By Allan Wall

In the August 2024 Republican primary runoff in House District 32 in central Oklahoma, political neophyte Jim Shaw upset incumbent Kevin Wallace. There was no Democrat candidate, so Shaw won the seat. At over $1.4 million, it was the most expensive race in the history of the Oklahoma House.

In the summer of 2025, Representative Shaw released a 7-point “Save Oklahoma Plan.” (You can visit the website: https://saveoklahomaplan.com/)

The plan is endorsed by a number of conservative organizations as well as gubernatorial candidates Mike Mazzei and Charles McCall.

Getting these seven proposals through the legislature is not easy, but they are out there for the consideration of the public and the political class.

Here are the seven proposals:

1. Fight the Green Energy Agenda

2. Prohibit Agricultural Use of Biosolid Waste

3. Criminalize Hostile Foreign Ownership of Land

4. Mandatory E-Verify for All Businesses

5. End Perpetual Toll Roads & Expose the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority

6. Stop Discrimination Based on Vaccination Status

7. End Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying

Regarding #1, “Fight the Green Energy Agenda,” the website explains that “The so-called ‘green energy’ scam is nothing more than taxpayer-funded corporate welfare that destroys rural communities. Oklahomans – not unelected bureaucrats – should decide if or where massive wind and solar projects go, and setbacks must protect homes, schools and property values.”

As for #2, “Prohibit Agricultural Use of Biosolid Waste,” the website explains that “Oklahoma families deserve safe food and clean water – not toxic sludge and human waste spread across our farmland.” This was actually an issue in the 2024 election which Shaw won.

Plank #3, “Criminalize Hostile Foreign Ownership of Land” is especially relevant for rural Oklahoma, with reports of Chinese land ownership in the state.

Regarding #7, “End Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying,” it’s not talking about citizen-based lobbying. Lobbying, after all, is protected by the First Amendment’s Right to Petition, as pointed out by Steve Byas in his column “The Right to Petition the Government.” What Representative Shaw is talking about is government agencies lobbying with taxpayer money. As the website explains, “Taxpayer money should never be used to pay lobbyists who turn around and work against the very people footing the bill.”

Plank #4 in the Save Oklahoma Plan is “Mandatory E-Verify for All Businesses.” E-Verify is a U.S. Department of Homeland Security website which an employer can consult for free to determine if a prospective employee is legal to work in the United States. Opponents of E-Verify have made it out to be something sinister, but there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s a simple program based on government data and a great way to fight illegal labor. It provides the government with no information that it doesn’t already have.

The state of Oklahoma already requires public contractors and subcontractors to utilize E-Verify or a comparable program. Ten states already require E-Verify for all employees. Those states are Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah and Arizona. It would be very prudent for Oklahoma to adopt this same policy. And guess what, there is now a legislative proposal to do just that!

On January 16, Senator Dusty Deevers, representing Senate District 32 in southwestern Oklahoma, introduced five bills to fight illegal immigration and protect Oklahoma workers. One of the bills is Senate Bill 1850, which mandates that all Oklahoma employers use E-Verify.

Senator Deevers explains: “This bill is the ‘off switch’ for the magnet attracting illegal immigration to Oklahoma. For too long, businesses who play by the rules and pay fair wages to Oklahoma workers have been systematically undercut by competitors who use illegal labor to slash costs. Not only is it an economic injustice but it has allowed a shadow economy to flourish where fake permanent resident cards are used to bypass our laws – a reality brought home by the alleged gang rape in Pauls Valley where suspects were reportedly able to live and work in our state using fraudulent documents. By mandating E-Verify, we close the loopholes that allow dangerous individuals to hide in plain sight and ensure Oklahoma jobs are reserved for those here legally.”

Kudos to Senator Deevers, good work.

Another one of Deevers’ bills, Senate Bill 2098, would stipulate that U.S. citizenship is not granted automatically, as it is now, to babies born to two illegal alien parents. Deevers explains that “Children born to two illegal immigrant parents should, at least originally, remain under the same legal jurisdiction as their parents. This discourages amnesty-by-proxy schemes and ensures families stay together during immigration law enforcement. Senate Bill 2098 finally puts an end to the 'birthright' loophole that incentivizes lawlessness.”

That’s another good bill.

I don’t know if Senator Deevers is familiar with Shaw’s Save Oklahoma Plan, but the important thing is that they are both moving in the right direction.