Lankford Outraged That Defense Department Has Granted Nearly ZERO Religious Accommodations for COVID-19 Vaccine

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (January 25th) – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin demanding to know why, despite 19,979 known requests for religious accommodations from the COVID-19 vaccine, the Department has granted nearly zero requests for religious accommodations among the service branches. The US Marines reportedly have two religious accommodations—out of 3,367 requests.

In his letter, Lankford wrote that according to information his office obtained: the US Army has received 2,128 requests for religious accommodations, the US Navy has received 3,791 requests for religious accommodations; and the US Air Force has received 10,693 requests for religious accommodations. None have been granted.

“It is alarming that the Department is so blatantly disregarding the free exercise of religion that is guaranteed to our military service members, both through the First Amendment and through the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) (42 U.S.C. Sec 2000bb-1). Congress chose to apply RFRA to the military, and the military remains accountable to Congress for adhering to this law,” wrote Lankford in the letter.

Lowe's bill is named after the former judge pictured below, who resigned last year following what appears to have been extensive sexual misconduct with several prosecutors and attorneys. So far, at least one conviction in a case tried by the judge has been thrown out.

Disgraced former Oklahoma County District Judge Tim Henderson

Legislation Seeks to Raise Standards for Oklahoma Judges

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Jason Lowe, D-OKC, filed legislation for the upcoming legislative session that seeks to protect and restore faith in the Oklahoma justice system. 

House Bill 3746, the Judge Timothy Henderson Act, would forbid judges from having a sexual relationship with a lawyer who is representing a client in the courtroom assigned to the judge. 

Any judge who violates the proposed law could be imprisoned for up to two years and fined up to $100,000.

“The people of Oklahoma have an expectation for how their public servants should act,” Lowe said. “This legislation helps ensure that the decisions being made by a judge are driven by the facts of the case and not a relationship with an attorney.” 

Establishing a clear line for expectations helps both the people of Oklahoma and judges.

“As most of us know, the appearance of impropriety is often as damaging as the impropriety itself,” Lowe said. “This is a proactive approach to protect public trust by holding public servants accountable.”

Roberts Plans to Push for Legislative Referendum to Remove Grocery Sales Tax

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Sean Roberts, R-Hominy, today announced that he plans to continue his push for a referendum to remove Oklahoma's sales tax on groceries.

"Currently only six states allow full taxes on groceries, Oklahoma being one," Roberts said. "We currently have a surplus in funds and revenues are up, so now is the time to bring this much needed relief to Oklahoma families."

A legislative referendum is the mechanism by which the Oklahoma Legislature can submit a constitutional amendment or statutory change to a vote of the people. It is one of two ways to place a State Question on the ballot in Oklahoma, the other being by initiative petition. Roberts previously filed House Bill 2844 last session and will be advocating for its passage again this session.

Sen. Dahm files bill to make Ivermectin, Hydroxychloroquine available over the counter

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, has filed Senate Bill 1525 to make Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin available over the counter.

Sen. Pederson files bill to improve ag tax exemption renewal process

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Roland Pederson has filed legislation aimed at cutting through red tape for farmers and ranchers renewing their agricultural sales tax exemption.  Pederson, R- Burlington, said Senate Bill 1655 would simplify the renewal process for those who have already met the initial requirements to qualify for the exemption.

Well, this is certainly an interesting proposal...

It's an intriguing idea, though I doubt it will receive a hearing. 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Del City, has filed legislation aimed at giving Oklahomans a voice regardless of whether an incumbent legislator has an opponent.

House Bill 3059 creates a vehicle that allows voters to decide whether to retain an incumbent who is not facing a challenger during their reelection bid.

Oklahoma (January 24, 2022) - State Senator and candidate for US Senate Nathan Dahm released a statement on the potential of a Russia and Ukraine war: 

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma House of Representatives completed bill filing Thurs., Jan. 20, for the second session of the 58th Legislature. A total of 1,482 House Bills, 18 House Joint Resolutions and 2 House Concurrent Resolutions were filed.

The full text of the bills, along with additional information including authors and co-authors, can be found online at www.okhouse.gov.

Last year, the Clerk of the House reported 1,942 House Bills, 44 House Joint Resolutions and 2 House Resolutions were filed. 1,656 House Bills and 45 House Joint Resolutions, which may be filed at any point during session, remain eligible for consideration in the upcoming session.

The House is comprised of 82 Republicans and 19 Democrats. The second session of the 58th Legislature will begin Mon., Feb. 7 at noon with the State of the State address from Gov. Kevin Stitt in the House Chamber.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Senate has completed filing bills for the Second Session of the 58th Legislature.  The deadline was Thursday, Jan. 20.  A total of 774 Senate Bills and 23 Senate Joint Resolutions were filed.  Additionally, 771 Senate Bills and 25 Senate Joint Resolutions were carried over from the 2021 session and are available for consideration during the 2022 session.

The Thursday deadline did not apply to appropriations bills, which can be filed throughout the session.  Senate rules also allow for bills by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to be filed throughout the session. Senate Resolutions and Senate Concurrent Resolutions can be filed throughout the session as well.

Workers, employers win with vax-mandate ruling

Oklahoma’s workers and their employers alike won an important victory when the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down the Biden administration’s COVID-vaccine mandate for private businesses. That mandate clearly exceeded the government’s authority, opened the door for further abuses of power, and would have had a significant negative impact on the labor supply.

The case also shows what happens when one man has courage. Brandon Trosclair, a Louisiana business owner, joined with the Pelican Institute for Public Policy (a think tank similar to the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs) to lead the charge against the Biden mandate in court.

Trosclair employs nearly 500 people across 15 grocery stores in Louisiana and Mississippi that conduct business under the names Ralph’s Market, Butcher Boy, and Save A Lot. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations imposed by the Biden administration, all employees of businesses with 100 or more staff members–an estimated 80 million private-sector workers–would have been required to be vaccinated or tested weekly and wear a mask as a condition of employment. Businesses that failed to comply faced fines up to $136,532. Yet Trosclair chose to stand up for his workers and oppose the mandate in court.

There were sound practical reasons to oppose the mandate. Businesses already face a labor shortage that would have been exacerbated by the mandate since many workers were expected to quit jobs to avoid the vaccine.

But there were also crucial philosophical reasons to oppose the mandate. Trosclair told OCPA that the decision to vaccinate (or not) is an individual employee’s decision, not their employer’s decision “and it’s not the federal government’s decision.”