<![CDATA[Sooner Politics.org - Legislative Scores]]>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 16:44:34 -0600Weebly<![CDATA[2020 Freedom Index]]>Sun, 26 Jul 2020 02:00:49 GMThttps://www.soonerpolitics.org/scorecards/2020-freedom-index
  The 2020 Senate Freedom Index is now published, to compare the lawmakers' commitment to restoring and protecting individual liberties in their powers to create and rescind laws.
  This year a pair of freshmen who are also former military officers, are tied for the top spot in the senate. Adam Pugh & Joe Newhouse both voted to restore & protect citizen freedoms in 9 of 10 floor votes. They also gained bonus points for authoring bills the Sooner Politics selection committee deemed essential and/or scored in the index.
 The young Republicans from OKC & Tulsa metro districts, led all scores with a +85, on a spectrum of 100 to +100.
  A person scoring a zero on this index is deemed to vote against freedom in half the scored floor votes.  A score of +50 on this index is equivalent to a +75 on many other indices that do not issue negative index scores.
  8 Republicans were close behind with scores of 80. they were:
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Mark Allen
Michael Bergstrom
Larry Boggs
Julie Daniels
James Leewright
Casey Murdock
Paul Rosino
Gary Stanislawski
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The 2020 House Freedom Index is now published, to compare the lawmakers' commitment to restoring and protecting individual liberties in their powers to create and rescind laws.   This year a member of the House leadership team Terry O'Donnell of the Tulsa metro delegation, led all scores with a +85, on a spectrum of 100 to +100.
    A person scoring a zero on this index is deemed to vote against freedom in half the scored floor votes.  A score of +50 on this index is equivalent to a +75 on many other indices that do not issue negative index scores.
  Once again, two House freshmen tied in the 2nd spot; along with Rep. Kevin West of the OKC metro delegation. The freshmen were rural lawmakers from eastern Oklahoma, David Hardin, and David Smith.
  Former Democrat, Johnny Tadlock was one of four Republicans tied for the 4th spot, along with Jim Olsen, Sean Roberts, & Judd Strom. Olsen & Strom are in their first 2-year term.  Tadlock completed his 3rd term, Roberts finished his 5th term.
  
  Unlike last year's inaugural index, the two major parties are not as clearly separated. Democrat Merleyn Bell scored 0, but that still put her as high or higher than 26 Republicans. Dell Kerbs was the lowest scoring Republican with a -40, which is worse that the worst Democrat in the 2019 index. Last year's average score was +28.8, but this year's score is a pathetic +6.8, which isn't small govt. creed.
We look at hundreds of bills to find a good sampling of floor votes which represent a broad spectrum of freedoms and we evaluate how each lawlaker weighed & cast their votes. We also looked at how leaders of committees conducted themselves and the vast power they hold.
  We added bonus points for legislators who took the time to draft and promote bills which are essential to protecting & advancing constitutional liberty.
What is the Freedom Index? 
  The Freedom Index seeks to identify how diligent a lawmaker is, to protecting individual freedom for the people of Oklahoma. We gathered a set of various bills which indicate many forms of freedom. Free Speech, Self Defense, Free Association, Vocational Freedom Economic Freedom, Parental authority, Healthcare access and options. Travel and Privacy.
​How We Score the Lawmakers 
  We're using a scoring system that starts with a spectrum of -100 to +100, with 10 key floor bills in each chamber worth 10 points each. Unlike other indices which even award points for missed votes; This index awards 0 points for missed votes and -10 for votes deemed contrary to individual freedom & privacy. For comparison, Scoring a 70 in this index is sorta like scoring an 85 in most other indices.
What Are Bonus & Penalty Points?
  We award 5 bonus points for primary sponsors in each chamber, on bills that advance individual freedom in the bills included in this index. We also assess 5 penalty points to primary sponsors for bills that harm individual freedom & privacy.

 In addition, we selected a handful of other key Freedom bills which were left to die in committee during the spring session, without so much as a parliamentary motion allowed by the committee chair. That chairman who lets a key freedom bill sit unacted upon will be assessed a 5 point penalty to their own personal Freedom Score.
 The top 10 senators are a balanced mix of new members and retiring veterans. This was Stanislawski's last session in the legislature, as the constitutional term limits does not allow another term once a member accrues 12 years of elective office.
  Unlike last year's inaugural index, the two major parties are not as clearly separated. Democrat Senator JJ Dossett of Owasso was the only senate Democrat to score above 0 in his session floor voting. The other 8 Democrats scored between -20 to -60.
The average Senate score was 34.4, compared to the 2020 House composite score of 6.8.
  This year's index was a particular challenge, due to the many combined bills which resulted from the suspended April session dates, as Oklahoma was in a declared health emergency.
  4 of the 10 scored bills were unique to the Senate. the House also had 4 unique floor votes scored on bills which did not get a floor vote in the full senate.
HB3613 - PrivacySB1081 - Self DefenseSB1728 - Right to LifeSB1423 -Adult ProhibitionHJR1027 - Consent of the Governed
Bill Title: Privacy: creating the Personal Privacy Protection Act; prohibiting public agencies from disclosing certain personal affiliation information..
(in support of 4th amendment privacy of papers & effects & free associations )		Bill Title: Firearms; state preemption of future red flag laws. Emergency.
(in support of 5th amendment due process of law, whereby a positive court finding is required in order to deprive a citizen of fundamental rights, listed in the US Constitution)		Bill Title: Abortion; creating the Unborn Person Wrongful Death Act; modifying requirements for award of certain damages; modifying persons with standing to bring certain actions.
(in support of individual right to life, against selective abortion death)		Bill Title: Tobacco and vapor products; increasing legal age limits related to purchase, receipt, possession, sale or distribution.
(Creating a partial adult prohibition of a broad class of products for personal consumption, including medically safe & therapeutic treatments, thereby curtailing fundamental personal liberty)		Bill Title: Constitutional amendment; changing the percentage of legal voters from statewide to every congressional district of the state for certain petitions.
(adding a very expensive and logistical burden to citizens' constitutional rights in their effort to bring statutory & constitutional reforms when legislators refuse to take action)

HB2938 - PrivacyHB3088 - Forced Indoctrination of BiasHB3873 - Parental Rights RemovedHB2791 - Punishing Drivers For Passenger ActionsSB1714 - Heavy Business Regulation
Bill Title: Public health; modifying certain exception relating to confidential information;
(aligning the state law with federal enforcement of individual constitutional rights, in privacy of papers & effects)		Bill Title: Maternal and infant mortality; requiring implicit bias training;
(mandating propaganda indoctrination as a licensing requirement of healthcare providers, blaming white prejudice as the cause of poor minority infant health)		Bill Title: Marriage; eligibility to marry; eliminating exceptions to age requirement; marriage licenses;
(Eroding parental rights & discretion in granting emancipation under the guise of a youth's claimed desire to marry, Allowing judges to usurp parental role, under the assumption of an arranged & forced marriages)		Bill Title: Motor vehicles; child passenger restraint systems; modifying age requirements for use of certain restraint systems.
(Removing driver's discretion in transporting older youth, and punishes driver if a rear passenger removes personal restraints while traveling)		Bill Title: Homemade food products; renaming the Home Bakery Act of 2013; modifying definitions of act; authorizing production and sale of certain foods.
(Removes heavy & expensive burdens to cottage industry in food productions & preparations; while still holding safety standards)
]]><![CDATA[2020 RIED Index of Lawmakers & Economic Development]]>Sun, 26 Jul 2020 01:28:49 GMThttps://www.soonerpolitics.org/scorecards/2020-ried-index-of-lawmakers-economic-development
  THE RIED REPORT Institute research creates a profile of each legislator’s individual voting record for bills dealing with business, industry, job creation and economic growth issues deemed important by the private sector. Each legislator is graded with respect to his or her position on each bill. The RIED Report is available at riedreport.com.

RIED’s research identifies and evaluates the legislative issues that support superior jobs and economic growth for Oklahoma. LARRY NICHOLS, CHAIRMAN EMERITUS & FOUNDER Devon Energy Corporation

RIED addresses the public policy issues in Oklahoma that promote ease of doing business, job creation. CLAYTON I. BENNETT, CHAIRMAN Dorchester Capital
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  RIED’s profile of each legislator’s support for business and economic growth issues allows Oklahoma to shape an economy that meets our need for a quality future. GREG LOVE, PRESIDENT Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores
​BILLS UTILIZED FOR FINAL 2020 RIED EVALUATIONS:
  • ​HB 3619
  • HB 4018
  • SB 801
  • SB 1204
  • SB 1362 
  • SB 1688
  • SB 1748
  • SB 1875
  • SB 1946
  • SB 1947
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See the full RIED Report publication, here..

]]><![CDATA[OCPA 2020 Legislative Scorecard]]>Sun, 26 Jul 2020 00:56:34 GMThttps://www.soonerpolitics.org/scorecards/ocpa-2020-legislative-scorecard
  Learn how your state legislators are voting at the Oklahoma Capitol on issues related to the principles of limited government, free markets, individual initiative, and personal responsibility. The scorecard continued updating throughout the 2020 legislative session as legislators continued casting votes on bills. Each legislator’s score is out of of 100 possible percentage points.
  Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, Inc. (“OCPA”) reviews all bills eligible for consideration by the Oklahoma Legislature in the legislative session. OCPA then, based on its charitable mission, selects bills for inclusion on the scorecard watch list. The watch list is publicly released at the start of session and updated as session progresses. The watch list is also sent to all legislators. OCPA selects bills from the watch list and scores legislators based on their votes on those bills and how the bills impact Oklahoma citizens. Scoring is not based on political affiliation but is based solely on a legislator’s votes on particular public policy issues.

​Read the full scorecard at OCPA

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]]><![CDATA[2020 Oklahoma Constitution Conservative Index]]>Sun, 26 Jul 2020 00:09:53 GMThttps://www.soonerpolitics.org/scorecards/2020-oklahoma-constitution-conservative-index
By Constitution Staff
  View the most recent Senate conservative index or the last House conservative index.
  The Oklahoma Constitution presents the 42nd annual Oklahoma Conservative Index rating our state legislators. Members of each house of the Oklahoma Legislature were rated on ten key votes. A favorable vote on these issues represents a belief in conservative principles.
  After taking suggestions from conservative leaders, the staff of the Oklahoma Constitution submitted suggested bills to a vote of the membership of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC) to determine the ten key votes. The legislators were rated based on their votes on bills which included such issues as preserving secure elections, protecting privacy, protecting the right to keep and bear arms, obstructing overbearing government regulations, against subsidies, and protecting life.    Senate - House
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RATING CALCULATION
To determine this year’s rating, 10 points were earned for each conservative vote (designated by a C), and no points were awarded for a liberal vote (indicated by an L). Each failure to vote (recorded as a Z) provides only three points. When the rating system was created in 1979, it was decided that there should be a difference between voting liberal, and missing a vote. A legislator absent for all the votes could only score 30%.
  Thus, a legislator voting conservative on eight votes, liberal on one, and failing to vote on another, would receive eighty plus three, or an 83% conservative rating.
  This year’s conservative rating was averaged with the legislator’s scores from any previous years of service to obtain the Cumulative Average score for all the years that legislator has been rated. With term limits, we have moved into a period when no legislator will have a cumulative score based on a period longer than twelve years. By examining this year’s score in relation to the Cumulative Average, the voting pattern of a particular legislator can be determined. While most score nearly the same, year after year, others trend upward or downward from their average. If your legislator is trending toward conservatism, please offer you encouragement and support. If your legislator is exhibiting a leftward trend, it is time to express your disappointment and suggest the need for a replacement if the trend is not reversed.
  The average score this year was 62% in the House and was also 62% in the Senate. The Top Conservative and Top Liberal legislators were selected by their scores on the Index. Making the Top Conservatives list are the 50 lawmakers who scored 80% or more. On the Top Liberals list are the 22 lawmakers scoring 20% or less.

TOP CONSERVATIVES
Only one legislator, Senator Nathan Dahm of Broken Arrow, scored a perfect 100% conservative rating this year. One legislator, Senator Casey Murdock of Felt, scored 93 percent. Nine House members scored 90% including Rusty Cornwell of Vinita, Tom Gann of Inola, Mark Lepak of Claremore, Terry O’Donnell of Catoosa, Jim Olsen of Roland, Russ Todd of Cordell, David Smith of McAlester, Zack Taylor of Seminole, and Kevin West of Moore.
  Three House members scored 83% including Trey Caldwell of Lawton, David Hardin of Stilwell, and Sean Roberts of Hominy.
  Completing the list of Top Conservatives were 36 legislators who scored 80 percent. Senate members scoring 80% were Julie Daniels of Bartlesville, Darcy Jech of Kingfisher, James Leewright of Bristow, Joe Newhouse of Broken Arrow, Marty Quinn of Claremore, Paul Rosino of Oklahoma City, Rob Standridge of Norman, and Gary Stanislawski of Tulsa. House members scoring 80% were Rhonda Baker of Yukon, Jeff Boatman of Tulsa, Brad Boles of Marlow, Ty Burns of Morrison, Chad Caldwell of Enid, Denise Crosswhite of Yukon, Dean Davis of Broken Arrow, Sheila Dills of Tulsa, Jon Echols of Oklahoma City, Avery Frix of Muskogee, Brian Hill of Mustang, Chris Kannady of Oklahoma City, Lundy Kiger of Poteau, Charles McCall of Atoka, Kevin McDugle of Broken Arrow, Carl Newton of Cherokee, Mike Osburn of Edmond, Kenton Patzkowsky of Balko, Dustin Roberts of Durant, Lonnie Sims of Jenks, Jay Steagall of Yukon, Judd Strom of Copan, Tammy Townley of Ardmore, Mark Vancuren of Owasso, Kevin Wallace of Wellston, Josh West of Grove, Tammy West of Bethany, and Harold Wright of Weatherford.

TOP LIBERALS
  Two legislators scored zero conservative this year, taking the liberal position on all ten bills included this year. Kay Floyd of Oklahoma City, the Senate Minority (Democrat) Leader, scored zero. In the House, Trish Ranson of Stillwater also scored zero. Two members of the House scored 6% this year, Jason Dunnington of Oklahoma City, and Monroe Nickols of Tulsa. Five legislators, three in the Senate and two in the House scored 10 percent. Senators scoring 10% are Carri Hicks of Oklahoma City, Julia Kirt of Oklahoma City, and Kevin Matthews of Tulsa. House members scoring 10% are Meloyde Blancett of Tulsa and Melissa Provenzano of Tulsa. Regina Goodwin of Tulsa, Ben Loring of Miami, Jacob Rosecrants of Norman, and John Waldron of Tulsa scored 13 percent. David Perryman of Chickasha scored 15 percent. Representative Jason Lowe of Oklahoma City scored 19 percent.
  Finishing out the Top Liberals list are legislators who scored 20 percent. Senators scoring 20% are Michael Brooks of Oklahoma City, and George Young of Oklahoma City. House members Kelly Albright of Midwest City, Forrest Bennett of Oklahoma City, Denise Brewer of Tulsa, Andy Fugate of Oklahoma City, and Cyndi Munson of Oklahoma City also scored 20 percent.
  A description of the bills used for this year’s ratings, a list of all the legislators with their vote on each of the ten bills, their score for this year, and their Cumulative Average which includes scores from any previous years served, will be found in the center section of our Summer edition.
Bills used for the 2020 Oklahoma Conservative Index

(1) Maintain Secure Elections
SB 210 by Sen. Greg Treat (R-Oklahoma City) and Rep. Charles McCall (R-Atoka)
The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled on May 4 that the Oklahoma State Election Board could not require absentee voters to have their ballots notarized to verify their identity. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit by the League of Women Voters and two Oklahomans. After the ruling, the Legislature passed an amended bill to reinstate the notary requirement, but included an exception for elections held in 2020 if a State of Emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic declared by the Governor is in effect 45 days prior to, or within, a scheduled election. In that event, a voter can request an absentee ballot and attach a photocopy of a form of identification to the affidavit, in lieu of having the affidavit notarized or his or her signature witnessed by two people. The measure also establishes an alternative process for the delivery of absentee ballot applications to residents of long-term care facilities and modifies the criteria to qualify as “physically incapacitated” for purposes of requesting an absentee ballot to include COVID-19-related health issues. Absentee ballots, without verification of the voter, is an open invitation to election fraud. The measure passed the House 74-26 on May 6 and the Senate 38-9 on May 7. It was approved by the Governor on May 7. A YES vote is the conservative vote.

(2) Personal Privacy Protection
HB 3613 by Rep. Terry O’Donnell (R-Catoosa) and Sen. Kim David (R-Porter)
This bill creates the Personal Privacy Protection Act which would prevent state agencies from collecting any information that “identifies a person as a member, supporter, or volunteer of, or donor of financial or nonfinancial support to, any entity organized pursuant to Section 501(c) of the United States Internal Revenue Code.” Personal affiliation information is also exempted from the disclosure requirements of the Oklahoma Open Records Act. In recent years activist groups have used such information against contributors or supporters of such organizations. Oklahoma joins West Virginia, Mississippi, Arizona, and Utah which have enacted similar privacy protection. It passed the House 77-13 on March 5 and the Senate 43-2 on May 12. It was approved by the Governor on May 19. A YES vote is the conservative vote.

(3) Anti Red Flag Act
SB 1081 by Sen. Nathan Dahm (R-Broken Arrow) and Rep. Jay Steagall (R-Yukon)
This bill, titled the “Anti-Red Flag Act,” would preempt all current or future proposed red flag laws coming from Washington D.C. and make them null, void, and of no effect in the State of Oklahoma. Red flag laws allow an individual’s firearms to be confiscated following nothing more than an anonymous accusation from either a family member or a law enforcement officer, directly violating at least four amendments to the Constitution. Such laws have already been passed in 17 states and Washington, D.C. “The Second Amendment is abundantly clear that it is an individual right to keep and bear arms. And it is necessary to keep a free state. Oklahoma has a responsibility to protect our citizens’ rights from anyone who would try to infringe upon them,” said Sen. Nathan Dahm, the Senate author. Dahm noted that in Oklahoma there are legal processes for those who are adjudicated as a threat to themselves or others . “In America, we learn from an early age that we are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. We have due process protections enshrined in our Constitution. Red flag laws violate all these principles, violate numerous constitutionally protected rights, and set a dangerous precedent.” The bill also would prohibit any state or local entities from accepting federal funds that would entice those entities into implementing infringements on Oklahoma citizens’ Constitutional rights. The bill passed the Senate 34-9 on March 12 and the House 77-14 on May 15. It was approved by the Governor on May 19. A YES vote is the conservative vote.

(4) Diversion of Road Funds
HB 2743 by Rep. Kevin Wallace (R-Wellston) and Sen. Roger Thompson (R-Okemah)
This legislation diverted $180 Million of the amount that would ordinarily go to the Rebuilding Oklahoma Access and Driver Safety (ROADS) Fund of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to instead be apportioned to the Education Reform Revolving Fund of the State Department of Education for the fiscal years beginning in 2020 and 2021. Other legislation authorizes the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to issue lease revenue bonds in the amount of $200 Million to fund the agency’s construction plan to replace the diverted funds. This is a brazen end-run around the state’s balanced budget law requirements, by shifting funds to an entity that is covered by the law’s budget restrictions (education), by taking from another entity (capital improvements like roads) that are allowed to float bonds, and incur indebtedness. The measure was approved by the House 89-10 on May 5 and the Senate 43-4 on May 7. It was vetoed by the Governor on May 13, but the veto was overridden on May 13. A NO vote, opposing the diversion, is the conservative vote.

(5) Pro-Israel, Anti-BDS
HB 3967 by Rep. Mark McBride (R-Moore) and Sen. Darrell Weaver (R-Moore)
This legislation recognizes Israel as one of Oklahoma’s top trade partners and the Nation’s greatest ally in the Middle East. It specifies that unless exempted by the Secretary of State, the state of Oklahoma will not enter into contracts with companies that advocate “boycotts, divestments or sanctions” (BDS) against Israel. The state also will not adopt a procurement, investment or other policies that has the effect of inducing or requiring a person to boycott the government of Israel or those doing business in or with Israel or territories under its jurisdiction. Rep. Mark McBride, the House author, said Oklahoma exported almost $104 million of commodities to Israel in 2019, up from almost $61 million in 2017. Contracting with companies that refuse to deal with U.S. trade partners, such as Israel, or that make discriminatory decisions on the basis of national origin is risky and unsound trade practice. The bill is modeled after legislation adopted by 28 other states. It passed the House by a vote of 75-20 on March 3 and the Senate 36-7 on May 15. It was approved by the Governor on May 21. A YES vote is the conservative vote.

(6) Nondiscrimination in Healthcare
HB2587 by Rep. Sean Roberts (R-Hominy) and Sen. Julie Daniels (R-Bartlesville)
The Nondiscrimination in Health Care Coverage Act prohibits state agencies from developing or employing the use of Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) as a measure of whether a health-care service should be covered by insurance or other health reimbursement. Under a QALY system, the lives of persons with disabilities are deemed less valuable, and therefore less worthy of health care, than the lives of nondisabled persons, and thus they are vulnerable to denial of health-care coverage. This legislation is a gallant attempt to halt the discrimination now used in other nations with socialized and other forms of government-funded health care, to cut costs by not giving equal medical treatment to disabled person. Additionally, state agencies proposing new utilization management measures must post for public comment both the proposed measure and the rationale behind the proposed measure. State agencies must consult with organizations advocating for individuals with disabilities and older adults before implementing health coverage changes. The law, first of its kind in the nation, was drafted by National Right to Life. It passed the House 69-21 on March 10 and the Senate 38-6 on May 15. It was approved by the Governor on May 21. A YES vote is the conservative vote.

(7) Affordable Housing Tax Credit
HB 2760 by Rep. Kevin Wallace (R-Wellston) and Sen. Roger Thompson (R-Okemah)
This measure lowers the annual cap of credits awarded through the Affordable Housing Tax Credit, reducing the cap from $4,000,000 to $2,000,000. The purpose of Oklahoma’s affordable housing income tax credit program is to expand the supply of new and affordable rental units and rehabilitate existing rental housing . A taxpayer owning an interest in an investment in a qualified project is allowed to take a state tax credit if the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) issues an eligibility statement for that project. The reduction of the cap passed the House 59-41 on May 7 and the Senate 25-20 on May 12. It was vetoed by the Governor on May 18. A YES vote is the conservative vote.

(8) Homemade Food Freedom Act
SB 1714 by Sen. Adam Pugh (R-Edmond) and Rep. Garry Mize (R-Edmond)
Home-based bakeries and other types of food businesses could continue growing their small business without having to rent or buy a commercial property under this bill. Sen. Adam Pugh authored Senate Bill 1714 to allow these types of small business owners the freedom to decide when they are ready to move into a larger commercial location rather than the state forcing them. “Current law unfairly hurts these home-based businesses by requiring them to move into a commercial location once their gross income reaches $20,000 a year. After expenses, that is not enough money to support a commercial business,” Pugh said. The legislation would remove the arbitrary $20,000 annual gross sales limit, and requires ingredient labeling and a notice that the product was made in a home kitchen. The bill passed the Senate 41-5 on March 3. It was Amended and approved by the House 69-13 on May 15. It was returned to the Senate for consideration of House amendments, but was not acted on before the end of the legislative session. A YES vote is the conservative vote.

(9) Seat Belt Law Expansion

HB 2791 by Rep. Ross Ford (R-Broken Arrow) and Sen. Darrell Weaver (R-Moore)
House Bill 2791 would require every person under the age of 18 to wear a seat belt when riding in the back seat of a passenger vehicle in Oklahoma. Currently, state law requires only youth ages 8 or younger to wear a seatbelt while riding in the backseat of a moving vehicle. Other than that, only the driver and front-seat passenger are required to be belted. The bill passed the House 78-18 on March 10 and moved to the state Senate where it failed to get a vote. A NO vote is the conservative vote.

SB 1303 by Sen. Roland Pederson (R-Burlington) and Rep. Ross Ford (R-Broken Arrow)
Senate Bill 1303 would require passengers age 17 and under riding in the rear passenger compartment to wear a seat belt while riding in the back seat of a vehicle. Current Oklahoma law only requires children under the age of eight and passengers in the front seat to buckle up. The measure passed the Senate 25-22 on February 24 and moved to the House where it failed to get a vote. A NO vote is the conservative vote.

(10) Stopping Abortion
HB 1182 by Rep. Jim Olsen (R-Roland) and Sen. Julie Daniels (R-Bartlesville)

The House passed legislation directing the Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision and the State Board of Osteopathic Examiners to revoke the licenses of physicians who perform abortions. House Bill 1182 would revoke the license for one year. An amendment filed prior to the vote clarified the life of the mother exception. “Every single human life, born and unborn, has value. It’s our obligation as a civilized people to defend and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves,” said Rep. Jim Olsen, the House author of the bill. It passed the House 71-21on February 2. It moved to the Senate where it died in committee. A YES vote is the conservative vote.

SB 13 by Sen. Joe Silk (R-Broken Bow)
This legislation would effectively end abortions in the state. The bill says: “It is the intent of the Legislature to provide to unborn children the equal protection of the laws of this state; to establish that a living human child, from the moment of fertilization upon the fusion of a human spermatozoon with a human ovum, is entitled to the same rights, powers, privileges, justice and protections as are secured or granted by the laws of this state to any other human person; and to treat as void and of no effect any and all federal statutes, regulations, executive orders and court rulings, which would deprive an unborn child of the right to life.” The bill was “double assigned” to Health and Human Services Committee and to the Appropriations Committee to make it more difficult to reach the Senate floor for a vote. Neither committee considered the bill. On March 11, Senator Silk moved that SB 13be withdrawn from committee and placed on General Order so it could be considered on the Senate floor. Many senators claiming to be pro-life were willing to short-circuit a strong bill to protect the life of the unborn. Because the bill was not even going to be considered, as is, or even modified by an amendment, a motion by Silk was made to let the full Senate consider the bill. Unfortunately, a motion was made to table (kill) the Silk motion, which tabling motion was declared adopted by a vote of 38-4. The NO votes, against the tabling motion, is the conservative vote.
]]><![CDATA[2020 Trump Index, By Sooner Tea Party]]>Wed, 03 Jun 2020 02:30:00 GMThttps://www.soonerpolitics.org/scorecards/2020-trump-index-by-sooner-tea-party
  ​Amazingly enough this was a decent year for conservatives in Oklahoma. There was only one really large major tax increase, the SHOPP Medicaid Expansion. There were a lot of omnibus bills with all sorts of things that had both good and bad in them and created a quandary as far as saying if they were good or bad. But the virus shortened the session and kept the amount of stupidity down to a dull roar.
  As a result, or perhaps as a result of a decade of hammering in the idiots, the scores in the 2020 Trump Index were a bit higher than usual. There were some surprises like seeing Kevin McDugle pander vote enough that he had a decent score, or only one Democrat scoring high enough to make the top fifteen conservatives in the House.
  Kevin West, Tommy Hardin, Tom Gann, and Denise Crosswhite Hader all tied for the top score at 90 points out of 100 possible points. Coming in at 80 points were Sean Roberts, Jim Olsen, David Smith, and Kevin McDugle. Steagall, Taylor, O'Donnell all tied at 70 points. Then ten more, packed with freshmen, came in at 60 points. Keep in mind that a Republican from a Democrat heavy district has always needed to stay around 60 points to remain in office due to rural concerns like subsidizing hospitals to keep them afloat.

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​  But what was interesting was watching House leadership and their lieutenants all come in at 40 points, low but at least twenty to thirty points higher than in previous years. It may be that the RINOs are waking up and inching their way back towards the center. We also have to remember that we had over a billion dollar shortfall thanks to the virus and the plunge in oil prices so the legislators held the line on some tempting bills instead of passing more tax increases.
  The Senate had a strong showing with about 13 Senators coming out at 50 points or higher. Natan Dahm came out at the top at 75 points, followed by Bergstrom, Pederson, Murdock, Dosett, Pugh, and Scott.
  The brevity of the session coupled with the hammered economy and quarantine that made it nearly impossible for even a RINO to contemplate voting for tax increases in an election year created an unusual legislative session with a real shortage of bad legislation passed. That made us use a couple of bills that normally wouldn't have made the cut like the HB 2749 endowment limit bill, the SB 1728 wrongful death bill (anti abortion), or the SB 1081 anti red flag bill.

  Here are the top House & Senate scores, followed by a series of indexes ordered by district: See the 3 tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet. you can toggle between sheets to switch from House to Senate.
  Why? Because it has always been our philosophy that legislators ought not to be rewarded for good behavior as good behavior ought to be expected from them as Republicans so a index ought to be a list of bad votes that betrayed conservative values and Oklahomans in general. The fewer the bills the more points each is worth; previous sessions might have had 18 or even 20 bills on the index so a missed bill or a normally conservative legislator voting against a conservative bill to placate his district had a direct impact on the dependable conservative legislator's score.
  Then there is this, capping the endowment money from the state was long overdue, the state was hundreds of millions in the hole to pay for previous years, so one could understand yet not like a vote against the legislation. The wrongful death bill was a needed anti abortion bill that incrementally cranked some pressure on the abortion industry while we await Trump anointing one or even two more judges to the court to make possible an overturning of Roe V. Wade. And the red flag bill was sorely needed, yes a conservative ought to have supported the bill but the risk to our 2nd Amendment rights was great and a message needed sent. Now, follow that up in 2021 with a State Question to get the protection in the Oklahoma Constitution so it is difficult to back out and you have done some good.
  So all in all, while it was a difficult year due to the paucity of bad votes, it wasn't difficult to come up with a list that asked; WWTD? What Would Trump Do? Too many groups wait till after the election before ranking legislators when the indexes are sorely needed by the voters and activists before the election.

Here are the top House scores, followed by a series of indexes ordered by district:
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