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PM NewsBrief: Jan. 14, 2025

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for January 14, 2025.

Oklahoma Corporation Commission Has A New Member 

Former Secretary of State Brian Bingman now serves on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

The board is responsible for regulating Oklahoma’s oil and gas, utility and transportation industries.

Bingman joins commissioners Kim David and Todd Hiett. He replaces Bob Anthony, who served in the role for 36 years.

Bingman took an oath to defend the U.S. and Oklahoma State Constitutions on Monday in the capitol’s Supreme Court ceremonial room.

Bingman was accompanied by his family as he was sworn into the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) by Supreme Court Justice Dana Kuehn.

Addressing the crowd, he said he has more to learn as he assumes the role.

“There's a lot of work to be done at the commission – a lot of challenges – and I think we're ready to begin and move Oklahoma forward,” Bingman said.

Bingman’s swearing-in marks the end of Bob Anthony’s 36-year career on the Commission. During his last OCC meeting, Anthony said he was honored to serve in the role.

“Our oath of office says support and defend the Constitution, and so that's what we should commit ourselves to,” he said.

Bingman, a citizen of the Muscogee Nation, graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in petroleum land management and has served in various public service positions. He was elected to the city commission of Sapulpa in the 1990s and later served as mayor.

After being elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Bingman was voted to the State Senate, where he stayed until 2016. He later resigned from his appointed position as secretary of state in 2023 to run for the OCC.

His first public meeting as a commissioner is set for Jan. 15.

Oklahoma Has Fourth-Highest Imprisonment Rate

Federal data show Oklahoma has the fourth-highest imprisonment rate among the nation’s 50 states.

Oklahoma reduced its prison population by almost 3 percent throughout 2023, per data compiled by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. It was one of just a dozen states to see a population decline.

Nonprofit newsroom Oklahoma Watch reports the number of incarcerated Oklahomans per capita is actually the lowest it’s been in decades.

At its height in 2018, Oklahoma had more than 27,000 people behind bars and the nation’s highest incarceration rate.

Oklahoma still has a long way to go compared to the rest of the country. Only Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas have higher imprisonment rates.

State Lawmakers Call For Action To Address Jail Problems

Some state lawmakers are calling for legislative action to address problems in the Oklahoma County jail.

Democratic Representative Jason Lowe and Democratic Senator Nikki Nice, both of Oklahoma City, are responding to the recent extremely critical State Health Department report on conditions at the jail.

Lowe said lawmakers need to act.

“Something needs to be done. We have work to do. Lives are at stake. So I call on the legislature to get involved,” Lowe said at a news conference Monday.

Lowe and Nice said that if terrible conditions exist in the Oklahoma County jail then they probably exist in other state jails, and therefore state action is needed.

Lowe is running for a seat on the Oklahoma County Commission which runs the jail.

Oklahoma City Receives Nearly $20 Million For Transit Upgrades

As Oklahoma City makes large-scale improvements to its EMBARK public transit system, it now has $19.5 million in federal funds to help.

The funds will be used to improve hundreds of bus stops, build ten miles of accessible sidewalks, and provide pedestrian infrastructure like curb ramps and walk signals.

The bus stops will get better weather shelters, bike racks, security lights and trash cans.

The money comes from the federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program.

It’s on top of $97 million the city has already approved for transit projects through MAPS4.

OKC Mayor David Holt thanked U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a post on social media, saying public transit in the city “continues to relentlessly improve.”

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