Stitt On Anti-Abortion Bill That Would Punish Mothers
Gov. Kevin Stitt told reporters in a press conference Friday he wouldn’t support a bill that would punish mothers who get an abortion. StateImpact’s Jillian Taylor has more on the bill and why Stitt is against it.
Republican Sen. Dusty Deevers authored a bill that would allow women to be charged with murder for obtaining an abortion. The only exceptions are a spontaneous misscarriage or to save their life.
During the news conference Stitt said, “That's something that I don't even want to get into. We want to be a very pro-family state, pro-life state. We want to support mothers. We want to support children," the governor said.
Deevers spoke about the bill at a rally outside the capitol Tuesday hosted by the group Abolitionist Rising, which aims to abolish abortion in all circumstances and provide equal rights to embryos.
"We want to see abortion abolished because God created all people in his image," Deevers said.
The bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee and is waiting to be read there.
Oklahoma Judge Who Sent More Than 500 Texts During A Murder Trial Resigns
An Oklahoma judge agreed to resign Friday after she was caught sending hundreds of text messages from the bench while overseeing a murder trial.
District Judge Traci Soderstrom also agreed to not seek judicial office again in Oklahoma under a proposed settlement agreement.
The trial last fall in Chandler involved the murder of a two-year old boy.
An investigation revealed Soderstrom sent more than 500 text messages to her bailiff that mocked prosecutors and were sprinkled with emojis.
She had been scheduled to go on trial in a special court starting Monday.
Edmond Election Preview
Edmond residents will vote in a special election Tuesday for the next representative of Oklahoma House District 39.
Three legislative hopefuls are vying for the House District 39 seat in tomorrow’s special election.
The candidates are Democrat Regan Raff*, Republican Erick Harris, and Libertarian Richard Prawdzienski. Formerly held by Republican Ryan Martinez, the district is expected to stay within GOP control.
Harris won the December Republican primary election by a margin of 391 votes. He says the most vital issues facing the district and the state are low public school attendance and redundant spending within state agencies.
He also supports a quarter of a percent state income tax cut.
Raff handily won her Democratic primary but faces an uphill battle in the deep red district. She says her priorities are to help teachers feel safe when on the job and to pass a grocery tax cut.
OKC Homelessness Funding
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is awarding Oklahoma City more than $7 million in grants to provide housing for people experiencing homelessness. The award is more than $2 million more than what was awarded last year.
Five million dollars of the grant money will be split amongst the Homeless Alliance, City Care, the Mental Health Association, Heartline, and the Community Enhancement Corporation. Just over $1 million will go to the city’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program and the remaining funds will go to Hope Community Services and City Rescue Mission.
In a press release, Jamie Caves, the communication manager for Oklahoma City’s Key to Home Partnership, says the additional funds will help the city expand its capacity to serve its homeless population.
Funding from HUD is the city’s largest annual source of homeless assistance.
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