Governor Stitt and Superintendent Walters Statements on School Safety

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (September 12th) – Governor Kevin Stitt and Superintendent Ryan Walters have issued the following statements on school safety in conjunction with highlighting resources available in Oklahoma’s comprehensive school safety initiative:

Washington, D.C. (Sept. 14th) – Congressman Josh Brecheen announced today that the next telephone town hall will now be on September 28th at 7:00pm CT.

The telephone town hall comes after Congressman Brecheen has held 60 in-person town halls throughout Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District with more to be announced soon.  

Literacy report not a shocker

According to data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, a national survey, around 500,000 Oklahoma adults could be either functionally illiterate or would struggle to understand written information.

That won’t shock many employers at companies that offer entry-level positions. Talk to an employer, and you will hear tales of applicants who cannot perform simple tasks because of poor literacy skills.

OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 14th) – Democratic legislative leaders Kay Floyd and Cyndi Munson released the following statement regarding the governor’s call for a special session on October 3, 2023.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, today announced the appointment of Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, as the chairman of the Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee.

“Sen. Pemberton has a wealth of knowledge and proven background in a number of areas during his time in the Senate,” Pro Tem Treat said. “He is an excellent leader who continues to perform well as a member of our caucus leadership team. Sen. Pemberton is informed and listens to all opinions before making a decision. For these reasons and others is why I think he will make an exceptional chairman of this committee. I appreciate him for accepting this new role in addition to his many others.”

Pro Tem Treat Calls on Gov. Stitt to Appear before Appropriations Committee

OKLAHOMA CITY – During a media availability this afternoon, Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, called on Governor Kevin Stitt to appear before the Senate Appropriations Committee to explain his goal with his recent special session call.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, September 7, 2023 - Statewide leaders joined Governor Kevin Stitt in lending their support of Brian Bingman for Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner.

Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell said: “I’m proud to throw my endorsement behind Secretary Bingman; he’s a strong conservative leader, extremely qualified for the job, and a man of faith. I’m thrilled that he’s wanting to continue to serve the people of Oklahoma as our next Corporation Commissioner.” Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners Kim David and Todd Hiett also issued endorsements today.

Commissioner David said in a statement, “Brian and I worked together in the state Senate, where he championed conservative reforms. His leadership and prowess will be an unmatched attribute on the Commission.”

Commissioner Hiett echoed his support for Bingman saying, “With more than 40 years of experience in the energy industry, Brian is the most qualified person to be the next Corporation Commissioner. He’ll bring invaluable knowledge, common sense and maturity that will help us in our efforts to protect our oil and gas industry.”

In response, Bingman said, “I’m honored to have the support and endorsement of our state’s top conservative leaders today. It’s very humbling that they are putting their trust in me to help make Oklahoma a better place to do business and raise a family. I look forward to getting together with them on day one to start working on our vision for the State.”

Bingman is the only announced Republican candidate for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. He currently serves as Senior Policy Advisor and Secretary of State to Governor Kevin Stitt.

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Josh Brecheen issued the following statement to mark the 22nd anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks.

“Twenty-two years ago, America changed forever, as nearly 3,000 innocent men and women were tragically killed in a cowardly terrorist attack that shook our nation to its core. Today, I join Americans across the country in solemnly remembering and honoring these victims and the families they left behind.

Continued fallout from the disastrous McGirt Supreme Court decision now has a case before the Oklahoma Supreme Court that could result in tens of thousands of tribal citizens being exempt from the state income tax. Read this from NonDoc: Stroble case asks OK Supreme Court to decide income tax rules on reservations (here's a follow-up article as well). Gov. Stitt is callng a special session to address this potential, as well as exploring tax cuts and increased state budget transparency.

Oklahoma colleges’ DEI mandates violate free speech

The Arizona Board of Regents recently announced that public universities in that state will no longer require “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) statements from job applicants.

Oklahoma colleges and universities should do the same.