In the first of what will be weekly press availabilities for Gov. Kevin Stitt on Friday, he took questions on education, drama with the state Department of Veterans Affairs, and weighed in against recreational marijuana.
There were the usual generalities around education — that, big picture, more money in education is good and he supports more school choice. And he made his position clear on State Question 820, which would legalize recreational cannabis in Oklahoma.
"The reason I think it’s a bad idea is because it’s still illegal federally. And I believe the Feds need to make a decision about marijuana," Stitt said.
Stitt also said if he could, he would fire Veterans Affairs Director Joel Kintsel, who contends Stitt illegally appointed some of the board members on the agency’s commission.
Lawmakers are getting an extra two billion dollars to spend in the coming budget.
According to the Associated Press, the Board of Equalization certified $12.6 billion for the Legislature in the fiscal year beginning July 1.
The state also has more than a billion dollars stashed away in its Rainy Day Fund and $700 million appropriated last year to help lure a manufacturing facility to Oklahoma.
Lawmakers must craft a budget for the 2024 fiscal year by the end of the legislative session on May 26.
In the latest edition of Capitol Insider, KGOU general manager Dick Pryor asks Quorum Call Publisher Shawn Ashley about how state House Republicans’ plans for education are taking shape so far this session.
"The House Republican plan, which was unveiled Thursday and passed the House Appropriations and Budget Committee later that day, has two parts. House Bill 2775 is a 500-million dollar appropriation to common education. And it includes 150-million for the financial support of schools, including a 25-hundred dollar salary increase for classroom teachers," Ashley said.
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A rural sociologist at the University of Oklahoma found that investments in water infrastructure have positive impacts on rural communities—but they may require some patience.
OU professor Tom Mueller found that when rural communities spend bigger chunks of their budget on water infrastructure, they tend to have lower poverty rates, higher average incomes and less unemployment. It just takes about eight years for most communities to see those improvements.
"The US in general, doesn't have very great water infrastructure. We need to invest in it. Hence the bipartisan infrastructure law, right? But also in rural areas there's a lot of extra challenges," Mueller said.
As the U.S. population shifts toward cities and suburbs, many rural communities are losing the tax base they need to update their water infrastructure. And the study found that communities with more Latino, Black or Indigenous people tended to see fewer benefits from water investments, which Mueller attributes to the long-term effects of systemic racism.
Recent moisture has made a considerable impact in mitigating Oklahoma's drought situation.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, only 36% of the state is experiencing extreme drought or worse, which is a significant decrease from the previous week's 56%.
You could divide the state along the I-44 corridor—extreme drought to the north and west with conditions generally improving as you move southeast. State Climatologist Gary McManus says while 80% of the state is still in at least moderate drought, that's the lowest percentage it's been since July 19th. He emphasized the significance of receiving this moisture since the next few weeks are expected to be drier.
The U.S. Mint released a new $1 coin this month, featuring five Native American women known as the ‘Five Moons Ballerinas.’
The U.S. Mint is featuring Osage ballerina Maria Tallchief and the rest of the ‘Five Moons Ballerinas,’ on this year's $1 coin.
Born in Fairfax, Oklahoma, Tallchief was a world class ballerina who performed alongside her sister Marjorie and three other Native American dancers in the early 20th century.
The other side of the gold coin will feature Sacagawea carrying her infant son Jean Baptiste, as it has in the past.
Maria Tallchief is also slated to be on a newly minted quarter later this year as part of the American Women's Quarters Program. Former Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller debuted on a quarter as part of the program last year.
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