News

The two leaders of a working committee overseeing Oklahoma's plan to lower the state's prison population have resigned, saying they would no longer chair the group and couldn't ask other members to keep serving.

Former House Speaker Kris Steele and Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater resigned Thursday as chairmen of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative group. They cited what they call dishonesty from Gov. Mary Fallin's office and a House vote creating a committee that could replace them.

A bill designed to allow public school students to express religious viewpoints and organize prayer groups has passed the House despite concerns the measure could actually lead to more lawsuits against schools.

The House voted 79-13 for the Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act by Sallisaw Republican Rep. John Bennett, who says the bill is modeled after a Texas law. The bill further directs school boards to adopt policies for student speakers at all school events that protects "the voluntary expression of a religious viewpoint by a student."

Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel says a limit on phosphorus concentrations in the Illinois River in Oklahoma was "unfairly calculated" when it was set a year ago.

So, McDaniel said Wednesday that Arkansas entities will pay for a new $600,000 study to work out a more scientific and reasonable limit.

The Illinois is designated a scenic river in Oklahoma, but officials there say runoff from poultry operations in Arkansas has harmed the water quality in the river, which begins in Arkansas and flows into Oklahoma.

Oklahoma's state representatives and senators are set to enter the final day to hear bills in their original chamber, resetting the stage for the rest of this year's session.

Thursday is the deadline for the House to hear House bills and the Senate to hear Senate bills. Only those proposals that have been approved by Thursday are likely to advance to the other chamber, moving one step closer to becoming law.

Members of the state House defeated a measure Thursday that would eventually remove direct appropriations from the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority.

The author of House Bill 2218, Republican Rep. Tom Newell, told members the director of OETA has been working with him on the bill. But House minority leader Scott Inman said the bill was really a poison pill forced on the television network.

The bill would have cut appropriations to OETA until it is eliminated by June 30, 2022.

The archbishop of Oklahoma City says cardinals delivered a "wonderful surprise" by selecting as the new pope a cardinal from the New World.

The former Cardinal Jorge Maria Bergoglio of Argentina is now Pope Francis. Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul S. Coakley said the church in Latin America is strong and committed to a "new evangelization" and that Francis will be an effective leader for the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

Since the 18th century, Americans have adopted St. Patrick’s Day as an unofficial celebration of all things Irish. This weekend, our state turns green in honor of the saint who drove the snakes out of Ireland.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Supporters of legislation that would allow for a horse slaughtering plant in Oklahomaplan to rally at the state Capitol.

The Oklahoma Farm Bureau is slated to hold the event Wednesday morning at the state Capitol to support bills that would pave the way for a horse slaughtering facility in the state.

The Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association has also issued a statement saying it supports the "concept of the slaughter of horses in Oklahoma."

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma's secretary of finance says state income tax refunds and a drop in natural gas production reduced general revenue fund receipts last month.

Secretary of Finance and Revenue Preston Doerflinger said Tuesday that collections totaled about $255 million in February. That's almost $29 million below collections in February 2012 and $20 million lower than the official estimate upon which this year's budget is based.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Senate has approved legislation to privatize the state's nonprofit workers' compensation agency.

The Senate passed the measure Tuesday by a vote of 36-11. It heads to the House, where a similar bill is pending.

The bill by Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman of Sapulpa would convert CompSource Oklahoma from a state entity to a private company owned by its policyholders. Supporters say a state agency should not by competing with private insurers.