Articles
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Law & Principles
Oklahoma lawmakers support medical conscience exemptions
Under legislation approved by an Oklahoma House committee, medical professionals cannot be forced to participate in activities—such as abortion or performing sex-change surgeries on children—that violate their religious or moral beliefs.Ray Carter | February 25, 2025
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Law & Principles
Democrats join Oklahoma House Republicans to deter antisemitism
For the second time in two weeks, an Oklahoma legislative committee has advanced legislation designed to target acts of antisemitism.Ray Carter | February 24, 2025
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Law & Principles
OCPA praises House passage of REINS Act
OCPA President Jonathan Small issued the following statement after members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives approved House Bill 2728, which creates the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2025.Staff | February 20, 2025
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Law & Principles
House approves effort to reduce state regulation
An effort to significantly reduce major state regulations has received overwhelming, bipartisan support in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.Ray Carter | February 20, 2025
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Law & Principles
Bill would prevent future church closings
When COVID first spread in 2020, many government officials seized on their newfound power to force the closure of churches while granting exemptions to favored businesses. That would not be allowed again under a bill that has advanced from an Oklahoma Senate committee.Ray Carter | February 19, 2025
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Law & Principles
REINing in Oklahoma’s unelected bureaucrats
Oklahoma state lawmakers are working to restrain government regulation at the state level—even as President Donald Trump does the same thing at the federal level.Jonathan Small | February 17, 2025
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Law & Principles, Good Government
California-style ‘top two’ election system doesn’t deliver on its promises
The California-style top-two system proposed in SQ 836 does not deliver on its promises. Instead, it makes it more difficult for Oklahoma voters to choose a candidate that represents their values and interests.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | February 17, 2025
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Law & Principles
Measures to reduce government regulation pass committee
A state Senate committee approved measures that would restrain the growth of state government regulations and repeal many existing regulations to reduce the size of state government.Ray Carter | February 13, 2025
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Law & Principles
Lawsuit reform moves ahead in Senate
Oklahoma lawmakers are advancing SB 1065, a bill that would cap noneconomic damages at $500,000 in civil lawsuits, aiming to prevent excessive "jackpot" jury awards that drive businesses away and hurt the state’s economy.Ray Carter | February 13, 2025
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Law & Principles, Culture & the Family
Ban on men in women’s prisons clears committee
Legislation that would prevent officials from housing “transgender women”—men who self-identify as females—alongside women in state prisons has advanced from an Oklahoma Senate committee.Ray Carter | February 11, 2025