at the Capitol, was among those targeted by Conservative Alliance PAC.

In one of the mailers, state Rep. Josh West, an Army combat veteran, accused Ritze, a fellow GOP colleague, of wearing military medals he did not earn.

West, a Grove Republican, said he was approached by someone working with the PAC and agreed to let them use his picture in the mailer.

“It was no secret that I was unhappy with Ritze and the way he carried himself,” West said. “I had no issue allowing them to use my picture.”

West also said he doesn’t know who is behind the Conservative Alliance PAC or how it is funded.

West and Kannady both use the same Oklahoma-based consultant, Campaign Advocacy Management Professionals, LLC, that was used by the super PAC to produce mailers and other campaign attacks on GOP incumbents.

Fount Holland, a longtime GOP political consultant in Oklahoma, acknowledged he did some work on mailers for the super PAC, but downplayed the suggestion that House leadership was behind the effort.

“The only thing I can say is that I worked against two incumbents for an organization,” Holland said, “and I was happy to do it.”

Holland’s former partner, Republican consultant Trebor Worthen whose clients include House Speaker Charles McCall, also acknowledged doing some campaign work for the super PAC against GOP incumbents. But Worthen said he didn’t know who was behind the attacks.

“Look, the way the campaign finance rules are, we may never know that,” Worthen said bluntly.

Worthen said the hardliners who were targeted in GOP primaries made a lot of enemies by opposing efforts by business and political leaders to pass the tax hike to help fund teacher raises.

“There’s widespread dissatisfaction with that element of the Legislature,” Worthen said. “My guess is it was a whole bunch of people from the more mainstream, pro-business type of element that said: ‘We need to get together and get rid of some of these people.’”

The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Friday threw out a petition seeking to repeal recent tax increases, ruling that it was misleading and fatally flawed.

Oklahoma Taxpayers Unite!, which has been circulating petitions to force a statewide vote on the tax hikes, now has less than than a month to file a new petition and gather more than 41,000 signatures. The deadline is July 18.

In their decision, justices said nothing prevents the group “from filing a new referendum petition, without the deficiencies identified today, and restarting the process of referendum.”

The Supreme Court – siding with groups that included the Oklahoma Education Association and the Oklahoma State School Boards Association – ruled that the petition being circulated was misleading and incomplete.

Read the complete story on NewsOK.com

NEWCASTLE, Okla. (AP) — Sherrie Conley is like most people in small-town Oklahoma: solidly conservative. When she goes to the polls, she faithfully votes Republican.

But in Tuesday’s primary election here, the elementary school principal won’t be voting for the two-term GOP state House member from her district. That’s because she’s trying to get him out of office.

Conley is part of a wave of about 100 educators, including dozens of Republicans, who are running for office in the aftermath of a teacher walkout that shut down public schools for two weeks this spring and opened an unusually bitter chasm in the state’s ruling party.

Read the complete story from the AP. 

Reps. Sean Roberts, Teague Request Study on Legislation to Provide Accountability and Funding for State Agencies

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Reps. Sean Roberts and Tess Teague have requested a study to review the six pieces of legislation they filed during the 56th Legislature’s second extraordinary session.

Lawmakers can request studies on various topics to take place in the interim period between sessions. These studies give legislators an opportunity to dive deeper into issues without the distraction of a normal session.

“My constituents have been clear,” said Roberts, R-Hominy. “They aren’t happy with the way money is being wasted in state government, and they are tired of their tax dollars being lost to greed, incompetence and negligence. We owe it to our citizens to look at ways that we can save taxpayers money and still provide for our state’s core services. I believe these six pieces of legislation are a step in the right direction. I hope this study is approved and all my colleagues attend.”

The six bills were filed as part of the 2017 second special legislative session.

“New taxes aren’t the answer to a problem that stems from a lack of accountability and oversight,” said Teague, R-Choctaw. “It’s time for the Legislature to stop playing games with other people’s money and start passing legislation that addresses the problems our state agencies face.”

The proposed legislation includes:

• House Bill 1043XX, which enforces a performance audit of the State Department of Education. This would be performed by the state auditor.
• House Bill 1044XX, which requires the Commissioners of the Land Office (CLO) to provide every teacher with a $500 annual stipend for classroom supplies.
• House Bill 1045XX, which caps superintendent salaries to that of the governor’s. The governor’s salary is currently $147,000 per year. This legislation mimics federal law.
• House Bill 1046XX, which consolidates superintendents across Oklahoma’s more than 500 school districts. This would only affect counties with populations less than 400,000.
• House Bill 1047XX, which requires the state superintendent to submit to the Legislature and the governor a rolling five-year plan to meet existing and future public education needs for funding and policy reform.
• House Bill 1048XX, which reallocates $15 million of lottery funding for textbooks and curriculum technology.

“These measures are responsible reforms that add accountability to government and offer ways to provide funding for government services without raising taxes on Oklahomans,” said Roberts. “Finding solutions that don’t end with the government taking more money from citizens is why lawmakers are elected. I hope this study will help other lawmakers realize that there are other options to fund government – options that the people of Oklahoma demand.”

-30-

WHENEVER government corruption and mismanagement occur, it’s asked why such abuses have been tolerated. Yet those outcomes may be a direct result of government structure, as a new report makes clear.

“Baked-In Corruption: The Need to Reform Boards and Commissions,” by the conservative 1889 Institute, points out the institutional structure of Oklahoma state boards and commissions often gives special interests outsized representation, fueling conflicts of interest, self-dealing, and groupthink.

“We’ve essentially given licensing boards, health boards, and educational boards a license to self-deal,” said the study’s author, Byron Schlomach, economist and director of the Oklahoma City-based institute.

The report notes “every licensing agency is headed by a board comprised mostly of individuals licensed to practice the profession they regulate. Virtually every decision they make impacts their own professional practice directly or indirectly and is almost bound to have financial implications for each of the board members.”

Read the complete story on NewsOK.com

ONE service provided by Oklahoma’s multi-county grand jury and state auditor’s review of the Health Department’s finances is that it undermined a talking point too often blindly accepted as fact: That most, if not all, state agencies have been “cut to the bone.” The investigative audit report on the Health Department shows how that claim can rely on rhetorical sleight-of-hand.

The audit reveals, “Although the agency claimed that the current financial ‘crisis’ is due in part to decreasing revenues, that claim does not reflect the full picture.”

Auditors determined the money directly appropriated to the Health Department by the Legislature had been cut by $7 million between the 2011 and 2017 budget years, but those cuts were more than offset by $20 million in increased non-appropriated revenue during that same period.

“In summary, total agency revenues increased by $13 million and total overall expenditures increased by $15 million,” the audit revealed.

Read the complete story on NewsOK.com

The referendum petition being circulated to repeal taxes passed by the Legislature is valid, and a protest filed by the Association of Professional Oklahoma Educators should be rejected, the Oklahoma attorney general’s office argued Friday to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

In written arguments, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter’s office said the state Constitution has always afforded broad protection to the right of citizens to seek a referendum on legislation. That right was strengthened when voters approved State Question 640 and barred the Legislature from attaching an emergency enactment clause to bills that raise taxes.

The state Supreme Court should “zealously guard the right of referendum” and deny the protest filed by the Association of Professional Oklahoma Educators, Hunter’s office argued.

The high court asked the attorney general’s office for its opinion on the protest filed by the Association of Professional Oklahoma Educators and on a separate protest filed by the Oklahoma Education Association and other education groups.

Read the complete story on NewsOK.com

Oklahoma faith leaders praise House approval of adoption protection

Oklahoma City–Oklahoma’s Catholic bishops welcomed the State Legislature’s approval Thursday of Senate Bill 1140 that will allow faith-based adoption services to reduce the number of children waiting to be matched with loving families.

“We are thankful for the leadership of Sen. Treat and Rep. Dunlap, and for the courage and steadfastness of state senators and representatives who understand the facts of this legislation and the importance of not only protecting faith-based services, but of the dire need to find more families for the more than 9,000 children waiting in Oklahoma foster care. We also seek guarantees for authentic religious freedom in Oklahoma so that faith-based organizations may remain on the leading edge of providing hope and good homes for children in need.”

SB 1140, authored by Sen. Greg Treat, mirrors similar laws recently passed in Virginia, Michigan, South Dakota, Texas and elsewhere. In states like Massachusetts, Illinois, California and the District of Columbia, faith-based agencies have been forced to close after new regulations were promulgated that would have mandated changes to their adoption criteria in violation of their religious principles.

Contrary to opposing rhetoric, the bill does not change current practice for foster placement by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, nor does it “ban” foster placement or adoption by any class of families, including same-sex couples.

This past year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled adoption agencies that receive state funds or other support cannot be denied the right to exercise their religious mission. Sen. Treat’s bill will enshrine that decision in Oklahoma statute.

The bill has been passed by the Senate and the House. It now goes to the governor.

Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley
Archbishop, Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City

Most Rev. David Konderla
Bishop, Diocese of Tulsa
###

 Governor’s veto of improved reading law creates confusion, instability, Hofmeister warns

OKLAHOMA CITY (May 4, 2018) – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister made the following remarks about Gov. Fallin’s veto of Senate Bill 1190. The measure, which passed 88-1 in the state House and 42-0 in the state Senate, was necessary to adjust cut scores of the Reading Sufficiency Act (RSA) to align with Oklahoma’s adoption of more comprehensive academic standards and assessments.

“It is deeply troubling that the governor would veto a bill that ensured the validity of the Reading Sufficiency Act. Her veto of SB 1190 threatens to severely undermine high standards and create confusion at a time when educators desperately need stability,” she said. “I am particularly alarmed because these were changes recommended by the Oklahoma Technical Advisory Committee of assessment experts, as well as a committee of Oklahoma veteran educators with direct involvement in the process. The recommendation was then unanimously adopted by the Commission on Educational Quality and Accountability, which was chaired by Gov. Fallin’s then-Secretary of Education and included her appointed commissioners.

“Gov. Fallin has been wrong on education policy before, and her veto of this legislation is wrong as well. The RSA has made a positive impact on reading instruction, but its credibility is seriously jeopardized by the governor’s misguided veto.”

###

The chairman of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission is accusing legislators of retaliating against the watchdog agency by illegally cutting its budget.

“I am appalled,” the chairman, John C. Hawkins, wrote in an email sent Sunday to state senators and House members. “The retaliation on a state agency by cutting their budget for doing their job is unconscionable.”

The Ethics Commission may sue.

Hawkins complained in his email that legislators took the action because of new restrictions imposed on gift getting and on becoming a lobbyist after leaving office.

Read the complete story on NewsOK.com

Governor Mary Fallin Signs Budget Bill

OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin today signed the Fiscal Year 2019 budget bill (Senate Bill 1600) into law, which includes historic teacher pay raises and increases for public schools as well as criminal justice reform measures that she recently signed into law. The $7.6 billion budget puts significantly more money toward education, mental health services, and public safety.

“The budget includes many of the priorities I have called for in my annual State of the State address to lawmakers the past three years. Core services of state government are prioritized throughout the budget. It provides for a teacher pay raise and additional funding for public schools as well as increased funding for mental health and corrections to implement criminal justice reform measures. The legislation also includes additional revenue growth to put Oklahoma on a stable foundation, and reduces reliance on one-time funds.

“The budget includes a 19.8 percent increase for common education, the largest appropriation for public schools in state history. The appropriation includes $353 million to fund teacher pay raises that average $6,100 per teacher, which move Oklahoma teacher from last in the seven-state region to second for average annual pay, and from 49th in the nation to 29th. When taking into account the cost of living, Oklahoma teachers will be the 12th-highest-paid in the country. It also has $52 million for support personnel pay raises, $24 million for flex health benefits; $33 million for textbooks, and $17 in new funding for the school funding formula.

“This budget includes $11 million for multiple criminal justice reform measures, such as:

• $5 million to the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services – $4 million to fund risk/needs assessments, and $1 million to drug and mental health treatment courts.
• $4.8 million to the Department of Corrections to fund a new system that will allow the agency to track and monitor offenders on probation in one system, and will allow for shared data regarding offenders to be shared in one database statewide.
• $500,000 for the Pay for Success program, which reduces the number of women sent to prison and the resulting impact incarceration has on their children.

“The budget also includes about $23 million for the Department of Human Services to help Oklahoma’s most vulnerable citizens. This will fully fund the Pinnacle Plan, which calls for improving services to our children in state custody, and restoring provider rates that had been cut, as well as addressing those on the Developmental Disabilities Service Division waiting list.

“For the first time in years, no agency is receiving a cut. This budget provides a long-term solution to the re-occurring budget deficits and helps reduce the reliance on one-time funds. The people of Oklahoma expect excellence and demand we solve our state’s problems. This budget provides an opportunity to bring forth an enduring reality for a promising future.” – Governor Mary Fallin

###

Senate approves criminal justice reforms
Treat, Shaw bills will keep communities safe, while slowing incarceration rates

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday approved a slate of criminal justice reform bills that will slow the state’s skyrocketing incarceration rates while still keeping communities safe.

The measures were sponsored by Majority Floor Leader Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, and Sen. Wayne Shaw, R-Grove, the Senate’s two primary advocates for criminal justice reform. The measures are a part of the criminal justice reform bills that, after being sidetracked in 2017, are finally on a clear path to becoming law.

“Oklahoma’s prison population is currently at 113 percent capacity and is projected to grow 25 percent by 2026. That is an unsustainable course. These reforms will slow that growth and even reduce Oklahoma’s overall prison population long-term,” Treat said. “Slowing the growth of the prison population will save the state hundreds of millions of dollars, allowing us to reinvest that money into education, health care, mental health services and other programs that will have a multiplying effect in further lowering incarceration rates.”

“These reforms are about more than saving money or reducing prison populations. This is a balanced approach to keep our communities safe while keeping more families together. We spend too much time and money locking up nonviolent offenders rather than investing in the treatment and rehabilitation. These reforms will keep more families together by ensuring nonviolent offenders get treatment and remain as taxpaying citizens,” Treat said.

The measures include:

• SB 650 (expungement bill), Shaw: authorizes offenders of no more than one nonviolent felony to apply for expungement if they have no new convictions or pending charges within the last seven years.
• SB 786 (burglary sentences), Shaw:  eliminates the mandatory minimum and allows a judge to sentence up to the current maximum sentence of seven years in prison for burglary in the second degree. Creates a new felony offense, burglary in the third degree (defined as breaking into a vehicle), punishable by up to five years in prison.
• SB 649 (habitual offender), Treat: reduces enhanced sentences for certain repeat nonviolent felonies.
• SB 689 (sentencing reform), Treat: creates risk and needs assessment as a tool for sentencing; requires intervention programming on certain domestic violence convictions; failure of offender to pay fines and costs may not serve as a basis for revocation, other than restitution and willful nonpayment.
• SB 793 (commercial drug sentences), Treat: changes the penalties for commercial drug offenses, and distinguishes conduct by possession with intent to distribute, distribution, and manufacturing.

“The costs of warehousing nonviolent offenders and those with substance abuse or mental health issues is enormous for Oklahoma. These bills are designed to avert our prison growth by nearly 70 percent and help us avoid spending millions of dollars to build more prisons. These reforms also will help us ensure nonviolent offenders who need treatment get it and get a second chance,” Shaw said.

The measures now go to the House for final consideration.

###

As mentioned in my previous post, a record 794 candidates filed for office last week. In this post, I went through some statistics on the filings, but here I’ll break it down further and give some more details on races.

U.S. HOUSE RACES

1st District: 10 candidates filed to replace outgoing Congressman Jim Bridenstine. The five Democrats are seemingly led by attorney Tim Gilpin (who leads the field with $13k raised). The Republican side has the strong lead, with businessman Kevin Hern as the frontrunner ($1.1M raised), followed by former Air Force captain Andy Coleman ($230k raised), former DA Tim Harris ($250k raised), State Sen. Nathan Dahm (CPI of , $95k raised), and pastor Danny Stockstill ($25k raised). Hern has the big money advantage, but Harris may have better name recognition due to his tenure as District Attorney and Coleman has been endorsed by former presidential candidate Rick Santorum (who won the 1st District in 2012) and five Freedom Caucus congressmen.

2nd District: incumbent Republican Markwayne Mullin should be facing his toughest reelection yet, as he is breaking his oft-repeated term limits pledgeand seeking a fourth term in office. Mullin has the money lead as expected (60% from mostly out-of-state PACs), with just under $1M raised and $540k on hand. The three Republicans are former Army captain and 2016 GOP challenger Jarrin Jackson ($140k raised), 2016 Independent candidate John McCarthy ($115k raised), and economics professor Brian Jackson ($25k raised; no relation to Jarrin). Four Democrats also filed — Tahlequah mayor Jason Nichols ($33k raised), former Army colonel and schoolteacher Clay Padgett ($31k raised), Creek Nation official Elijah McIntosh, and perennial candidate Virginia Blue Jeans Jenner. Libertarian Richard Castaldo and Independent John Foreman also filed.

Read the complete analysis on muskogeepolitico.com

More: https://okhouse.gov/Media/News_Story.aspx?NewsID=5350

Candidate filing begins April 11

Large crowds expected if teacher demonstrations continue at State Capitol, candidates should be prepared and give themselves extra time

(Oklahoma City) – The 2018 candidate filing period for state, federal and nonpartisan judicial offices is scheduled for April 11-13 at the State Capitol in Oklahoma City, State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax said Monday.

Filing will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday in the West Hallway on the Ground Floor of the State Capitol just inside the west entrance. Races on the ballot include all five of Oklahoma’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, statewide offices including Governor, dozens of state legislative races and judicial offices.

Large crowds are expected at the State Capitol during the week if teachers continue their demonstrations in and around the building. Although there will be limited parking available for candidates in the west parking lot, parking cannot be guaranteed. Candidates should consider arranging for someone to drop them off near the building and allow extra time to arrive. Space in the filing area will also be limited, and those accompanying candidates will be required to enter the building via regular public entrances.

Candidates will be allowed to enter at the State Capitol’s west entrance and should follow signs to gain entry. Ziriax strongly encouraged candidates to review the candidate filing checklist provided with the candidate filing packet online at http://elections.ok.gov.

“Candidates must be in line by 5 p.m. to submit their paperwork that day,” Ziriax said. “We cannot accept incomplete paperwork, so it is critical that candidates review that checklist to make sure they have everything they need when they arrive.”

County voters will elect assessors, treasurers and district 1 and 3 commissioners in 2018. Candidates for those offices will file at their respective county election boards.

–30–

For the first time since Oklahoma’s political leaders began pushing for more revenue last year, the House of Representatives mustered enough votes to raise several taxes, including raising the rate charged on the production of oil and gas to 5 percent.

The bill’s revenue of an estimated $447 million would pay for a salary hike for teachers, school support personnel and state employees. Thousands of Oklahoma teachers are planning to walk out of the classroom next week if their demands for higher pay and more education funding aren’t met.

Despite an average pay raise of more than $6,000 that was also approved Monday, the Oklahoma Education Association said the teacher strike would go as planned.

“April 2 is still on. Our ask is still our ask,” the group tweeted Monday. “The House is considering a number of bills tonight that could be a step in the right direction. We’re still asking for a complete package, including funding for years 2 and 3.”

Read the complete story on NewsOK.com

An education professional organization is pushing for an overhaul of the state’s teacher salary schedule that it believes will make Oklahoma the highest-paying state in the region.

“We have actually been working on this plan for about a year,” said Ginger Tinney, executive director of the Professional Oklahoma Educators, a non-profit professional organization that represents teachers and school staff.

The plan would drastically change the state’s teacher salary schedule for all years of service, including an increase of more than $5,000 for first-year teachers to $37,000 within six years.

Teachers in their 25th year would be paid $60,000, well above the current state minimum of $42,325.

The Professional Oklahoma Educators, which represents about 11,000 educators, began reaching out to lawmakers over the past few weeks and found a supporter in House Speaker Charles McCall, who endorsed the plan during a news conference Thursday.

Read the complete story on NewsOK.com