Sooner Politics.org
  • Front Page
  • Oklahoma News
    • Oklahoma Reports
    • OCPAC
    • Oklahoma Constitution News
    • Oklahoma Center Square
    • AP Wire
    • NewsBreak Oklahoma
    • Oklahoma Almanac
    • Trump's America
    • Muskogee Now
    • Capitol Beat
    • Faked Out Sports
    • OSU Sports
  • SoonerPolitics TV
    • Me, Myself, & Liberty
    • AircraftSparky
    • E PLURIBUS OTAP
    • Tapp's Common Sense
    • Red River TV
  • Legislative Watch
    • Legislative Scores
    • Right To Arms
    • Okla. Medical Marijuana Law
    • Congressional Tweets
    • Kevin Stitt
    • Lawmaker's Journal
  • Editorial
    • From the Editor
    • Weekend Report
    • 3D Politics
    • Reagan Speaks
    • On This Date
  • Sooner Issues
    • Corruption Chronicle
    • Constitutional Grounds
    • State Groups
  • Sooner Analysts
    • OCPA
    • Ekklesia of Oklahoma
    • Pat Campbell
    • Muskogee Politico
    • 1889 Institute
    • Steve Byas
    • Everett Piper
    • Michael Bates
    • Steve Fair
    • Andrew Spiropoulos
    • Rooke Report
    • Josh Lewis
    • Sooner Tea Party
    • Nigel O'mally
    • Cut The Crap
    • KOKC
  • Nation
    • Breitbart News
    • Rush Limbaugh
    • Daily wire
    • Steven Crowder
    • InfoWars News
    • The F1rst
    • NewsMax
    • America's Voice
    • Ron Paul Institute
    • Bill Gertz
    • D i s r n
    • Just the News
    • Trey Gowdy
    • Fox Politics
    • National Commentary
  • Wit & Whimsy
    • Terrence Williams
    • Witty Cartoons
    • Will Rogers Said
    • Repository of Pith
    • Dubiosity
    • Steeple Chasers
    • The Partisan
    • Satire
    • New Media Guide
  • SoonerPolitics.org
    • Masthead

Spite: How Legislators Punish Watchdog Agencies

5/1/2018

Comments

 
  Today the chairman of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission lashed out at the legislature for cutting the Ethics Commission budget during an economic recovery year.
  In the past decade the State Auditor's department has been cut about 40%, under the same sort of  turf wars with the legislature & governor.
"I am appalled," the Ethics Commission chairman, John C. Hawkins, wrote in an email sent Sunday to state senators and House members. "The retaliation on a state agency by cutting their budget for doing their job is unconscionable."
  "How do you propose that we now open an investigation when you come to us with a breach of the rules?" Hawkins wrote legislators. "How do you propose that we protect the electorate from collusion on a mass scale to sway elections? How would you like for us to choose who receives education and help?"

The Ethics Commission next meets May 11 and may file a suit to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

"The Commission will now be forced to spend some of the meager resources it has to bring action against the Legislature to correct the funding mechanism," Hawkins' email said.
Picture

Picture
  Ashley Kemp is the Commission's Executive Director. She added her protests; 
  "In adding Article 29 to the state Constitution, the people require the Legislature to appropriate the Commission sufficient funds to enable it to perform its responsibilities under the law," Kemp wrote Wallace. "The Constitution is clear the appropriation must originate from the General Revenue Fund."

She also told Wallace, "As an agency director, I cannot lawfully expend funds received through what I believe is an unlawful process."

The Ethics Commission had requested $3,354,000 for fiscal year 2019 to carry out its existing duties.

Kevin Wallace, R-Wellston, is chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee. On Friday, he defended how the Ethics Commission will be funded.

"I do not believe that we have violated the Constitution in one way with this budget," Wallace said on the House floor during a long discussion of the overall state government spending bill.

"This is a darn good budget, best budget I've seen since I've been here," Wallace also said.
​
If the Ethics Commission prevails, the legislature may be called to yet another special session later this summer, to comply with whatever adjudication is prescribed.

Comments

    Sooner Politics
      Editorial  

    Picture
    David Van Risseghem reports the events and adds some perspective. 

    Subscribe to SoonerPolitics daily email news bulletin.
    Enter your email address:




    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    August 2015
    January 2015


    Subscribe in a reader
    ​We recently moved our blog. Our archives are still partially stored at our old site. 

    Author

    David Van Risseghem  is the Publisher of SoonerPolitics.org. The resource is committed to informing & mobilizing conservative Oklahomans for civic reform.  This endeavor seeks to utilize the efforts of all cooperative facets of the Conservative movement...

    ​"No politician 'checks off every box" in your list of issues. You have to prioritize and use personal discretion regarding every current and future issue that you can imagine. Then you have to also judge integrity & consistency. A candidate's openness to study the issues & courage to think for themselves. Then you need to review their honesty & work ethic.  I respect any voter's decision, when they've informed themselves and took voting seriously." - David Van Risseghem
​FRONT PAGE •  OKLAHOMA NEWS • EDITORIAL • SOONER ISSUES •​ STATE GROUPS •​ SOONER ANALYSTS •​ LAWMAKER'S JOURNAL •​ NATION •​ NATIONAL COMMENTARY •​ CARTOONS •​ ​
Picture

918 . 928 . 7776

 SoonerPolitics.org is committed to informing & mobilizing conservative Oklahomans for civic reform & restored liberty. We seeks to utilize the efforts of all cooperative facets of the Conservative movement... Content of the diverse columns are solely at the discretion of the dozens of websites who create the content.   David Van Risseghem  is the founder of this platform.
 Sooner Politics News is a platform, not a media site. All our bloggers get their feeds promoted regardless of content. As soon as We suppress or delete even one posting, we become an endorser of whatever We didn't censor..The publisher doesn't (and could not) logically agree with all the content, so we would not expect any rational reader to agree, either. What we do hope, is that readers will think for themselves, and at least be better informed of the issues, events, and values that our citizen journalists work hard to provide for free.. We automate much of the tasks so that our sources' content gets as much exposure as possible. We encourage constructive discussion & debate. The solution is more free speech, not less.​

  • Front Page
  • Oklahoma News
    • Oklahoma Reports
    • OCPAC
    • Oklahoma Constitution News
    • Oklahoma Center Square
    • AP Wire
    • NewsBreak Oklahoma
    • Oklahoma Almanac
    • Trump's America
    • Muskogee Now
    • Capitol Beat
    • Faked Out Sports
    • OSU Sports
  • SoonerPolitics TV
    • Me, Myself, & Liberty
    • AircraftSparky
    • E PLURIBUS OTAP
    • Tapp's Common Sense
    • Red River TV
  • Legislative Watch
    • Legislative Scores
    • Right To Arms
    • Okla. Medical Marijuana Law
    • Congressional Tweets
    • Kevin Stitt
    • Lawmaker's Journal
  • Editorial
    • From the Editor
    • Weekend Report
    • 3D Politics
    • Reagan Speaks
    • On This Date
  • Sooner Issues
    • Corruption Chronicle
    • Constitutional Grounds
    • State Groups
  • Sooner Analysts
    • OCPA
    • Ekklesia of Oklahoma
    • Pat Campbell
    • Muskogee Politico
    • 1889 Institute
    • Steve Byas
    • Everett Piper
    • Michael Bates
    • Steve Fair
    • Andrew Spiropoulos
    • Rooke Report
    • Josh Lewis
    • Sooner Tea Party
    • Nigel O'mally
    • Cut The Crap
    • KOKC
  • Nation
    • Breitbart News
    • Rush Limbaugh
    • Daily wire
    • Steven Crowder
    • InfoWars News
    • The F1rst
    • NewsMax
    • America's Voice
    • Ron Paul Institute
    • Bill Gertz
    • D i s r n
    • Just the News
    • Trey Gowdy
    • Fox Politics
    • National Commentary
  • Wit & Whimsy
    • Terrence Williams
    • Witty Cartoons
    • Will Rogers Said
    • Repository of Pith
    • Dubiosity
    • Steeple Chasers
    • The Partisan
    • Satire
    • New Media Guide
  • SoonerPolitics.org
    • Masthead