FIRST LADY SARAH STITT ANNOUNCES DETAILS FOR UPCOMING SCISSORTAIL CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL

Tulsa, Okla. (Jan. 2, 2019) – Incoming First Lady Sarah Stitt announced today new details for the Scissortail Children’s Festival, a preinaugural celebration taking place from 10 a.m. to noon on Jan. 12 at the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks.

“The Scissortail Children’s Festival is a wonderful opportunity for families to come together and celebrate the future of our great state while also reflecting on Oklahoma’s history through educational activities and entertainment,” said Stitt. “We will be giving away 300 festival tickets to children in foster care, and all ticket sales will be donated to non-profits supporting these children and the families who open their heart and a safe home to those in need.

Tickets are $25 per family unit and must be purchased in advance at www.OklahomaTurnaround.com.

More than 300 tickets will be donated to children and families in the foster care system through James Mission and Tulsa Advocates for the Protection of Children (TAPC). All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the following Oklahoma-based non-profits: Lilyfield, Pepper’s Ranch, James Mission and TAPC.

Stitt continued, “This event holds a special place in my heart. It is a time to come together as one state to support those in need in our communities and focus on the progress we can make when we are unified under a shared vision to strengthen families and give all of Oklahoma’s children a hope and a bright future.”

The Scissortail Children’s Festival will include activities focused on educating attendees on the history of Oklahoma through craft stations, scavenger hunts, storytelling, and face painting.

Entertainment during the festival will feature the following Oklahoma-based talent:

• Tulsan Magician Steve Lancaster
• Marty Tipton, a trick roger and cowboy humorist known as the “Oklahoma Kid”
• Clark Youth Cabaret, Tulsa’s longest running youth arts program outside the public schools
• Osage Children’s Ballet
• Princesses from Miss Oklahoma and Miss Teen Oklahoma
• Discovery Lab scientists from the OKC Science Museum
• Ella Phillips, a Tulsa youth singer performing the Star Spangled Banner
• Brayden Jamison, a Tulsa youth musician performing God Bless America
• Pistol Pete mascot from Oklahoma State University and Boomer mascot from the University of Oklahoma

Scissortail Children’s Festival sponsors include Educational Development Corporation, who will be donating 800 copies of the book Wonders of the USA to attendees, Tulsa Yard Greetings, and Cookie Doodle.

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TULSA REGIONAL CHAMBER ENDORSES SQ 793 TO BRING MORE AFFORDABLE AND CONVENIENT VISION CARE TO OKLAHOMA

The Organization Representing More Than 2,500 Members In Tulsa-Area Business Community Announces Support For Allowing Vision Care In Retail Settings In Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 31, 2018) — The Tulsa Regional Chamber, which includes more than 2,500 business owners throughout northeast Oklahoma, announced today its endorsement of State Question 793, which will increase competition in the state’s vision care marketplace and allow Oklahomans to access affordable, convenient and high-quality vision care and eyewear at retail locations such as Walmart and Target.

“The Tulsa Regional Chamber’s Board of Directors supports SQ 793 because it gives Oklahomans greater access to affordable vision care,” Tulsa Regional Chamber Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Elizabeth Osburn said. “Our state’s economy depends on a healthy workforce and access to affordable, quality care has been a priority of the Chamber-led OneVoice regional legislative coalition for several years. If approved by voters, SQ 793 will modernize state policies and keep Oklahoma competitive with surrounding states.”

The Tulsa Regional Chamber is the principal business-driven leadership organization dedicated to improving the quality of community life through the development of regional economic prosperity in the greater Tulsa area.

“We are thrilled to have the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s support of SQ 793 as we approach Election Day,” Yes on 793 Chairman Tim Tippit said. “Passing SQ 793 will benefit businesses of all sizes in Tulsa and throughout Oklahoma by improving opportunities for thousands of qualified optometrists to practice in retail settings in our state and creating jobs for our local businesses. By increasing competition in our vision care marketplace, we can bring down the prices of glasses and eye exams for all Oklahoma families.”

Current optometry laws prevent Oklahomans from receiving eye exams or purchasing eyewear at retail settings in their neighborhoods — one of just three states nationwide with these types of restrictions. SQ 793 would expand access to affordable, convenient vision care by allowing optometrists to practice in retail settings such as Walmart or Target.

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About Yes on 793
Yes on 793 is a coalition of retailers, patients, health professionals and free-market advocates who believe in common sense reform to Oklahoma’s eye care laws. Patients in Oklahoma deserve greater access to vision care while opportunities increase for small businesses and communities.

Attorney General Hunter Files Response in Support of Bixby Landowners Opposing PSO Wind Catcher Route
Hunter: I support landowners’ rights to have concerns heard

OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Mike Hunter has filed a motion in support of the city of Bixby and concerned area landowners, who are opposing the newly planned route of the Wind Catcher project’s power line.

The new route was pursued after Public Service Company of Oklahoma’s (PSO) original route through Osage County was changed in January. Affected residents and city officials were notified last month of the new route by mail.

City officials and landowners are asking the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) to postpone a July 2 hearing to allow the city time for further review of the case and to provide corporation commissioners with concerns.

Attorney General Hunter said because Bixby residents weren’t notified until last month of the new route, they were effectively disallowed from participating in any previous public hearings before the commission.

“I stand in support of the rights of the affected landowners and residents to have their voices and concerns heard by the commissioners,” Attorney General Hunter said. “This is a clear burden for the Bixby community and stands to hinder economic development in our state. I want to ensure the city’s interests are properly addressed.”

“From the beginning, our position has been that Wind Catcher does not meet the requirements for preapproval and cost recovery and should be denied by the commission. We also want to ensure customers are protected if PSO moves forward, with or without commission preapproval. Not hearing from residents along the new route would be a disservice to this great community.”

In motions filed with the OCC, Bixby officials write, PSO never formally notified the OCC of its plans to change the original route of the power line from Osage County to a southern route running through the city.

Bixby officials continue, PSO never updated its application or testimony to show the differences between routes, the increased cost and never addressed how the electric line may affect the health, safety and welfare of citizens of Oklahoma who may live near the line.

Attorney General Hunter has said PSO has failed on several fronts to qualify for preapproval and cost recovery, including failure to comply with the OCC’s competitive bidding rules, the inability to show an actual need for the additional generation capacity from the project and unrealistic assumptions as the basis for PSO’s estimated ratepayer savings.

His opposition has been joined by the OCC’s administrative law judge and the public utility division.

Read Attorney General Hunter’s response in support of the city of Bixby, here: .

Read Bixby’s filings with the OCC, here: .

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Oklahoma could use more young politicians like Matt Pinnell.

Pinnell, 38, is a charismatic young leader and entrepreneur from Tulsa who is committed to public service, loves his native state and wants to make it a better place to live.

The Republican Party has two other strong candidates for lieutenant governor, which is a bit surprising since it’s a position with little responsibility outside of those assigned by the governor, rarely controversial jobs promoting tourism and executive leadership when the governor is gone.

Corporation Commissioner Dana Murphy is smart and brings diverse experience to the table. Her time in office has shown that she is able to understand complex issues and get along with challenging conditions.

State Sen. Eddie Fields beats the field in real political experience and know-how. If public policy issues of current interest — education funding and taxation — were the only factors, he would get our nod.

Read the complete story on tulsaworld.com

Senator James Lankford speaks on the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot at the John Hope Franklin Symposium https://t.co/g3TuhQUg3B

— Sen. James Lankford (@SenatorLankford) June 1, 2018

https://www.pscp.tv/SenatorLankford/1YqKDdkkNkYKV?t

As they await a decision from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, planners behind a wind power project that would be the largest in the country this week heard complaints from concerned residents but also gained statewide industry support.

Public Service Company of Oklahoma on Wednesday announced four other energy companies had signed on with settlement agreements to join Walmart and the Oklahoma Industrial Energy Consumers, which signaled their support in late April.

Wind Catcher is a $4.5 billion project that includes a 300,000-acre wind farm to be built in Cimarron and Texas counties with a 360-mile transmission line and two substations that will connect to the power grid at Tulsa. The wind farm would be the largest in the U.S. and the power line would be the largest west of the Mississippi. It would supply power to PSO customers in Oklahoma and Southwestern Electric Power Co. customers in Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana. PSO’s share of the project is $1.39 billion.

A decision on the project’s cost-recovery plan is pending before the Corporation Commission, which last held a hearing on the subject March 14.

Read the complete story on tulsaworld.com

More than an hour into discussion of Public Service Company of Oklahoma’s Wind Catcher project application today, Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett tried to summarize the question before him.

“Does this benefit PSO’s customers or does it harm PSO’s customers long term?” Hiett asked rhetorically in a Corporation Commission courtroom packed with Wind Catcher supporters and lawyers representing opponents. “Really the question is not so much, ‘What does it do for X community or what does it do for one part of the state, the question is, ‘What does it do for PSO’s customers?’”

To hear PSO attorney Jack Fite tell it, the 800 General Electric 2.5 megawatt turbines planned for the Oklahoma panhandle would be a critical “hedge” on the price of natural gas over the next 25 years for the company’s customers.

Read the complete story on nondoc.com

Friday night’s news that 1st District Congressman Jim Bridenstine was indeed being nominated to head the National Aeronautics and Space Administration did not bring his potential successors as much clarity as one might think.

The five Republicans jostling to succeed Bridenstine still do not know when, or even if, there will be a special election to replace him.

State law calls for special elections only when vacancies occur in years in which a regular election for the position in question would not otherwise be held.

In this case, Bridenstine would have to leave office before the end of 2017 for a special election to be called. Otherwise, his replacement will be chosen in the regular 2018 election cycle — which could leave the 1st District without a representative for the better part of a year.

Read the complete story on tulsaworld.com

INHOFE STATEMENT ON BRIDENSTINE FOR NASA ADMINISTRATOR

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), released a statement in support of President Trump’s announcement of his intent to nominate Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R, OK-01) to be NASA Administrator:

“I am pleased President Trump has announced his intent to name Jim Bridenstine as NASA Administrator today. As the former administrator of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium, Jim Bridenstine’s lifelong passion for space, combined with his work in Congress on modernizing our nation’s space program will serve him well at NASA. I look forward to working with my fellow Oklahoman in this new capacity.” 

Congressman Bridenstine serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. Bridenstine had a distinguished career as a pilot in the United States Navy and is currently a member of the 137th Special Operations Wing of the Oklahoma Air National Guard.

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For Immediate Release: September 1, 2017

Senator Nathan Dahm Comments on Bridenstine NASA Appointment

Broken Arrow—Senator Nathan Dahm (R-Broken Arrow) congratulated Congressman Jim Bridenstine Friday on his presidential appointment to NASA administrator. Bridenstine previously served as executive director of the Tulsa Air & Space Museum & Planetarium before being elected to Congress.

Dahm says Bridenstine’s new role at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will not only positively impact the nation, but also be beneficial to the city of Tulsa with its large aerospace industry.

“Congressman Bridenstine has served Oklahoma well the past five years,” said Dahm. “He has set the bar high for whomever follows him in the First Congressional District seat, but I know he will continue to serve this state and nation with integrity in his new position.”

Upon Bridenstine’s promotion, the First Congressional District seat becomes vacant. Dahm, a constitutional conservative, is running for Bridenstine’s seat.

For five years Dahm has served in the Oklahoma State Senate. His district encompasses Broken Arrow, Bixby, and Tulsa. During his time in the Senate, Dahm has been a champion for individual rights, including the right to life and the Second Amendment right to self-defense. He has fought for openness, transparency, and accountability in government.

If elected to serve as Oklahoma’s First District Congressman, Dahm promises to serve the people just as he has consistently done during his time in the Senate.

“I will continually fight to uphold the oath I have sworn to defend the Constitution, to protect our God-given rights, and to restore the balance of powers between the states and the federal government for limited government operating under Republican principles,” says Dahm.

To learn more about Nathan Dahm visit www.NathanDahm.com.

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A liberal billionaire who funds a group pushing for increased taxes on new oil and gas wells in Oklahoma has a history of avoiding taxes himself.

George Kaiser, a Tulsa billionaire who was one of the biggest investors in failed Obama stimulus project Solyndra, is the top donor to a left-wing think tank that is leading the current effort to raise the oil and gas production tax in Oklahoma.

Democrats in Oklahoma are targeting energy companies as a means to cover the $878 million budget shortfall. House Democrats in the state have proposed legislation to increase the oil and gas production tax on new wells to seven percent, more than double the current rate of three percent.

Environmentalists, including the Oklahoma Sierra Club, have gotten behind the call for the increased taxes. If implemented, the tax increase could cost energy companies $500 million.

Read the complete story on freebeacon.com

REP. JIM BRIDENSTINE ANNOUNCES SECURING AMERICA TOWN HALL

TULSA – Congressman Jim Bridenstine is hosting a Securing America Town Hall Tuesday evening April 11th, 6:30-8:00 PM, at the Mabee Center in Tulsa. No tickets are required. Doors open at 6:00 PM.

Congressman Bridenstine will be taking questions from constituents and discussing recent events in Washington D.C.

Congressman Jim Bridenstine represents Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, he has been an outspoken advocate for national security and national sovereignty.

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Kevin Hern Announces Run for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional Seat

Tulsa, OK – Tulsa business owner Kevin Hern announced today that he is running in the 2018 1st Congressional District election.

“For far too long, special interests have controlled Washington, D.C. with bad policy instead of putting the American people first. As a life-long business owner, I know first-hand that the federal government is destroying job creation, small business start-ups, and economic freedom. In order to solve the problems, we need a business-minded and principled person who has the proven ability and know how to take the power back from the federal government and return it to the people.”

“My life has been a prime example of how anyone can achieve the American dream. I grew up very poor; there was no indoor plumbing until I was in my teens. In addition to food stamps, I supported my family through hauling hay and construction jobs. McDonald’s offered me the opportunity. Through hard-work and determination, I went from making Egg McMuffins to owning and operating eighteen McDonald’s in Eastern Oklahoma and employing thousands of people. I have served in various regional, divisional, and national leadership positions within McDonald’s.”

“For the first time in recorded history, America has more small businesses failing than are being started, the highest unemployment numbers since 1978, a national debt crisis, and the worse financial recovery in 65 years. The biggest obstacle to economic advancement is the Federal Government.”

“I am the right person with the right experience at the right time to help jump-start economic recovery for our state and the nation.
While in Congress, I will focus on securing our border, repealing job-killing regulations and tax policies, and returning control back into the hand of the people, like their healthcare, for example, by repealing Obamacare.”

“The American Dream only works if there is a climate for economic opportunity so that Americans willing to work hard can succeed. It is a new day in America, and I am excited to be part of getting Oklahomans working again, starting small businesses, and being a state that leads the nation in productivity and success.”

As the owner of KTAK Corporation, Mr. Hern identifies companies that need strategic growth leadership and provide avenues for capital participation. Mr. Hern currently owns and operates 10 McDonald’s restaurants that employ over 450 people in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. Mr. Hern has worked in the McDonald’s system since 1987 and became a franchisee in 1997. For the past 5 years, Kevin Hern has served as the Chairman of the Systems Economic Team for over 3,000 U.S. franchisees.

For press inquiries, contact Megan Winburn by email press at hernforcongress.com

For more information please go to www.hernforcongress.com or watch the video on YouTube.

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PAID FOR BY HERN FOR CONGRESS

It’s Time to Cut Wasteful Spending, NOT Raise Taxes

Fellow Republicans,

Today, Lt. Governor Todd Lamb announced his resignation from Governor Fallin’s cabinet, making the following statement:

“Governor Fallin deserves to have someone in her cabinet who can be a strong advocate for her agenda, and that is something I am unwilling to do.  While I respect the determination with which Governor Fallin met her obligation to present a balanced budget to the legislature, I cannot support her proposed tax increases.  This proposal will adversely harm Oklahoma’s small businesses and families, especially those in our service industry.  While Governor Fallin and I have disagreed on issues from time-to-time, our differences on this important topic are so significant they preclude me from continuing to serve on her cabinet.”

As Chairman of the Republican Party of Tulsa County, I do not have the authority or the right to voice my opinions on behalf of all Tulsa Republicans. Very seldom (if ever) should an elected officer of the Republican Party make public statements criticizing our elected Republican officials, but I feel this is definitely an exception. We must stand strong on the conservative principles defined in our Platform. Governor Fallin has asked our Republican lawmakers to raise taxes on a massive scale in attempt to balance the Oklahoma budget. This plan not only defies one of the foundational pillars of Republicanism, but it also defies the basic fundamentals of economics. Oklahomans are already burdened with some of the highest taxes in our region; and yes, fees, permits, licensing, tolls, and other regulatory burdens on our businesses and families are indeed taxes.

Our Republican legislators ran for office by advocating for lower taxes and limited government, so something’s got to give. If Republicans continue kicking the can down the road by refusing to cut those hundreds of Million$ (if not Billion$) in government waste, and by taxing Oklahomans more, we will continue to alienate our base constituency (who expects Republican lawmakers to govern the way they campaigned), and we will surrender our majorities in both houses in 2018.

Governor Fallin campaigned as a fiscal Conservative, chaired the RNC Platform Committee and even signed pledges with tax reform organizations (see photo below) not to do so, yet she is proposing an tax policy that is destined to fail us as a Party, and its economically and electorally dangerous. Our Republican legislators cannot entertain her proposal and ignore the responsibility to make massive spending cuts in areas where we are literally wasting hundreds of Million$ in taxpayer dollars.

Long after governor Fallin is gone, the members of our state legislature will be left with the responsibility of governing, and with managing the consequences or benefits of fiscal decisions made by the Republican majority this year. It is for this reason that I applaud Lieutenant Governor Lamb’s actions today to object to these policies, and I encourage our elected Republicans in both the State House and State Senate to respectfully resist the governor’s call for tax increases.

Furthermore, I encourage Oklahoma’s elected Republicans (including Governor Fallin) to become emboldened with the resolve necessary to advance the conservative principles defined in our Party’s Platform. I implore them to think outside the box, daring to make history by utilizing our brightest people, disregarding the status quo, and reinventing government. It’s time to throw everything on the table (including your own sacred cows, and especially those of lobbyists and special interest groups) making tough, necessary decisions in the best interest of all Oklahomans.

We’ve had a supermajority since 2010. There is nobody else to blame for Oklahoma’s failure to offer reformed tax rates that end corporate welfare and create a fair, opportunistic and competitive economic environment to rival those of surrounding states. The opportunity has been there all along to develop a more diverse economy and broad tax base, which would end the turbulent instability of revenue shortages we experience every time the price of oil plummets.

We won’t get another chance in 2018. There won’t be popular presidential candidate or political rock stars running for U.S. senate or congress to excite the base for our down ticket legislative candidates. WE WILL LOSE DOZENS OF SEATS in 2018 if Oklahoma Republicans do not reduce the size of government, improve K-12 teacher pay, fix roads and bridges, and balance the budget. We CAN NOT raise taxes, but must instead REFORM this broken tax structure within the next 18 months. These issues were on the ballot last year. Republicans said (again) they had solutions to fix these problems (which they do), and the fortitude to carry out necessary reforms (which remains to be seen). These issues will be on the ballot again in 2018, with no political cover this time around.

It’s time for Oklahoma Republicans to make history by implementing the conservative principles we preach, proving to our citizens (and the rest of the country) that these principles work. It took us 100 years to earn this opportunity. We may never again have an opportunity like this, so the void of leadership and collective vision must be filled now.

Please call the office of Governor Mary Fallin and tell her “It’s time to cut wasteful spending, NOT raise taxes!

Local: (405) 521-2342
Fax: (405) 521-3353
Oklahoma State Capitol
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Room 212
Oklahoma City, OK 73105

Thank you,

Mike Ford, Chairman
Republican Party of Tulsa County

It is an exciting time to be a Tulsan.

Coming off one of the most partisan national political races in memory, we are going to see what bipartisan cooperation looks like for a change.

In the midst of a statewide education crisis, we are going to see the city government and local schools partner in unprecedented ways to put Tulsa children in the best possible position to be successful.

After decades of conflict between the city and the suburbs, we are going to come together as neighbors to face our true competitors for economic growth: major metropolitan regions around the world.

We are going to set aside historic and external divisions while we unite and pursue a better future.

Read the complete story on tulsaworld.com

If Mayor-elect G.T. Bynum was hoping to make a splash with the unveiling of his Mayor’s Office staff, he’s succeeded.

The group is diverse and young — the average age is just shy of 35 — and sure to bring a new look and energy level to the 15th floor of City Hall.

It better, because the oldest newcomer — who is actually not a newcomer at all — is former Mayor Kathy Taylor, a woman not exactly known for lollygagging through life.

Taylor, 61, will serve as Bynum’s chief of economic development. Bynum takes office Dec. 5.

“When you look at her background as a corporate executive of a Fortune 500 company, her time as (Oklahoma’s) secretary of commerce, her time as our mayor, her time leading a foundation, and its focus on entrepreneurial activity … I do not think there is anyone in the world more qualified to lead our economic development opportunities than her,” Bynum said.

Read the complete story on readfrontier.com

Almost everyone connected with the state’s criminal justice system, it seems, agrees Oklahoma puts too many people in jail.

They don’t always agree, though, on what to do about it.

Many prosecutors, for instance, are leery of two state questions that address the issue by eliminating felony drug possession from the state penal code, and by creating a special rehabilitation fund for those whose criminal activity is driven by addiction or mental health problems.

If voters approve State Question 780, simple possession will be a misdemeanor regardless of circumstances, although other charges can still be “stacked” on. State Question 780’s companion, SQ 781, creates the special fund for substance abuse and mental health treatment, but is contingent on passage of SQ 780.

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler says eliminating the felony possession option is a mistake.

“Every possession of every drug will be a misdemeanor, whether it’s the first time or the 20th time,” Kunzweiler said.

Read the complete story on tulsaworld.com