Weekend Report

Why Agency Restructuring Is Needed

3/10/2019

The #1 Macro Recommendation of the APAC board is to restructure "most, if not all of the agencies" so that the chief executive (governor) can exercise oversight and bring change when it is needed.

We dig deep into a case study for accountability by giving first-hand interaction with the Dept. of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services, to illustrate the lack of representation and the resulting lack of accountability.
Even if the commissioner wanted to fix a core problem of services, the board who hires the commissioner, could block such reforms and never be held accountable.

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The Long Awaited Performance Audits Get Released To SoonerPolitics

3/10/2019

Sooner Politics has convinced the Oklahoma Speaker's office to release the audits commissioned by APAC. These 8 documents were supposed to be made public a month ago, when the legislature & governor received them.

Sadly, the Speaker of the House help them sealed while he fought to prevent the #1 macro recommendation found in the documents; namely, to restructure "most, if not all" of the agencies, so that the governor has direct appointment authority of the head officers.
Watch the full webcast at https://www.soonerpolitics.org/weekend-report/the-audits-have-landed

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The Audits Have Landed - Weekend Report

3/9/2019

This week at the capitol was full of surprises and accomplishments for agency reform and accountability.

The long awaited products of the Agency Performance & Accountability Commission were acquired by SoonerPolitics & are now public.
In other news,

Several Agencies will now be reformed & under more direct oversight of the governor & legislature.
More political leaders fall prey to their cravings for liquor.
Crisis pregnancy centers may soon receive govt. funding

The legislative click ticks away at a midterm deadline to advance bills.

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Drug Policy Reforms Go Retroactive, If Bill Becomes Law

3/4/2019

Democrat Jason Dunnington and Republican Jon Echols have crafted a bill to adjust the sentences of those whose actions would be legal under current law.

Under the terms of House bill 1269, those serving time for nonviolent drug possession felonies may have their sentencing retroactively adjusted to the current misdemeanor penalties.
On election day of 2016, the people of Oklahoma ordered the state to cease punishing citizens as felons if they were merely in possession of small amounts to controlled substances and were not violent.
This will save the state millions and restore career opportunities as well as restoring families.

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Legislature Catches Up To The People, In Support of Medical Marijuana

3/4/2019

Last week the House members gave 93 affirmative votes to cannabis medicine reforms. It seems that the people led the legislature on this issue & the lawmakers have finally caught up.

In the 101-member Oklahoma House of representatives, 93 members voted to lock in the results of SQ788 and allow Oklahomans to continue treatment in concert with their local physicians. the lawmakers expanded on the emergency rules of the Health Dept. extended to all general practitioner physicians the power to assist patients in getting licensed.

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6 Months of Restoration With Cannabis Medicine Legalization

3/3/2019

Patients are reporting great restoration of health and quality of life; in the first months after legal access to cannabis medications.

In the 6 months since the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority opened shop, the activity is breaking all projections in licensing the patients and those who serve them.
Despite the commissioner's prediction of 80, 000 licenses in the first year, the current volume sets us on a track toward 170,000 patients by the first anniversary.

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4 years of drug policy reform

3/3/2019

4 years ago, a mother could face a 5-year prison sentence for possessing an essential oil called CBD.
Today you can buy it online or at a local 'big box' store.

Katie & Cayman led the way, 4 years ago, in convincing the Oklahoma legislature that their prohibition laws were harming our children, by withholding their healthcare treatments.
In the 40 months since we made an essential oil called CBD more available, the people are now asking what all the fuss was about?
Rep. Jon Echols authored Katie & Cayman's law. But he didn't stop there.

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Gun Liberties Restored

3/3/2019

Self Defense rights were restored in great measure this week, when Oklahoma joined the ranks of Constitutional Carry observers.
Now our state will no longer infringe on our right to keep & bear arms.
Permits are still optional and some may still seek them for interstate recognition of these rights.

Some of the lawmakers took a 'victory lap' in the Blue Room and posed for this photo (Tom Gann, Jeff Coody, Jim Olsen, Sean Roberts, David Bullard, Jon Echols, Kevin West, Denise Crosswhite Hader, Don Spencer, Dan Fisher, Nathan Dahm)

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Liberty Breaks Out In Oklahoma

3/2/2019

Oklahoma celebrates Governor Stitt's First Enacted Law... And It's A Good One!

Some of the lawmakers took a 'victory lap' in the Blue Room and posed for this photo (Tom Gann, Jeff Coody, Jim Olsen, Sean Roberts, David Bullard, Jon Echols, Kevin West, Denise Crosswhite Hader, Don Spencer, Dan Fisher, Nathan Dahm)

Self Defense rights gets guns without going to permit hell.

Plus we'll celebrate:

A 4th anniversary of a groundbreaking legal reform.
A 6 month anniversary of recovery for thousands of patients.
A massive legislative vote in favor of legal cannabis medicine.
And SQ780 goes Retro.

Listen to the Podcast..

Sooner Politics Report

This weekly video podcast is designed to recap the major stories of the previous 7 days and present the issues in a discussion format.

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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.
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