Articles
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Law & Principles, Culture & the Family
Transgender athlete restriction wins strong approval
Only biological women would compete in female athletic events involving Oklahoma public schools or colleges under legislation that has won strong approval in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.Ray Carter | March 24, 2022
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Law & Principles
Judicial-nomination reform wins Oklahoma Senate approval
Legislation that would reform the state’s judicial nominating process has won easy approval in the Oklahoma Senate.Ray Carter | March 22, 2022
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Law & Principles
Post-McGirt, no tribal facilities to hold prisoners
Once a U.S. Supreme Court ruling effectively declared much of eastern Oklahoma is composed of tribal reservations, tribal governments became responsible for prosecuting many crimes committed by Indians against Indians on those reservation lands.Ray Carter | March 22, 2022
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Law & Principles
McGirt decision defunding courts, public safety
The U.S. Supreme Court’s McGirt v. Oklahoma decision, which created jurisdictional chaos in Oklahoma by effectively declaring that most of eastern Oklahoma remains Indian reservations, is indirectly defunding court systems and public-safety entities throughout much of the state, according to the Senate’s top budget official.Ray Carter | March 15, 2022
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Education, Law & Principles
Bureaucrats retain power under open-transfer law
When lawmakers voted last year to expand open-transfer opportunities, allowing families to more easily send children to school districts other than the one in which they reside, supporters thought the change would empower parents.Jonathan Small | March 13, 2022
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Law & Principles
Election ‘Zuckerbucks’ ban clears House
Due to concern about perceived influence on the outcome of elections, state lawmakers have voted to ban private entities from funding Oklahoma election expenses.Ray Carter | March 9, 2022
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Law & Principles
GOP lawmaker joins Democrats against election-security bill
A bill that would mandate investigation of potential voter fraud has advanced from the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Those voting “no” were mostly Democrats, but state Rep. Anthony Moore, R-Clinton, joined them in vocal opposition.Ray Carter | March 9, 2022
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Law & Principles
Senators ban union freeloading on state pension system
Employees of a teachers’ union who do not work for a public school would be banned from receiving state teachers’ retirement benefits tied to their time spent away from the school system, under a bill that has passed the Oklahoma Senate.Ray Carter | March 7, 2022
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Law & Principles
Judicial-nomination transparency measure clears committee
Legislation that would allow the governor to select from a wide range of judicial applicants, with nominees required to then receive Senate confirmation, has won easy approval from a state Senate committee.Ray Carter | March 1, 2022
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Law & Principles
OCPA 2022 legislative scorecard: Watch list update (March 1 2022)
This is an updated watch list of bills that are eligible to be included on OCPA’s legislative scorecard for Oklahoma’s 2022 legislative session.Staff | March 1, 2022