TRANSCRIPT
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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. Governor Kevin Stitt scored a victory in the Oklahoma Supreme Court when it sided with his argument in a case involving a City of Tulsa agreement with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation regarding jurisdiction over possible municipal violations by tribal members. Shawn, how did this case arise and what did the justices focus on in making their decision?
Shawn Ashley: In August 2025, Stitt filed a lawsuit with the Oklahoma Supreme Court, arguing the agreement was invalid. Tulsa officials and Muscogee (Creek) officials had announced the agreement about a month before. Stitt's attorney said the agreement had not been approved by the Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations and the governor as required by state statutes, among other things. And the Supreme Court agreed. Justice James Winchester, writing for the eight-justice majority, wrote, “Tulsa possesses the statutory authority to negotiate agreements with Indian tribes. However, any such agreement must adhere to the laws established by the legislature. That means that Tulsa must obtain approval from both the Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations and the governor for any cooperative agreement to be considered valid.”
Dick Pryor: So, based on this case, we can conclude that following the appropriate legal procedures and laws does matter?
Shawn Ashley: That's exactly right, and the Supreme Court has said this several times in the past few years. Coincidentally, Stitt was on the opposite side of at least two of those rulings. In 2020 and 2021, legislative leaders challenged four gaming compacts signed by Stitt. They argued the governor had exceeded his authority under the State-Tribal Gaming Act and that the compacts - like the city of Tulsa - Muscogee (Creek) Nation agreement -had not been approved by the Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations. The Supreme Court agreed with legislative leaders in those cases, ruling the governor had not followed the statutory requirements for those compacts.
Dick Pryor: The Oklahoma Health Care Authority has started a new AI Chatbot system to help answer questions from SoonerCare members. AI is rapidly becoming a major issue in our society. What did lawmakers do in the recently concluded legislative session to empower or regulate the use of AI in Oklahoma?
Shawn Ashley: Nearly 50 bills were filed during the 2025 and 2026 legislative sessions that addressed artificial intelligence in some way, and two of those became law. One, House Bill 1364, which Governor Stitt signed in 2025 amends the Oklahoma law on obscenity and child sexual abuse material to cover images generated by artificial intelligence and makes them illegal. The other, Senate Bill 1734, creates the Oklahoma Responsible Technology in Schools Act. It prohibits artificial intelligence tools from being used in public school districts for educational or instructional purposes, except through educator-directed AI use and subject to applicable school district board policies. Stitt signed that bill May 14th.
Dick Pryor: Friday was the deadline for Governor Stitt to sign or veto the final bills and joint resolutions to be handled from this year's legislative session. As we know, the Capitol building gets rather quiet after the legislature adjourns. This being an election year, what are legislators doing now?
Shawn Ashley: Well, most are out campaigning for re-election. There are primaries in 48 of the House's 101 seats and 15 in the 25 seats up for election this year in the Senate. Some of those races where candidates from only one party filed will be settled in the June 16th primary election. Others will move on to the primary runoff in August and some to the November general election. At the same time, members are getting ready for interim studies and two have already been requested.
Dick Pryor: Shawn, we'll discuss the legislative session and the upcoming Oklahoma primary election when we have a Capitol Insider Conversation at Full Circle Bookstore in Oklahoma City on the evening of June 9th. As it relates to the election on June 16th, what do you think we might be talking about in our conversation?
Shawn Ashley: We might talk about some commercials. The late professor, Dan Nemo, who retired from the University of Oklahoma in 1995 and published numerous books on political communications wrote, “for most persons, political realities are mediated through mass and group communication, a process resulting as much in the creation, transmission, and adoption of political fantasies as realistic views of what takes place.” Yeah, we're going to talk about some of those political fantasies.
Dick Pryor: All right, that sets the stage. Thanks, Shawn.
Shawn Ashley: You're very welcome.
Dick Pryor: For more information, go to quorumcall.online. Audio and transcripts are at kgou.org. Until next time, with Shawn Ashley, I'm Dick Pryor.
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