Governor Kevin Stitt has signed into law a bill that received bipartisan support to reduce the state's grocery sales tax rate.
TRANSCRIPT
Dick Pryor: This is Capitol Insider - taking you inside politics, policy, and government in Oklahoma. I'm Dick Pryor with Quorum Call publisher Shawn Ashley. The big item of the last week was the signing of the grocery sales tax reduction law, which both Republicans and Democrats wanted. Shawn, are other tax cuts coming in this legislative session?
Shawn Ashley: That probably is the $13.9 billion question. Governor Kevin Stitt and House Speaker Charles McCall used the bill signing to reiterate their support for reducing the individual income tax. And a couple of House bills that would do that advance before Thursday's deadline for bills and joint resolutions to be heard in a committee of their chamber of origin. But Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat and Senate Appropriations Chair Roger Thompson say the grocery sales tax reduction was all that could be done. “We went to what we think is the maximum we could do this year and delivered it early,” Treat said at Tuesday's bill signing. That's why I think the question is what impact will their different views have on budget negotiations later in the session?
Dick Pryor: Tim Gatz has resigned as Governor Kevin Stitt’s Kevin cabinet secretary of transportation after Attorney General Genter Drummond issued an opinion that determined Gatz could not hold multiple positions in state government. There is a law prohibiting dual office holdings, and the opinion also means Gatz can no longer be director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. So. the authority now must find a new ED, right?
Shawn Ashley: That's right. And finding a new director likely will be on the authority's agenda when it meets Tuesday.
Dick Pryor: Others have also held dual positions over the years. Why do governors sometimes appoint people to more than one position?
Shawn Ashley: I suspect it's a matter of expertise. The Transportation Department and Turnpike Authority are very similar, yet very different agencies that sometimes work hand in hand on projects. And the transportation cabinet includes all modes of travel. Planes, trains, and automobiles, as well as some boats and barges. Every cabinet is made up of a group of 20 or more agencies, boards, commissions, advisory councils, inter-agency and multi state task forces, and other bodies. It takes someone with a really broad sense of knowledge and expertise in those areas to effectively oversee them.
Dick Pryor: A bill creating what's being called a Women's Bill of Rights law has received a do pass recommendation from the Senate General Government Committee. This would codify an executive order issued by Governor Kevin Stitt last year. What does this bill do?
Shawn Ashley: Senate Bill 1530 defines sex to mean one’s biological sex at birth, and it defines terms that are gender specific, such as male and female, man and woman, father and mother, boy and girl on that basis as well. It requires any policy, program, or statute that prohibits sex discrimination to be construed to forbid unfair treatment of females or males in relation to similarly situated members of the opposite sex. And it also permits the state and political subdivisions to establish distinctions between sexes when the distinctions are related to an important government objective, such as biology and fairness. That latter section essentially validates laws like the Save Women's Sports Act, which prohibits transgender students from participating in sports other than that of their biological sex.
Dick Pryor: Senator Kay Floyd questioned why this bill is even necessary.
Shawn Ashley: Floyd pointed to Stitt’s executive order. Senator Jessica Garvin, who chairs the Senate General Government Committee in addition to being the bill's author, noted executive orders remain in effect unless canceled by a future governor.
Dick Pryor: What happens when a bill receives a do pass recommendation?
Shawn Ashley: That means it passes to the next step of the legislative process. In this case, possible consideration on the Senate floor.
Dick Pryor: Thank you, Shawn.
Shawn Ashley: You're very welcome.
Dick Pryor: For more information, go to quorumcall.online. You can find audio and transcripts at kgou.org. And look for Capitol Insider where you get podcasts. Until next time, with Shawn Ashley, I'm Dick Pryor.
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