2019 legislative session

In this episode of Capitol Insider, KGOU's Dick Pryor and eCapitol's Shawn Ashley sit down with House Speaker Charles McCall. McCall says it's time for lawmakers to find a way to provide affordable health care to Oklahomans, and Medicaid expansion is one option. 

In this episode of Capitol Insider, KGOU's Dick Pryor and eCapitol's Shawn Ashley discuss an ongoing effort in Oklahoma to reform occupational licensing. Right now lawmakers are considering making it easier for military spouses and for people with felony convictions to work.

In this episode of Capitol Insider, KGOU's Dick Pryor and eCapitol's Shawn Ashley discuss why lawmakers have once again failed to meet the legal deadline to fund public education and the Stitt administration's plan for more state agency audits.

It has been nearly one year since the teacher walkout, when thousands of educators flooded Oklahoma’s state capitol demanding better pay and more school funding. After nine days and little progress, they turned their attention to the 2018 elections.

The Red Bud Dispensary in Marlow, Okla. looks like an Apple store, with white walls and track lighting. The dispensary is packed with people, but they aren’t here to buy medical marijuana. The dispensary hasn’t technically opened yet, so it doesn’t even have THC products – the mainly middle-aged crowd is standing around empty glass cases. They are here for something else – a doctor’s recommendation.

In this episode of Capitol Insider, KGOU's Dick Pryor and eCapitol's Shawn Ashley interview Senate Democratic Leader Kay Floyd of Oklahoma City. Floyd explains her opposition to the Republican plan to give the governor more authority over state agencies and her hopes for increasing education funding.

In this episode of Capitol Insider, Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat speaks with Dick Pryor about key issues in the 2019 legislative session, including Medicaid expansion and his proposal to increase government transparency. 

In this episode of Capitol Insider, Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat speaks with Dick Pryor about the most pressing issues facing the legislature during the 2019 session, including retaining Oklahoma teachers, gun laws and state revenue. This is the first of a two part interview. 

In this episode of Capitol Insider, KGOU's Dick Pryor and eCapitol's Shawn Ashley discuss the start of Oklahoma's 2019 legislative session, including a proposed bill that would allow residents who meet certain requirements to carry a handgun without a permit. 

Kjelsea McDonald just finished her shift as a nuclear medicine technologist at the Seiling Regional Medical Center. She’s still wearing her teal scrubs at the Crooked Arrow Cafe during the dinner rush. She worked as a waitress here for years, including when she was a junior in high school — and pregnant.

In this episode of Capitol Insider, KGOU's Dick Pryor and eCapitol's Shawn Ashley recap key parts of Governor Kevin Stitt's inaugural address. 

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

In this episode of Capitol Insider, KGOU's Dick Pryor and eCapitol's Shawn Ashley discuss preparations for the 2019 legislative session, as well as Governor-elect Kevin Stitt's reorganization of the executive cabinet and his new hires.

Twenty-nineteen means a new governor for Oklahoma and a fresh class of state legislators — nearly 40 percent of whom have zero political experience. It’s a new year, but the state government’s slate hasn’t been wiped clean.

Here’s a roundup of some of the biggest policy issues on deck for the upcoming year and legislative session.

In this episode of Capitol Insider, KGOU's Dick Pryor and eCapitol's Shawn Ashley discuss what's happening at the state capitol ahead of the 2019 legislative session. Over 4,300 bills have been requested, and the majority of Oklahoma lawmakers have two years of experience or less. Listen to learn about some notable bills that have already been filed.