State Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat talked to members of the press on Wednesday about Gov. Stitt's request for yet another special session.
Treat says he looks forward to hearing from Stitt about proposals on tax cuts and increasing budget transparency.
Treat also addressed Stitt’s desire for a trigger law that would mandate if a state or federal court finds a person doesn’t have to pay a state tax because of their race, heritage or political classification, then no Oklahoman has to pay that tax. Treat says that would cost the state 4 billion dollars and asked the governor for a plan if that does happen.
"What schools is he going to close? Which public safety programs are we going to cancel? Are the tax credits that we just passed for school choice where we have to rescind some of those?" Treat said.
Stitt is alluding to a case currently before the Oklahoma Supreme Court which would exempt tribal citizens from paying state income taxes if they live and work within their own reservation. Treat says if the case were decided in favor of the plaintiff, he would be open to compacting with the tribal nations on this issue.
Treat says the special session will gavel in on Oct. 3.
As concerns mount about “forever chemicals” polluting the environment, Oklahoma’s Attorney General has announced potential litigation against companies that add them to the environment.
The PFAS family of chemicals are super useful — they’re in our shampoos, our waterproof clothes, and our non-stick cookware.
But they’ve also been linked with high cholesterol, liver disease, pregnancy complications and some cancers. Firefighters and military personnel are especially at risk because of exposure to PFAS-filled fire suppressants. And once PFAS find their way into the environment, they don’t ever break down and they’re difficult to remove.
Now, AG Gentner Drummond says he’s considering litigation against companies that pollute Oklahoma lands and waters with PFAS. The first step is to solicit proposals from law firms that can advise the AG’s office on how best to protect Oklahoma and its people from forever chemicals.
The spiritual advisor for an Oklahoma death row inmate scheduled for execution next week completed a more than 120 mile walk to deliver a letter to Gov. Kevin Stitt asking for a 60-day reprieve.
Rev. Jeff Hood, the spiritual advisor for death row inmate Anthony Sanchez, began a walk from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester to the State Capitol on Friday and arrived on Wednesday morning. He delivered a letter from Sanchez and a petition signed by nearly 14,000 people asking for Gov. Stitt to grant him a 60-day reprieve.
Sanchez was found guilty in the 1996 murder of Juli Busken based on DNA evidence, but he has maintained his innocence and claims his late father committed the crime.
Republican State Rep. Justin Humphrey requested Attorney General Gentner Drummond reprocess the DNA evidence last month, but Drummond denied his request and said the DNA has already been reprocessed and the results overwhelmingly support Sanchez’s guilt.
Sanchez forwent his clemency hearing and is scheduled to be executed on Sept. 21.
A mental health hospital that has been in Norman for more than a century will be moving operations to Oklahoma City.
Health officials have announced plans to relocate Griffin Memorial Hospital to OSU’s Oklahoma City campus near I-44 and West Reno Ave.
Griffin is the state’s largest in-patient mental health treatment facility.
The new facility will be known as the Donahue Behavioral Health Campus.
It will increase mental health treatment capacity by 100 beds and create 250 jobs.
The $147 million facility is expected to open in 2026.
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