By Constitution Staff

On January 27 a resolution was approved by 124 voting members of the Oklahoma Republican State Committee condemning and censuring Sen. James Lankford for his role as a chief negotiator in the Senate border security talks with Democrats. The deal that Lankford negotiated allowed Democrats to put a bipartisan face on the plan to allow 5,000 illegal immigrants a day to enter and work in the United States and provide a “path to citizenship.” But on the Monday following the Saturday meeting, the Oklahoma GOP put out an official statement calling the meeting “illegitimate” saying proper notice was not provided to all members of the State Committee. State GOP Chairman Nathan Dahm was not present at the meeting which was called by Vice Chairman Wayne Hill. The statement went on to say that none of the actions done at the meeting are the official position of the OKGOP and the media is advised to refrain from reporting or suggesting this was an official action of the OKGOP or Oklahoma Republican Party. Still, the resolution was supported by a majority of the members which serve on the body.

Oklahoma Senate Appropriations Committee chairman Roger Thompson (R-Okemah) released a statement defending Lankford’s efforts to reach a compromise deal. “While some Republicans have criticized Senator Lankford’s efforts to reach a bipartisan deal to address border security, I applaud his leadership and determination to get something done as soon as possible for the safety of our nation, businesses, and people.” Thompson’s statement is not surprising since he is among those who can be called a liberal RINO (Republican In Name Only). Thompson has only a 53% conservative cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index published by the Oklahoma Constitution.

McCortney Senate Pro Tem Designee

Current Oklahoma Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat (R-Oklahoma City) announced on February 12 that the Senate Republican Caucus convened and voted for Sen. Greg McCortney (R-Ada) to be the Pro Tem Designee. The formal vote among all senators to elect McCortney to the Pro Tem position will take place on Organizational Day which occurs every two years following the General Election. He will begin the new position when the first session of the 60th Oklahoma Legislature convenes on February 3, 2025. Pro Tem Treat was Term-Limited and could not run for reelection this year. He was elected in a special election in 2011 and has been the leader of the Senate since 2019. McCortney was elected to the Senate in 2016 and in 2021 he was appointed Majority Floor Leader, the second-highest leadership position in the Senate. McCortney will be Term-Limited in 2028. McCortney has only a 53% conservative cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index published by the Oklahoma Constitution.

Hilbert House Speaker-Designate

On March 4 it was announced that state Rep. Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow), was elected by the Oklahoma House Republican Caucus to be House Speaker-designate for the 60th Legislature. The speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives is the body’s chief presiding officer and is responsible for committee appointments, the flow of legislation, and the management of the House budget and staff. The speaker also serves as an ex officio voting member on all House committees. Hilbert has served as Speaker Pro Tempore of the House since 2022.

Hilbert, 29, would be the youngest House Speaker in Oklahoma state history and only the second Republican speaker 30 years old or younger in any state since 1873.

This is Hilbert’s eighth year in the House and he could potentially hold the position for the next four years before reaching the 12-year term limit. Current House Speaker Charles McCall (R-Atoka) is the longest-serving speaker in state history, and was Term-Limited and could not run for reelection this year. Hilbert will not officially be elected to the post until after the November General Election and will begin serving when the Oklahoma House convenes next year. Hilbert has only a 58% conservative cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index published by the Oklahoma Constitution.

Super Tuesday Presidential Primary Results

Oklahoma was among 14 states holding Presidential Primary Elections on March 5, 2024 in what is known as “Super Tuesday.” The frontrunners for the Republican, Democrat, and Libertarian parties were the choice of Oklahoma voters in the Presidential Preference Primary. Former President Donald Trump won the Oklahoma GOP primary with 81.83% . There were 311,528 voters who took part with Trump receiving 237,730 votes. Nikki Haley finished second with 49,406 or 15.86 percent. The other five candidates who had previously dropped out of the race, shared the remaining vote. The Oklahoma Democratic Party again allowed independents to participate in their primaries this cycle. President Joe Biden won Oklahoma Democrats and independents with 66,882 votes or 72.98 percent. Marianne Williamson came in second with 8,356 votes, or 9.12%, edging out Dean Phillips with 8,182 votes, or 8.93%. Stephen Lyons finished third with 4,441 votes, or 4.85%. Two other candidates each received 2 percent less. That primary attracted 91,644 voters. The Libertarian Party of Oklahoma also had a primary with Chase Oliver winning with 569 votes, or 61.25%, over Jacob Hornberger with 362 votes, or 38.88 percent. That primary brought out 931 Libertarian voters. The frontrunner in each party also received the majority of the vote in each congressional district.

Campaign Finance and Election Threats

On April 3, Governor Stitt announced the recommendations from his Task Force on Campaign Finance and Election Threats. The Task Force studied Oklahoma’s ethics regulations and election administration, gathering data, reviewing case law, and conducting interviews to determine what changes are needed to ensure the state’s elections are secure. The Task Force recommended the adoption of a number of actions relating to elections, ethics, and independent expenditures, summarized below:

-Banning ranked-choice voting.

-Although the Election Board orders a post-election audit of at least one race in every county to verify accuracy of the results, the Task Force recommends amending state statute to mandate the random post-election audits.

-Ensure efficient protections by regulating the use of artificial intelligence.

-Modifying contribution limits to candidates, parties, PACs, and non-corporate entities to combat spending advantages held by independent expenditures, and increasing the individual contributing reporting requirement from $50 to $200.

-Banning foreign expenditures and adding additional disclosure requirements to independent expenditure filings.

-Partnering with tribes to increase communication and cooperation to resolve election crimes and campaign finance violations.

After scrutinizing the election systems and rules, the Task Force concluded that Oklahoma’s election system is one of the strongest in the nation, citing successful audits to verify results and the integrity of Oklahoma election officials.

OCPA Oklahoma Judicial Scorecard

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) announced in April that it will be preparing the Oklahoma Judicial Scorecard to assist voters for the retention votes for state judges. In what is often seen as the “reddest state in America,” with a Republican governor and supermajority across the legislature, people are often surprised to learn that the Oklahoma Supreme Court is considered one of the most liberal in the country. Each of the nine justices on the court appears on the statewide ballot for a retention vote every six years. In 2024, three of the nine justices are up for retention. Many Oklahomans are not aware that, through the years, the justices on the Oklahoma Supreme Court have:

- Ruled consistently against attempts to reform Oklahoma’s tort laws, causing our state to be consistently labeled a “Judicial Hellhole.”

- Repeatedly overturned laws duly passed by Oklahoma’s Legislature designed to protect unborn life.

- Allowed schools to engage in forced-masking of Oklahoma schoolchildren, after COVID, overturning state legislation to prevent it.

- Undermined free-speech protections placed into law by the state Legislature.

- Forced the removal of a Ten Commandments monument from Oklahoma’s State Capitol grounds, siding with the ACLU.

These are just a few of the issues that will be covered by the Oklahoma Judicial Scorecard.

D.C. Court Sends Question to State Court

In April, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia took the rare action of officially certifying a question to the Oklahoma’s Supreme Court, asking the court in Oklahoma to decide whether the Attorney General or the Governor has the ultimate authority to determine the state’s interests in a dispute over certain gaming compacts. At issue is whether the Attorney General has the authority to assume control of the State’s interests in a four-year-old lawsuit that the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Citizen Potawatomi tribes brought against the U.S. Department of the Interior opposing gaming compacts orchestrated by Gov. Kevin Stitt. Attorney General Gentner Drummond asked the federal court to certify the question in September of last year, shortly after he took control of a case involving gaming compacts. While the D.C. court conceded there is no established or controlling law on the subject, it expressed skepticism concerning Gov. Stitt’s position. The tribal nations filed the federal lawsuit in August 2020 after the Governor proceeded with revised gaming compacts he had reached with the Comanche Nation, the Otoe-Missouria, the Kialegee Tribal Town and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians.

Ruling on Legislature Veto Power

On April 2, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled unanimously (9-0) that the Oklahoma Legislature has the power to override vetoes of tribal compacting bills related to car tags and tobacco. The decision came after a lawsuit was filed by the governor against the legislative leadership following a Special Session in July of 2023 over Senate Bill 26x and House Bill 1005x, which extended had extended tribal tobacco and motor vehicle registration compacts for one year. Gov. Stitt vetoed the two bills on the grounds that only the governor had the power to negotiate and approve compacts, but the Legislature overrode the vetoes.

Choctaw Nation Tribal Tag Compact

With the signing of a motor vehicle compact with Choctaw Nation by Chief Gary Batton on April 5, Gov. Kevin Stitt has secured a dozen renewed compacts with tribal nations since the end of 2023. This compact will be for ten years and alleviates some of the turnpike fee collection issues due to the use of the Plate Pay system. Under the compact with the Choctaw Nation, the state of Oklahoma will continue to print Choctaw plates and collect driver information for each tag. The state will share a percentage of the receipts associated with licensing, registration, renewal of registration, and payment of excise taxes. It also gives the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) driver information to collect tolls. Stitt hopes that other tribes will see this is a signal to negotiate with the State of Oklahoma. “This compact is available for any tribal government seeking to issue tribal tags and I encourage the Legislature to look to these as an example of a model compact that prioritizes the safety of law enforcement and ensures our turnpike authority can collect tolls on all drivers who travel on our turnpikes.”

Update on Oklahoma Turnpikes

New signage will go up for two turnpikes in the Oklahoma City area. The Kilpatrick Turnpike will be christened Interstate 344 as it makes its loop at the city’s western and north sides. The Kickapoo Turnpike will be called Interstate 335 as it links Interstates 40 and 44 on the east side of the city. The two turnpikes were the only ones in the state without a numerical designation. According to Federal Highway Administration guidelines, the three-digit interstates are generally spurs, connectors and loops around major cities. The first digit corresponds with the purpose of the road. Loops and bypasses are given even numbers, while spurs and connectors that intersect the main road once, get odd numbers. The “3" in each numerical designation is because both roads are considered connectors. The second two digits reflect the two-digit interstate that route is connected with. In this case, I-35 for the Kickapoo and I-44 for the Kilpatrick.

Another change coming to Oklahoma turnpikes will be completion of the conversion to cashless tolling. The Turner Turnpike between Oklahoma City and Tulsa will be cashless beginning May 1. The Indian Nations Turnpike (State Highway 375 running from Henryetta to Hugo) and the Will Rogers Turnpike (I-44 running from Tulsa to the Missouri state line near Joplin) are expected to be cashless by the end of the year. Drivers without a Pikepass account will be billed by the Platepay system.

License Plate Scanner Tracking

State Rep. Tom Gann (R-Inola) issued a statement today following the dramatic defeat of Senate Bill 1620 on March 14 in the Senate 13-28. “In 2016, the legislature made the unfortunate decision to authorize the use of license plate scanner technology for the purpose of insurance verification. That law limited the use of this intrusive technology to that purpose only. This year, the legislature considered House Bill 3570, which was not heard prior to the 3rd reading deadline, and Senate Bill 1620, which was defeated on Thursday by a wide margin – becoming one of the very few bills to be defeated on the Senate floor. These bills would have authorized the use of this technology for purposes other than insurance verification. As these laws have failed, it’s important for the public and city councils across the state to know that: There is no specific statutory authorization for using these systems.”

Gann said that while the advocates of this data advocate for its ability to automate NCIC and Amber alert scanning, it’s clear that the real impact of this technology is to create a database of vehicles’ travels, complete with the vehicles’ identifiers, including its bumper stickers, and to then allow warrantless searches of that data, data that’s stored in the cloud and that is then subsequently shared with many, many diverse government entities including those that are not in Oklahoma. To demonstrate this concern, Gann pointed to the fact that in the previous 30 days, Tulsa’s data collection had been queried 2,143 times compared to 1,364 Amber and NCIC alerts. “That’s 2,143 searches that have clearly occurred without a warrant and undoubtedly compromised the information of many innocent persons,” said Gann. He also stated that departments who use this technology have been known to share access to the data collection with federal agencies, including the FBI and ATF.

Opioid Abatement Grants

On April 5, it was announced that the Office of Attorney General Gentner Drummond is reviewing 101 applications for the first distribution of grant funds from the Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board. The application process for $23 million in funds to fight Oklahoma’s opioid crisis ran from December through March. Applications from eligible political subdivisions span 34 counties, 33 school districts, 22 municipalities, seven public trusts and two technical school districts in Oklahoma. Three joint applications were also submitted. Grants will fund treatment and recovery programs, assistance with co-occurring disorders and mental health issues, opioid abuse education and prevention, proper prescription efforts and strategies to decrease the supply of narcotics across the state. A subcommittee of the Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board will use a rubric to score the applications and will then provide recommendations to the full board for a vote at its May 22 meeting.

SoonerSelect Health Care

Gov. Kevin Stitt celebrated the launch of SoonerSelect, Oklahoma’s new comprehensive health care delivery system. “We’re putting Oklahomans’ health at the top of the priority list. With new incentives and offers, including memberships to local gyms and preventative care, thousands of Oklahomans will see firsthand our renewed commitment to improving health outcomes, while saving their tax dollars,” said Governor Stitt. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) incorporated the goals established by Governor Stitt and the state Legislature into the Quality Strategy. The Quality Strategy outlines the mechanisms that OHCA used to guide the SoonerSelect implementation. Beginning, April 1, 2024, members can use their new coverage and benefits that promote health and wellness both inside and outside of the doctor’s office. All health plans will provide the same health care services offered by SoonerCare, but each plan offers extra value benefits to improve health outcomes for members.

New Secretary of Health and Mental Health

On February 8, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Dr. Corey Finch as the newest addition to his cabinet, filling the role of Secretary of Health and Mental Health. “Dr. Finch will bring his experience as a physician and member of the Health Care Authority Board to my cabinet to improve health care outcomes for all four million Oklahomans,” said Gov. Stitt. Finch graduated from Howard University College of Medicine, completed his internship at Georgetown University/Washington Hospital Center General Surgery Program, and his residency at Eglin Family Medicine Residency. He replaces Kevin Corbett the former CEO of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority and left as Secretary of Health and Mental Health last year.

Slavonic Leaving Veterans Affairs Agency

The executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA) will be stepping down at the end of May. Retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Greg Slavonic announced his resignation would be effective on May 31. He was named interim director in March 2023 and was named full executive director last August. Slavonic said his time at ODVA was only supposed to last six months. Now, he said, it’s time to focus on his and his wife’s health and watching his grandkids grow. Slavonic was a career officer in the U.S. Navy, rising to the rank of rear admiral before retiring after a 34-year career. He later served for three and half years as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator James Lankford.

Oklahoma House Veterans Caucus Leaders

On February 29, the Oklahoma House of Representatives Veterans Caucus announced the election of Army veteran Rep. Ty Burns (R-Pawnee) as the new House chair for the next legislative session. Members also elected Rep. Collin Duel (R-Guthrie) as the House vice chair. Current Chair Rep. Jay Steagall (R-Yukon) who served in the Oklahoma Army National Guard and the Oklahoma Air National Guard, has been chair of the caucus since 2019 and offered his congratulations to Reps. Burns and Duel. “It has been an honor to serve my fellow legislative veterans in this capacity for the last five years,” Steagall said. “The work of this caucus is far from over, and I’m certain that with the leadership of Representatives Burns and Duel, this caucus will continue to fight for our veterans to ensure that those who wore the uniform and fought for our freedoms and way of life receive the benefits and care they have earned and deserve.” The Veterans Caucus is a bipartisan, bicameral caucus consisting of over 20 veterans in the state legislature.

New State Historian

In February, Matthew Pearce, Ph.D., was named the next State Historian for the Oklahoma Historical Society. He will provide expertise and scholarly perspectives to ensure an accurate interpretation of Oklahoma history in programs, exhibits, and the media. Pearce grew up in Colorado and initially wanted to be a high school history teacher and basketball coach. Instead of going straight into teaching after graduating from Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado, he decided to try out graduate school in Oklahoma. He received his master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma. He went on to teach history classes at the University of Oklahoma from 2014-2016 and again in 2018. He became a full-time public historian in 2018 after being hired at Preservation and Design Studio, an architecture firm in Oklahoma City that specialized in rehabilitating historic properties. He joined the Oklahoma Historical Society in 2021 as the National Register of Historic Places coordinator for the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office where he was responsible for evaluating, reviewing and preparing National Register nominations.

Fort Gibson Bicentennial

The Fort Gibson Historic Site commemorated the bicentennial of its site on April 20. Fort Gibson was established in 1824 in Indian Territory. It was the first U.S. military post in what would become the state of Oklahoma, and it was further west than any other post in the United States at that time. The town of Fort Gibson marked the anniversary with a community parade proceeding to the 80-acre historic site. Living history education exhibits were provided at the site including soldiers depicting their daily life, keelboats, 19th-century gardening, encampments, cooking demonstrations, women in the military, a sutler store and more. The Fort Gibson Historic Site is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Cole to Head Appropriations Committee

Oklahoma’s Fourth District Republican Congressman Tom Cole will be the next chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee He is the first Oklahoman to ever serve in the post. Cole, who was first elected to Congress in 2002 and reelected every two years since, has been a member of the committee since January of 2009. As chairman he will direct the development of nearly $1.7 trillion annually in spending bills. He is currently chairman of the important House Rules Committee and will give that position up in order to begin immediate work on the 2025 Fiscal Year budget which is due October 1.

Newell Joins OCPA Staff

On March 25, it was announced that Tom Newell, a former state legislator, had joined the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) as Vice President for the Center for Culture and the Family. Newell previously served as a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 2010 to 2016. Prior to his legislative service, he was a pastor.

Since leaving the Legislature, Newell has served as government affairs director for the Foundation for Government Accountability and as vice president of government affairs for Yes. Every. Kid. Newell was a “Top Conservative” in the Legislature a 82% conservative cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index published by the Oklahoma Constitution.

As part of its focus on family, OCPA has opposed policies that discourage marriage or encourage multigenerational dependency, supported a law that prevents children from being subjected to sex-change surgeries and cross-sex hormones, worked to guarantee parents’ rights to view their children’s public-school curricula and other materials, and called for students to be educated on the importance of the “success sequence” (get at least a high-school diploma, get a full-time job, and get married before having children).

Death of General Tom Stafford

Lieutenant General Thomas P. Strafford passed away on March 18, 2024 at age 93. Born in Weatherford, OK on Sept. 17, 1930, he attended Weatherford High School and went on to play football at the University of Oklahoma. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy, Stafford was commissioned in the United States Air Force, flying the F-86 Sabre before becoming a test pilot. He was selected to become an astronaut in 1962, and flew aboard Gemini 6A in 1965 and Gemini 9A in 1966. In 1969, Stafford served as the commander of Apollo 10, the second crewed mission to orbit the Moon. On the mission he, along with Gene Cernan, became the first to fly an Apollo Lunar Module in lunar orbit, descending to an altitude of nine miles. General Stafford not only played an integral role in the Space Race, but made prodigious strides in academics such as co-writing pilot textbooks that are still referenced today. He also established an air and space museum in Weatherford.

Death of G. T. Blankenship

G.T. Blankenship was born on March 11, 1928, in Oklahoma City and died April 20, 2024. He was 96. From 1960 to 1966, he served in the state House of Representatives, the final two years as minority floor leader. G.T. was known for his honesty and integrity. He initiated the investigation of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which resulted in the ouster of three justices and is known as The Supreme Court Scandal. He was the first Republican in Oklahoma history to be elected Attorney General in 1966, serving from 1967 to 1971.

Blankenship received notoriety when he voted for Nelson Rockefeller to get the nomination of the Republican Party for president at the Republican National Convention. That became an issue in his narrow defeat to Mickey Edwards in the 1976 Fifth District Republican primary for Congress. Ironically, Edwards has veered sharply leftward since leaving Congress, joining the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a globalist organization strongly supported by the Rockefeller family.