Articles
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Good Government
Bill advances to boost appointment power
Legislation that would increase the appointment power of the governor, House speaker, and Senate president pro tempore has gained easy approval in a Senate committee.Ray Carter | February 26, 2020
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Law & Principles, Good Government
Lawsuit-reform restoration advances
Legislation to reinstate caps on noneconomic damages in certain lawsuits has gained approval from a Senate committee.Ray Carter | February 26, 2020
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Judicial Reform, Law & Principles, Good Government
Lawmakers seek sunlight for Oklahoma judicial processes
The operations of the Oklahoma Supreme Court and the state’s Judicial Nominating Commission have long drawn criticism for excessive secrecy and lack of public transparency. Two bills that have cleared a Senate committee seek to address that problem.Ray Carter | February 25, 2020
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Judicial Reform, Law & Principles
Mandatory bar membership raises free-speech concerns
For decades, Oklahoma attorneys have not been allowed to practice law unless they join the Oklahoma Bar Association. Due to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding free speech and the right of association, a Senate committee has voted to end that mandate.Ray Carter | February 25, 2020
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Education, Law & Principles, Good Government
GOP defectors side with unions
Six Republican senators joined Democrats to defeat legislation that would require routine recertification elections for education unions, providing a victory for a teachers’ union that recently gave failing grades to most of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation.Ray Carter | February 25, 2020
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Law & Principles
Protection against ‘surprise’ medical billing advances
Oklahomans would be protected from having credit scores reduced as the result of “surprise” medical bills under legislation that has gained strong bipartisan support in a Senate committee.Ray Carter | February 25, 2020
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Higher Education, Law & Principles
Senate votes down due-process protections for college students
A coalition of Democrats and Republicans in the Oklahoma Senate have voted down legislation that would ensure college students facing expulsion have due-process rights comparable to those provided in a court proceeding. Opponents argued the college system is effectively exempted from legislative oversight.Ray Carter | February 25, 2020
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Education, Culture & the Family
Great-grandmother seeks educational opportunity for at-risk children
Born in 1952, Linda Lewis did not envision being a caretaker for two young children during her golden years. But when her grandson was incarcerated and the mother of her great-grandchildren ran afoul of the Department of Human Services, she became the legal guardian for two of her great-grandchildren.Ray Carter | February 24, 2020
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Law & Principles
State workforce reform advances
Members of a Senate committee have advanced legislation related to overhaul of state government workforce regulations, a goal endorsed by Gov. Kevin Stitt.Ray Carter | February 21, 2020
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Law & Principles
‘Universal’ licensing effort advances
Two measures that would reduce occupational red tape in Oklahoma have cleared a Senate committee, including a measure to make Oklahoma the second state in the nation to offer “universal” recognition of other states’ licenses.Ray Carter | February 21, 2020