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. House Appropriations and Budget Chair, State Representative Kevin Wallace, has requested the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency to investigate the State Department of Education, and he is pushing for an October 29th meeting date. Shawn, why is that date important?
Shawn Ashley: Wallace co-chairs the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency or LOFT’s legislative oversight committee. But he lost his bid for reelection in the primary runoff election in August. So, he only has two months remaining in the legislature before his term expires. At the same time, Senator Roger Thompson, the Senate co-chair, announced in June that he will be resigning from the legislature effective November 1st. So, he too will be leaving. And both the House and Senate will have new leadership: Representative Kyle Hilbert in the House and Senator Lonnie Paxton in the Senate. But their titles will not be official until January, when each chamber meets for organizational day. So, the legislature and the LOFT oversight committee are in transition and are kind of like folks who have a major project or report due by the end of the year, but really need to get it done before the holidays begin.
Dick Pryor: We can understand that. Why does Wallace want LOFT to investigate the agency’s spending?
Shawn Ashley: Wallace requested the investigation in August of the State Department of Education's disbursement of certain funds. He said, quote, “when the legislature approves funding for a specific purpose, it is incumbent on the agency to which those funds are allocated to spend them properly and in a timely manner.” Regina Birchum, LOFT’s interim director, told the oversight committee Wednesday that the office will take what she called “a very formulaic approach” to examining five funding areas: federal title funds, school resource officers and school security funds, maternity leave reimbursements, funding for an inhalers program, and pay raises for teachers employed at all formula schools, all of which the department's handling of have been publicly criticized.
Dick Pryor: Remind us why LOFT was created and what it does.
Shawn Ashley: LOFT was created by legislation in 2019 to give lawmakers a deeper insight into state agency operations. Wednesday, for example, the office reported on the Oklahoma Health Care Authority's various funding sources, and it noted, among other things, that Oklahoma received less federal Covid money than some other states because it was already receiving additional federal funds due to the state's voter-approved Medicaid expansion program. The legislative oversight committee approves a work plan for the office annually that includes a series of studies of various agencies and their programs. But the study Wallace requested is unique. It's the first time the office has been asked to jump into the middle of a public controversy.
Dick Pryor: Governor Kevin Stitt has placed a new state question on the ballot for the June 2026 primary election. The ballot initiative would amend the Oklahoma Minimum Wage Act to raise the minimum wage starting in 2025, but the date he picked is after 2025. Why did he choose the June 2026 date?
Shawn Ashley: First, the statutory deadline for the proposal to be placed on this year's general election ballot was August 26th. At that time, the initiative petition signatures were still in the public protest period before the Oklahoma Supreme Court. It simply couldn't be on this year's general election ballot, Stitt said in a statement, “the June 2026 date saves taxpayers over $1.8 million and prevents the need for the election board to request supplemental funding from the legislature to arrange a standalone statewide election.”
Dick Pryor: Shawn, there are a couple of state questions on this November's general election ballot. What are they about?
Shawn Ashley: State Question 833 proposes a constitutional amendment that allows for the creation of what are called public infrastructure districts, which would be able to issue bonds to pay for the cost of public improvements within those districts. State Question 834 proposes a constitutional amendment that would permit only citizens of the United States to vote in Oklahoma's elections. Both those proposals were put on the ballot by the legislature during the 2024 legislative session.
Dick Pryor: And we will see them in November. 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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