(The Center Square) - Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt indicated Friday that he would continue vetoing unrelated bills until the House and Senate agree on school choice and tax cuts.

Stitt vetoed 20 unrelated Senate bills this week, all with the same message.

"Until we get tax cuts, until we get parent choice done, we are not going to do all this other stuff for lobbyists and special interest groups," Stitt said at his weekly news conference. "Let's get those things done and then we will be happy to talk about some other things in the budget."

The House and Senate have passed two versions of the school choice bill this week.

House Bill 1934 would give tax credits that parents can use to send their children to the school of their choice. The bill has tiered income requirements.

Parents with a household income of $75,000 or less would receive $7,500, the largest credit. The smallest credit, $5,000, would go to household incomes of $250,000 or less. The bill caps the amount of tax credits at $150 million the first year and increases the cap in subsequent years.

The House passed House Bill 1935, which does not include income limits. The tax credits would begin at $5,000 for the 2023 tax year before reaching $6,500 in tax year 2025. The bill caps the credits at $200 million for the 2023 tax year and removes the cap by the 2025 tax year.

"I don't like the fact that they're capping it," Stitt said.

Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat said after Thursday's vote, the chamber will not be bullied.

"We are being bullied again by the executive branch that is vetoing bills with a veto message that simply says, 'any senator that does go in line and get in line with his plan verbatim will have their bills vetoed, not because the merit or lack thereof on that bill, but because of petty disagreements in trying to bully this body into a position," Treat said. "We will not be bullied."'

Stitt said the two chambers are talking and he is "very optimistic that we're going to land the plane."

"I am trying to push them together to come up with something that can work for every Oklahoman," the governor said.

President Joe Biden signed in March a new executive order designed to increase the likelihood that firearm background checks are indeed initiated before guns are sold in the United States.

Though many polls indicate that the vast majority of Americans - Republicans and Democrats alike - support universal background checks, the president's new order does not extend that far. Instead, the order gives Attorney General Merrick Garland greater authority to ensure that gun dealers are complying with current background check laws, whatever they may be. The White House said the order would move the U.S. "as close to universal background checks as possible without additional legislation."

Background checks are often used to approximate the level of gun sales, but they can also be initiated for reasons that are not tied to gun sales, including rentals and pawn shop transactions. To reach a better estimate of gun sales, 24/7 Wall St. excluded checks that may not be tied to sales.

Nearly 3 million firearm background checks were conducted in the United States in March, according to data compiled by the FBI. While this figure represents a substantial increase of more than 450,000 checks, compared to February, when 2.5 million checks were conducted, it is more or less in line with the number of checks conducted in March of 2022.

However, in some states, the number of background checks was down substantially from where it was a year ago.

In Oklahoma, 29,881 firearm background checks were conducted in March 2023 - excluding checks not likely tied to gun sales, such as pawn shop transactions, returns, rentals, and rechecks - down from 33,543 the same month last year. The 10.9% decline in estimated gun sales was the 20th largest among states.

All data in this story is from the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Background checks are a proxy measure for gun sales and are adjusted to remove checks that were not likely tied to a firearm sale.

RankState1 yr. change in firearm background checks (%)Firearm background checks, March 2023Firearm background checks, March 20221Louisiana-27.624,75234,2022South Carolina-24.730,58740,6473Alabama-23.555,26572,2404Rhode Island-22.12,4323,1225Delaware-19.94,5515,6846Connecticut-18.921,34426,3327Mississippi-17.921,82426,5718Kentucky-17.025,10530,2649Tennessee-16.171,55185,30310North Dakota-15.96,4267,64111Missouri-14.146,36753,97812Indiana-14.045,12152,44413Kansas-13.516,22618,76714Ohio-13.562,13071,81515Georgia-13.352,38160,41016South Dakota-13.07,4698,58617New York-12.235,48340,40418Texas-11.5139,942158,10219Nevada-11.513,66515,43820Oklahoma-10.929,88133,543

(The Center Square) - The Oklahoma Senate passed an amended school choice bill late Thursday as it continues its showdown with the House and Gov. Kevin Stitt.

House Bill 1934 would give tax credits that parents can use to send their children to the school of their choice. The bill has tiered income requirements.

Parents with a household income of $75,000 or less would receive $7,500, the largest credit. The smallest credit, $5,000, would go to household incomes of $250,000 or less.

The vote by the Senate comes a day after the House passed House Bill 1935, which does not include income limits. The tax credits would begin at $5,000 for the 2023 tax year before reaching $6,500 in tax year 2025.

Stitt has vetoed 20 unrelated Senate bills and said he would continue to do so until the Senate and House reach a compromise on an education plan and tax cuts.

"Therefore, until the people of Oklahoma have a tax cut, until every teacher in the state gets the pay raise they deserve, until parents get a tax credit to send their child to the school of their choice, I am vetoing this unrelated policy and will continue to veto any and all legislation authored by Senators who have not stood with the people of Oklahoma and supported this plan," Stitt said in his veto message.

Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat said the chamber would not be bullied.

"Bullying does not work in this building," Treat said. "The Senate has been bullied or attempted to be bullied throughout this entire session, both from our counterparts across the rotunda when they stood up on week two and said, 'nothing can be changed in these two bills that would be acceptable.' We are being bullied again by the executive branch that is vetoing bills with a veto message that simply says, 'any senator that does go in line and get in line with his plan verbatim will have their bills vetoed, not because the merit or lack thereof on that bill, but because of petty disagreements in trying to bully this body into a position. We will not be bullied."

HB 1934 passed 36-10. Democrats said they oppose school choice tax credits and have introduced their $800 million education plan, including raises for all teachers and a 6% raise for classified employees.

Senate Democrats said Thursday that the impasse between the two houses is not best for the public.

"We are seeing day-after-day, 'lose, lose' scenarios," said Senate Minority Leader Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City. "There's no win here."

(The Center Square) - Customers with the Public Service Company of Oklahoma will see a nearly $2 rate increase for a few months in 2025 before seeing a decline in 2026, per an agreement reached with the utility and Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.

The agreement, which still needs the approval of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, will allow PSO to build three solar farms and three wind farms. The six projects have a combined price tag of $2.5 billion. The project cannot exceed that amount to keep taxpayers from absorbing any of the costs, according to Drummond.

The project's reduction in fuel usage and production tax credits will lead to a decrease in consumer bills by $2.58 a month in 2026, according to a news release from Drummond's office.

“With a project of this magnitude, it was imperative to put in place customer protections to safeguard Oklahoma ratepayers,” Drummond said. “I am pleased that this settlement will result in more capacity in times of need, at cheaper rates for PSO customers."

The agreement includes several parties representing "customer interests," according to Drummond.

The settlement is part of PSO's Fuel Free Power Plan, announced last year and settled earlier this month, according to information on the company's website.

Company officials said the plan adds 995.5 megawatts of new renewable energy to its generation mix. PSO serves 568,000 customers in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma, the company said.

(The Center Square) - The Oklahoma Pardon and Paroles Board denied clemency for convicted murderer Richard Glossip after four board members split their vote, clearing the way for Glossip to die by lethal injection on May 18.

The hearing brought together two families tied together by the 1997 murder of hotel owner Barry Van Treese and some unlikely allies for Glossip – Republican lawmakers and a Republican attorney general.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond asked the board to grant clemency to Glossip, who has sat on death row for 25 years. He was convicted twice in the murder of Barry Van Treese, even though he did not commit the crime. His co-defendant, Justin Sneed, took a plea deal and was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Sneed bludgeoned the motel owner to death in 1997 as part of what prosecutors called a "murder for hire" scheme.

Drummond told the board he believed Glossip was guilty of at least accessory after the fact.

"More likely than not, he's guilty of murder," Drummond said. "But I do not believe the evidence present that he's guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and that's my concern."

Drummond appointed an independent counsel after he learned about a box of evidence the state had not turned over to Glossip's defense attorneys. Before that, Glossip had been the subject of a documentary and appeals from celebrities, including actress Susan Sarandon.

Van Treese's family members said the process had been "one-sided."

"It feels like a giant stab in the back, to be honest with you," Alana Van Treese Mileto, Barry Van Treese's sister, said during the hearing. "Because we have not been represented here today."

Glossip has been scheduled to die nine times and had his last meal three times. He was the last person to testify before the board.

"I'm not a murderer," Glossip said. "I don't deserve to die for this."

Glossip's lawyers are calling on Gov. Kevin Stitt to intervene.

"We will pursue every avenue in the courts to stop this unlawful judicial execution," said Glossip's attorney Don Knight in a statement. "New evidence has shown that Justin Sneed, the person who committed the murder and the star witness for the prosecution, lied on the stand and wanted to recant his false testimony. If the jury had known what we know now, they never would have convicted Mr. Glossip."

Drummond said he was disappointed with the board's decision.

"Public confidence in the death penalty requires that these cases receive the highest standard of reliability," he said. "While the State has not questioned the integrity of previous death penalty cases, the Glossip conviction is very different. I believe it would be a grave injustice to execute an individual whose trial conviction was beset by a litany of errors."

Most Americans are woefully underprepared for retirement. Based on analysis of Federal Reserve data by the accounting firm PwC, the typical American between the ages of 55 and 64 has just $120,000 in a retirement savings account. Though the vast majority of retirees supplement their savings with Social Security income, the average monthly Social Security payment is only $1,694 - not nearly enough to cover typical living expenses, let alone luxuries like travel and dining out.

Partially as a result, the number of Americans working past retirement age is rising fast. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that more than 26% Americans between ages 65 to 74 were still working in 2020, and that share is projected to hit 32% by 2030. In 1995, about 17.5% of Americans that age were working, and the percentage was even lower before that.

For those who do not want to work past age 65 and still be financially secure, there is a certain amount of money they can expect to need. This amount should account for expenditures throughout retirement and can come from retirement savings or other sources of income.

According to the Consumer Expenditure Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the typical retirement-age American spent $52,141 in 2021. Adjusting this figure for average state-level cost of living, inflation, and average life expectancy at age 65 - plus a 15% financial cushion - Oklahoma residents can reasonably expect to spend, on average, $1,197,264 over the course of their retirement starting at age 65, the eighth lowest amount of all states.

It is important to note that this figure does not reflect a retirement savings target, as investment and interest income, pension plans, and Social Security can each supplement retirement savings.

All data used for the calculations in this story are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the National Center for Health Statistics. For each year of life beyond age 65, we added 2% of annual expenditures to account for inflation, based on the Federal Reserve's target inflation rate. Click here to read our full methodology.

RankGeoEst. cost of a comfortable retirement at age 65 ($)Cost of livingPop. who are 65 and older (%)1Hawaii1,501,76213.2% higher than avg.19.62California1,482,79611.8% higher than avg.15.23New York1,452,3839.5% higher than avg.17.54New Jersey1,447,0119.1% higher than avg.16.95Washington1,444,1738.9% higher than avg.16.26Massachusetts1,413,2706.6% higher than avg.17.47Maryland1,408,8666.2% higher than avg.16.38Alaska1,385,2054.4% higher than avg.13.49Oregon1,366,5433% higher than avg.18.610Colorado1,366,2383% higher than avg.15.111Connecticut1,360,8532.6% higher than avg.18.012New Hampshire1,359,6202.5% higher than avg.19.313Virginia1,356,5432.3% higher than avg.16.314Rhode Island1,353,9562.1% higher than avg.18.315Florida1,345,2951.4% higher than avg.21.116Illinois1,345,0571.4% higher than avg.16.617Vermont1,308,5561.3% lower than avg.20.618Texas1,306,4601.5% lower than avg.13.219Minnesota1,305,4131.6% lower than avg.16.820Delaware1,295,5182.3% lower than avg.20.121Maine1,289,2582.8% lower than avg.21.722Arizona1,282,8393.3% lower than avg.18.323Pennsylvania1,278,1963.6% lower than avg.19.024Georgia1,270,4114.2% lower than avg.14.725Nevada1,267,2144.5% lower than avg.16.526Utah1,254,6015.4% lower than avg.11.627Michigan1,250,1055.7% lower than avg.18.128North Carolina1,244,1636.2% lower than avg.17.029South Carolina1,242,6776.3% lower than avg.18.630Wisconsin1,238,0886.7% lower than avg.17.931Indiana1,229,9717.3% lower than avg.16.432Ohio1,226,3107.5% lower than avg.17.833Missouri1,220,5148% lower than avg.17.634Idaho1,217,2528.2% lower than avg.16.535Nebraska1,216,9208.2% lower than avg.16.436Montana1,214,4808.4% lower than avg.19.737Wyoming1,212,5038.6% lower than avg.17.938Louisiana1,210,6208.7% lower than avg.16.639Kansas1,209,0428.8% lower than avg.16.740North Dakota1,208,3258.9% lower than avg.16.041Tennessee1,205,0239.1% lower than avg.17.042West Virginia1,203,8169.2% lower than avg.20.743Oklahoma1,197,2649.7% lower than avg.16.244South Dakota1,195,6469.9% lower than avg.17.645New Mexico1,192,46210.1% lower than avg.18.546Iowa1,187,96610.4% lower than avg.17.847Arkansas1,186,33510.6% lower than avg.17.448Kentucky1,182,07710.9% lower than avg.17.049Alabama1,169,01311.9% lower than avg.17.650Mississippi1,148,61413.4% lower than avg.16.8

(The Center Square) - Senate Bill 404 does not mention the religious charter schools, but Democrats say Republicans pushed the bill to use public funds for religious schools.

The Senate passed the bill 64-27 after two hours of debate Tuesday.

Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Oklahoma City, said he supported the bill in theory.

"I'm a big believer in religious freedom in the state of Oklahoma," Fugate said. "But I'm not in favor of Oklahoma taxpayers' dollars being used to subsidize religious activities."

Fugate introduced what he called the "PRICE" amendment--"Prohibiting Religious Indoctrination from Corrupting Education," but lawmakers voted not to hear it.

Rep. Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, said during the debate that the bill was not about education.

"Nothing inside this bill says religious schools could get money," said Echols, one of the bill's sponsors.

Rep. Monroe Nichols, D-Tulsa, questioned the motive behind the bill, saying as far as he knew, religious discrimination does not exist.

"What is different than any other time in state history until today?" Nichols asked. "I would suggest that it's an AG's opinion that's different about today since last year."

Attorney General Gentner Drummond withdrew his predecessor's opinion that public money could fund religious charter schools. The opinion was released just weeks before the state online charter school board considered funding for a Catholic charter school. The school was denied by members of the board earlier this month.

"I doubt most Oklahomans would want their tax dollars to fund a religious school whose tenets are diametrically opposed to their own faith," Drummond said in February. "Unfortunately, the approval of a charter school by one faith will compel the approval of charter schools by all faiths, even those most Oklahomans would consider reprehensible and unworthy of public funding."

Democrats said the bill also attacks the First Amendment.

"As per the First Amendment, every individual in Oklahoma has the right to freely practice their own religion or choose not to practice any religion at all," said House Democratic Whip Mickey Dollens, D-Oklahoma City. "However, if this bill is passed into law, state-funded religious institutions would be prioritized, potentially limiting the freedom of those who do not want to practice a particular religion that would be subsidized by taxpayers."

The bill passed the Senate in March. Gov. Kevin Stitt has not said if he would sign the bill, but he expressed his support for religious charter schools in a letter to Drummond disagreeing with his opinion.

"As Governor, I wish to make clear that I support not only the pluralism promoted by Oklahoma charter school laws but also the religious liberty of all Oklahomans and to express my confidence that the people of Oklahoma do as well," Stitt said in his letter.

Last June, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States exceeded $5 for the first time in the nation's history. The two biggest causes were the gradual end of the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, resulting in Western nations imposing embargoes on Russian oil, with the U.S. banning Russian oil entirely in March 2022.

Since then, gas prices have fallen back down, but remain well above any pre-pandemic monthly average going back more than five years. Depending on the state, the average amount Americans are paying at the pump varies from a little over $3 to nearly $5. That variance is largely the result of different transportation and refining costs and, of course, taxes.

While the federal government levies a tax of 18.4 cents on every gallon of gas sold in the United States, each state adds on its own excise tax on top of that. State-imposed gas taxes and fees can account for anywhere from 2.3% of the total cost of gas to 16.5%, depending on where you live.

In Oklahoma, gasoline is taxed at a rate of 19 cents per gallon, the seventh lowest among states. With a gallon of gas costing an average of $3.28 in Oklahoma in mid-April 2023, state gas taxes account for about 5.8% of the total cost of fuel.

Based on data from the Federal Highway Administration, fuel consumption was around 1,123 gallons per licensed driver in 2021, meaning the typical motorist spent an estimated $213 in state gas taxes alone that year.

Data on average state gas taxes as of April 2023 from business tax compliance platform IGEN. State gas taxes do not include the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon. Supplemental data on the average price of regular gas by state came from AAA and is current as of April 11, 2023. Data on motor fuel consumption and the number of licensed drivers used to calculate annual motor fuel consumption per licensed driver by state came from the Federal Highway Administration and is for 2021.

RankStateGasoline tax (cents per gal.)Avg. cost of a gal. of regular gas; April 2023 ($)State gas taxes as pct. of gas price (%)State gas tax spending per capita ($)1Pennsylvania61.103.7016.54192California53.904.8911.03423Washington49.404.4011.22844Maryland42.703.5412.12955Illinois42.303.9810.62966New Jersey42.103.4012.42837North Carolina40.503.4411.83298Ohio38.503.6610.53039Oregon38.003.999.527510West Virginia37.203.5810.443311Utah36.403.679.929512Florida35.233.589.824313Rhode Island34.003.3610.119614Indiana33.003.599.232214Montana33.003.3110.034116Vermont32.373.459.424117Idaho32.003.559.030318Georgia31.203.389.225719Wisconsin30.903.488.925320Maine30.003.438.824021Nebraska29.003.428.529322Michigan28.603.617.919923Minnesota28.503.428.322424Alabama28.003.288.529824South Carolina28.003.328.426524South Dakota28.003.438.232224Virginia28.003.468.124928Iowa27.003.417.927929Kentucky26.603.417.827430Tennessee26.003.317.923931Arkansas24.603.197.724532Kansas24.003.237.421132Massachusetts24.003.357.214632Wyoming24.003.347.241135Delaware23.003.486.615835Nevada23.004.245.417635North Dakota23.003.386.829438New Hampshire22.203.306.715539Colorado22.003.506.315239Missouri22.003.266.722341Connecticut20.003.435.813141Louisiana20.003.286.117641Texas20.003.266.122244Oklahoma19.003.285.821345New York18.153.565.110446Arizona18.004.424.112746Mississippi18.003.145.722148New Mexico17.003.554.820449Hawaii16.004.783.38250Alaska8.953.852.368

(The Center Square) - Gov. Kevin Stitt offered what he called a "compromise" Friday to two education bills that have the House and Senate at odds.

The governor's $800 million plan allocates $200 million to the Oklahoma Parental Choice tax credit. Households with less than $250,000 annually can receive a $5,000 per student credit the first year. The amount is increased to $6,000 per student in the second year and $6,500 in the third year.

House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, said the plan moves "money away from public schools to private schools."

"The Governor's education plan prioritizes vouchers for private schools and reduces teacher pay raises and public classroom funding," Munson said. "House and Senate Democrats have chosen to prioritize public school students and teachers because 95% of Oklahomans make the choice to attend a public school."

Stitt's plan has $300 million in the school funding formula, including a teacher pay raise plan that would give increases between $2,000 and $5,000. The remaining $300 million of the plan would go into the Oklahoma Student Fund.

The governor said his plan results from "months" of negotiations and meetings with the House and Senate.

"Oklahomans elected us as leaders to come together and get something done to improve education for every student in the state of Oklahoma and provide parents options," Stitt said. "This plan does just that. I am calling on the House and Senate to come together and get this across the finish line."

House Speaker Charles McCall said the House is reviewing Stitt's plan.

"Upon initial review, the plan looks like a positive step in the right direction for education in Oklahoma," McCall said in a statement. "As negotiations progress over the coming days, the House will continue to focus on passing an education plan that works for every student, every parent, every teacher and every school in the state."

Two bills at the center of the debate, House Bill 2775 and House Bill 1935, were sent to a conference committee. The Senate appointed its conferees, according to the bills' information. No conferees for the House are listed, but McCall said in a statement earlier this week he was ready to appoint them.

House and Senate Democrats released their education plan on Thursday. The $800 million plan did not include parental tax credits. Democrats are proposing teacher pay raises between $6,000 to $12,000 for all teachers and a 6% pay raise for support staff.

As the sayings go, taxes are one of the few certainties in life, and the annual ritual of filling them with the IRS is not one that many people look forward to. The average American paid $10,845 in federal income taxes alone in 2020. But, while everyone is subject to the same federal tax laws, states also have the authority to set their own tax policy, and exactly how much you end up paying depends largely on where you live.

To raise revenue, state governments levy a broad range of taxes. These typically include taxes on property, income, and sales, and they vary considerably by state. In fact, in some parts of the country, residents are exempt from paying one or more of these tax categories altogether.

According to the Tax Foundation, an independent, nonprofit, tax policy research organization, state tax collections in 2021 totaled $2,834 per capita in Oklahoma, the 11th lowest among states.

The overall tax burden in Oklahoma, which is a measure of taxes paid as a share of annual income, was 5.3% of the state's income per capita of $53,870. For comparison, the per capita state income tax burden nationwide stands at 6.0%.

All data in this story is from the Tax Foundation report Facts & Figures 2023: How Does Your State Compare from the Tax Foundation, an independent, nonprofit, tax policy research organization. Figures do not include taxes levied at the local or federal level.

RankStateState tax collections per capita in fiscal 2021 ($)Avg. annual earnings in 2022 ($)State tax burden (%)1Vermont6,35661,88210.32California6,32576,6148.33Connecticut6,12083,2947.34Hawaii5,58260,9479.25Minnesota5,57166,2808.46Delaware5,37859,9319.07Massachusetts5,20283,6536.28North Dakota5,04464,5247.89New York4,71476,8376.110New Jersey4,71477,0166.111Illinois4,38267,2446.512Washington4,21473,7755.713Oregon4,19261,5966.814Maryland4,09169,8175.915Maine3,97358,4846.816Rhode Island3,96564,3766.217Kansas3,95858,9246.718Indiana3,91556,4976.919Arkansas3,87550,6257.720Pennsylvania3,82464,2795.921Utah3,78456,0196.822Wisconsin3,78259,6266.323Virginia3,74166,3055.624Iowa3,70157,1636.525Nebraska3,54561,2055.826New Mexico3,53150,3117.027Montana3,51456,9496.228Michigan3,42656,4946.129Idaho3,40552,3696.530West Virginia3,39148,4887.031Nevada3,31360,2135.532North Carolina3,29056,1735.933Kentucky3,24251,2666.334Wyoming3,23969,6664.635Colorado3,23870,7064.636Mississippi3,17145,8816.937Ohio2,96356,8795.238Tennessee2,86456,5605.139Arizona2,86155,4875.240Oklahoma2,83453,8705.341Alabama2,82849,7695.742Louisiana2,65154,2174.943Georgia2,57955,7864.644South Carolina2,56052,4674.945Missouri2,44755,3254.446South Dakota2,40164,4623.747New Hampshire2,31373,2003.248Florida2,26462,2703.649Texas2,21459,8653.750Alaska1,43865,8132.2