​Dahm & Moore Set The high marks for the two houses of the Oklahoma Legislature. 
  In our inaugural publication of legislative commitment to preserving & advancing individual freedom in Oklahoma, This year's 57th Oklahoma Legislature celebrates a very robust year of commitment to constitutional rights.
  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.

Several bills were somewhat rewritten by joint conference committees and put up for final votes at the state capitol, in the past 24 hours.
  Fetgatter called HB2601 "the cleanup bill", so it may be the last cannabis legislation of the year?

  After the political world was rocked by the legalization of marijuana for medical use. In the 11 months since it's passage, there has been a rapid rollout and several agency attempts to derail it. But the program has far exceeded the projections of the govt. agency tasked with administering it (OMMA).
  One of the prominent advocates at the capitol and around the state has been a pain management patient named Chis Moe. Sooner Politics editor in chief, David Van Risseghem sat down with Chris Moe (aka Uncle Grumpy) to discuss matters of drug policy reform.

  Rep. Jon Echols prevailed upon the legislature to fix a terrible problem that the 2018 legislature created for chronic pain sufferers.  The Attorney General's effort to crack down on opioid abuse through tough criminal enforcement has led to terrible suffering made worse for the most vulnerable among us.
​  His legislation SB848, specifically rolls back the requirement that long-term chronic pain sufferers seek a new prescription every 30 days. It will now require a prescription every 180 days, when this becomes new law.
  In Echols' floor speech, he explains that the opioide dangers lay primarily with new patients who's recent injury prescription turns into a long term habit.
  Echols referenced his many letters from chronic pain sufferers who describe terrible difficulty in arranging and attending monthly appointments, since they are often homebound and their mobility is very difficult to accommodate.
  The opioide law forbids the use of telemed appointments, refillable prescriptions, and other obstacles.

The Oklahoma lawmakers have largely taken a path of deference to the voters, in this first legislative session after the voters changed our laws on marijuana and hemp.
  Last summer there was urgency and even panic about whether the implementation could happen without more legislative action. In the end, the lawmakers decided that the path of lesser regulation could prevail until the February scheduled date of the 57th Legislature. 
  But the Interim Study, led by Rep. Jon Echols & Sen. Greg McCortney, were at work with advocates and industry experts, to polish up a framework of needed structure so that the Health Dept could put product safety mandates into effect. HB2612 was signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt before spring break. It was referred to "the unity bill" because various private sector interests wrote most of it after resolving differences among themselves. The Unity Bill was the most important legislation because it replaces temporary 'emergency rules' which sunset later this summer.

  The House gave final passage to a bill which corrects the policy of the State Health Dept on Medical Marijuana Recommendations. It now awaits the signature of the Governor. An emergency clause is included, which will make the policy effective immediately upon signage.  On Wednesday, the House accepted all senate amendments of HB2613 and sent the bill to the governor. Coupled with SB162, which the governor signed on Tuesday, these changes mean greater continuity of care under a patient's current healthcare team.
  What this will mean for patients is the ability to remain under the care of your own state-licensed physician and be able to implement treatment with cannabis medicines once your own physician's recommendation is certified by the Health Dept.
  SQ788, which the voters passed last summer, was written with the intent of allowing any physician licensed to treat people in Oklahoma and certified by an Oklahoma board  (Medical Doctor, Osteopathic Doctor, or Podiatrist) could begin recommending cannabis at their discretion. But the Board of Health decided to interpret the language far more restrictively and  pretend that the language refers to being a "Board Certified Specialist" by an industry specialist board, rather than a state govt. board. 

  In a recently brokered deal between the Legislative leaders & Governor Stitt's office; 5 of our state agencies will be restructured to bring more direct accountability to the people.

• Oklahoma Health Care Authority ( $5.581 billion budget)
• Department of Transportation ( $1.895 billion budget)
• Department of Corrections ($603 million budget)
• Office of Juvenile Affairs ($110 million budget)
• Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services ($442 million budget)

  Citizen advocacy groups have long expressed frustration with the agencies in their lack of responsiveness to the people of the state.
  The legislature currently has little effect on how the 5 agencies operate. An annual appropriation is made each year, but very little 'line-item' directives are imposed. Some of these agencies have other funding sources. the federal govt. is a major source of healthcare funding, and ODMHSAS leases out much of their state hospital capacity to corporate contractors, rather than operating the hospitals to full capacity, in-house.
  The deal between the governor & legislature will also gives review & termination powers to the legislature, but only when a super-majority votes 'no confidence'. It's essentially a process similar to impeachment.