Oklahoma Politics

A recently released survey of states by the Governors Highway Safety Association shows Oklahoma is one of nine states without a texting ban in place, despite some lawmakers’ previous efforts.

Through public awareness campaigns and other grassroots efforts, there has been a 45 percent increase in the last three years in the number of states with texting bans, with 41 states and the District of Columbia having some type of texting ban in place, up from 28 states and D.C. in 2010, the survey data shows.

Governor Mary Fallin says she's discussing a possible special session to resurrect a lawsuit reform bill that was struck down by the Oklahoma Supreme Court and the leader of the Senate says he supports the plan.

Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman said Wednesday he supports the idea of a one-week special session "the sooner the better." House Speaker T.W. Shannon said through a spokesman that he would defer to the governor.

A Democratic lawmaker from Oklahoma City says he intends to convene an interim study in the fall to conduct a review of the state's so-called "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law and open carry laws.

Rep. Mike Shelton said Wednesday he wants to bring together members from law enforcement, the mental health community and others to examine if Oklahoma firearms laws "best suit our needs and our situation."

Based on Florida's law, Oklahoma's "Stand Your Ground" law essentially allows law abiding citizens who are attacked in public to use deadly force if they feel threatened.

The director of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission says an audit of the agency has found no financial irregularities.

The audit was requested by Governor Mary Fallin following the resignation in November of long-time Ethics Commission Director Marilyn Hughes and covered the period from July 2009 through November. Such audits are considered routine when an agency head leaves.

Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon is planning to release a list of legislative studies that lawmakers will take up before the 2014 Legislature convenes in February.

Shannon is expected to release the list on Friday, the deadline for study requests by lawmakers to be approved or denied. Former House Speaker Kris Steele approved studies on 59 topics out of 89 individual requests last year.

Interim studies give lawmakers an opportunity to receive testimony and examine issues in depth to decide whether to draft legislation on a particular topic.

Gov. Mary Fallin's Secretary of Education Phyllis Hudecki is the latest member of the governor's cabinet to announce her resignation, becoming the third to step down in as many months.

Fallin's office announced Tuesday that Hudecki planned to resign her post effective July 15 so that she could resume full-time duties as head of the Oklahoma Business and Education Coalition. Hudecki had been serving part-time as an OBEC executive while she served on the governor's cabinet.

The Oklahoma Tax Commission says the state could lose as much as $450 million if a court ruling about a capital-gains tax deduction stands.

The Tulsa World reports the Tax Commission this week asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling or prevent the ruling from being applied retroactively.

In January, the Court of Civil Appeals said a state law was unconstitutional. That law treats capital gains tax deductions of Oklahoma-based companies differently from those of out-of-state companies.

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education heard from the state’s university and college presidents Wednesday to discuss tuition and fee increases for the coming school year.

ECapitol reports, if the regents approve the increases, costs for attendance at Oklahoma’s institutions of higher learning will go up 4.7 percent, on average.

Senators requested a total of 55 interim studies by Friday’s deadline for submitting their proposals. ECapitol reports the proposed studies cover a variety of different issues.

Sen. Kim David, R-Wagoner, for example, requested a study of the certification process for dialysis centers, Interim Study Request 2013S-22.

Sen. Rob Johnson, R-Yukon, has requested a study of the taxes and youth access to e-cigarettes. Johnson was the author of one bill related to the issue during the legislative session and contributed language concerning the products for another bill, neither of which was approved.

With an unfunded liability among Oklahoma's seven major pension systems exceeding $11 billion, several Republican leaders have said changing from a traditional pension to a 401(k)-style retirement account for new state workers will be a top priority during the 2014 legislative session.

The unfunded liability is the amount owed to pensioners beyond what the system currently afford to pay. It has become a growing concern for Gov. Mary Fallin and other state leaders, who say it hinders the state's effort to improve its bond rating.

Republican Rep. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma is denying that he was ever briefed on cell phone and Internet surveillance by the National Security Agency that sweeps up an estimated 3 billion phone calls a day and collects Internet data from U.S. providers in an attempt to stop terror attacks.

Mullin said in a statement Saturday that comments that he and his colleagues in Congress knew of the surveillance "is absolutely false."

President Barack Obama said Friday that "every member of Congress" was briefed on the spy programs.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court says a law adopted in 2009 to reform Oklahoma's civil justice system is unconstitutional.

The state's highest court handed down the decision Tuesday in a divided 7-2 ruling. In a separate decision, the court said a requirement that injured people submit a certificate of merit before they can file professional malpractice lawsuits is unconstitutional.

Gov. Mary Fallin gave lawmakers an 'A' grade for approving much of her agenda during the recently concluded legislative session, but at least one key issue remains unresolved, which is how the state plans to address the more than 630,000 Oklahomans without health insurance.

Fallin rejected the opportunity under the federal health care law to expand Medicaid coverage to nearly 200,000 people without health insurance, saying last November that doing so would prove too costly to the state and the country.

Four groundbreaking African-American judges have been honored by the Oklahoma Senate.

The Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution honoring U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange, Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Tom Colbert, Court of Criminal Appeals Judge David Lewis and Tulsa County District Court Judge Carlos Chappelle.

Miles-LaGrange was the first African-American elected chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma in 2008.

Gov. Mary Fallin is expected to sign a bill heading her way that would provide $7.1 billion to fund state government.

The state Senate gave final legislative approval to the general appropriations bill Tuesday that increases spending by nearly $270 million over the current year’s budget.

Eight Republicans joined the dozen Senate Democrats in opposing the legislation.