Stitt Backs Legislation to Prosecute Unauthorized Immigrants in Oklahoma
Gov. Kevin Stitt says he supports a proposal by legislative leaders from Oklahoma’s House of Representatives and Senate to prosecute people in the state without legal permission.
In a news conference Friday, the governor defended the effort when asked if law enforcement would potentially target immigrant communities.
"We're not targeting anyone. We're just saying that, this is not going to be… Oklahoma's not a sanctuary state," Stitt said. "We will follow the rules in the state of Oklahoma, you have to apply for work visas the proper way."
The new legislation is expected to be introduced this week. Lawmakers say they’ve gotten drafting advice from the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office to withstand potential court challenges.
Supporters To Gather Signatures To Raise Oklahoma's Minimum Wage
Supporters of raising the minimum wage can start collecting signatures Tuesday on an initiative petition to put the issue on a ballot. Proponents of State Question 832 have 90 days to collect signatures.
Oklahoma’s minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.
State Question 832 would raise it to $15 an hour incrementally by 2029. From the year 2030 on, the wage would rise each year at the same rate as the cost of living.
Supporters of the state question have 90 days collect to more than 92,000 Oklahoma voter signatures for the proposal to be put on a ballot.
This comes after unsuccessful legal challenges from the State Chamber of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Farm Bureau. The entities asserted the proposal would violate the state constitution.
Last month, though, Oklahoma’s Supreme Court ruled that they disagreed and the initiative petition could move forward.
All signatures must be collected by mid-July.
Tax Day
It’s tax day, Monday, April 15. If you’re filing taxes in Oklahoma, you have one of the lowest tax burdens in the country.
A tax burden isn’t the dollars and cents you pay the government. Instead, it’s the proportion of total income you pay toward state and local taxes.
An analysis by the media company WalletHub using Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center data shows Oklahoma has the ninth-lowest tax burden in the country.
Property tax burdens are the fourth lowest in the nation here, while the individual income tax is also in the bottom half. Sales taxes, though, are higher than in most other states.
Oklahoma’s legislature just pushed through a major sales tax cut, slashing the state’s portion of sales tax on groceries. But a fight continues over the income tax, as some Republicans push for that tax to be cut, while the state senate has blocked those efforts.
Norman Public Library Central Closes Indefinitely for Mold Remediation
Norman Public Library Central will be closed indefinitely due to the ongoing mold remediation work.
The library announced the decision Friday saying the damage is extensive and severe in nature.
Additional mold was discovered in the building after recent rains.
The library says the City Attorney’s Office will lead efforts to establish a full remediation plan and timeline to reopen.
The library shut down in November and was expected to be closed for about five months.
So far, the library’s remediation efforts have cost about $900,000.
The library plans to seek additional funding allocations from Norman City Council.
All staff have been retained throughout the closure.
A pop-up Library Lab opened in downtown Norman earlier this year.
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