Bill With Superintendent Guardrail Advances
Amid weeks of confusion surrounding whether State Superintendent Ryan Walters had applied for crucial federal grants, lawmakers are looking to put some guardrails on which grants Walters can refuse to apply for. A measure that passed the state’s House Friday that would do just that.
Senate Bill 36X would force the Superintendent to get permission from the Speaker of the House and Senate Pro Tem if the office wants to not apply for grants it’s received in the past.
With key funding issues on the line, like free and reduced lunches and Title I grants for economically disadvantaged kids, some lawmakers felt the need to step in. Tulsa Representative and former teacher, John Waldron, dared Republicans to vote against it and deal with the political fallout.
"I will tell you, as a Democrat, that by all means, vote against this limits bill, give him unfettered access, and we will tie vulnerable members of your caucus to his extremism and we will win at the ballot box," said Waldron.
"Sure, he may have won in a statewide election, but he was the second lowest of statewide vote recipients after the governor. He’s vulnerable in districts we seek to target. So, Mr. Speaker, I leave it to you, make the political calculus."
The bill passed in the ongoing special session. It now heads to the governor’s desk, though it’s unclear whether he’ll sign it.
Pay Increase For Jury Duty Awaits Governor’s Signature
Oklahoma jurors may get a pay raise for the first time in more than 20 years.
The measure says pay for Oklahomans called to jury duty will increase from $20 a day to $50. Federal courts already pay $50 a day.
Oklahoma City Senator Carri Hicks championed the issue this session, authoring a separate bill to raise pay. Hicks says raising compensation allows people to have a greater ability to step into the role as juror.
“We just understand that it's a financial hardship for a lot of folks to be able to serve their state in this way, to serve on jury duty,” Hicks said.
The state sends out around 1,800 jury summons at random each month.
The bill awaits Gov. Kevin Stitt’s signature. If approved, Oklahoma would tie North Dakota for the highest pay in the nation.
New Law Provides Funding For Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment
A voter-approved fund for mental health and substance abuse treatment services has sat empty for nearly seven years.
A new law will see money finally begin to flow.
Republican Senator Roger Thompson’s Senate Bill 844 was approved by Gov. Kevin Stitt this legislative session.
The law now requires the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency to oversee the calculation of the annual savings from State Questions 780 and 781, which reclassified some drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors and designated the money saved would go towards mental health and substance abuse treatment services after their passage in 2016.
After the savings are calculated by LOFT, the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services will oversee the funds and request proposals from county governments.
Oklahoma City Among Fastest Growing Cities in U.S.
Oklahoma City continues to be one of the fastest growing cities in the country.
Oklahoma’s biggest city keeps getting bigger.
Census data estimates released earlier this month show nearly 695,000 people call Oklahoma City home.
That makes OKC the 20th largest city in the country after adding more than 10,000 people since the official census in 2020.
The city had the sixth-highest percentage growth of any city in the country, beating out two metros south of the Red River in Austin and Houston.
Mayor David Holt touted the new numbers on social media, pointing out that Oklahoma City’s population ranking keeps climbing. Just five years ago, it was at No. 27.
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