2020 Election Night Live Blog
We’ll start the conversation whenever we wake up, but the meat & potatoes will be served beginning at 6pm CT and will go until…well, it’s hard to say, really.
This could be a weird night. Hold on to your butts.
Timeline of Shenanigans in Oklahoma County Government
The past year has brought numerous challenges for government at all levels, and that includes the county level. Oklahoma County, in particular, has repeatedly made headlines for decisions regarding the county jail, what they're doing (or not doing) with federal CARES funds, and their relationship with the Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
Because it’s such an important and complicated issue, we decided to do an entire podcast episode about it. County Commissioner Carrie Blumert joined us to walk through who all the players are a basic timeline of events. You can listen her and follow along with the timeline below.
Board of County Commissioners Members
Commissioner Carrie Blumert
Commissioner Brian Maughn
Commissioner Kevin Calvey
Tricia Everest (chair)
Sue Ann Arnall, attorney & philanthropist
Francie Ekwerekwu, assistant public defender & law professor
Ben Brown, former state senator
Commissioner Kevin Calvey
Sheriff P.D. Taylor
Todd Lamb, former Lt. Governor
Jim Couch, former OKC City Manager
M.T. Berry, former OKC Police Chief
Budget Board Members
Commissioner Kevin Calvey (chair)
Commissioner Carrie Blumert
Commissioner Brian Maughn
County Treasure Butch Freeman
County Clerk David Hooten
County Court Clerk Rick Warren
County Assessor Larry Stein
Sheriff PD Taylor
ISSUES AT HAND
ICE holds - the jail notifies ICE before inmates are released and will continue to hold individuals for up to 48 hours if ICE wants to take them into custody. The Jail also provides office space for ICE agents inside the jail. (Or they used to; we’ll talk about that)
CARES funds - federal funding designed for various covid-19 relief programs
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
5/2019 Jail Trust created to oversee the management and financial activity of the jail. Prior to the Trust, the County Sheriff was responsible for managing the county jail.
8/31/19 Sheriff submitted his resignation from Jail Trust & CJAC (Criminal Justice Advisory Council). However, the Sheriff can’t actually resign from the Trust, so the effect of this was more along the lines of “I disagree with this whole deal so I’m not going to attend meetings any longer, and in my place our general counsel will be attending as my proxy.”
11/??/19 Trust hired jail administrator hired
1/29/20 BOCC votes to contract with Jail Trust for management of the jail
7/1/20 Date that the Trust officially assumed mgmt of jail
8/13/20 Budget Board voted 5-3 to move $36M of CARES dollars to the Jail Trust. County Treasure Butch Freeman questioned if this was a legal use of CARES funds.
8/19/20 BOCC voted to move $34M in CARES dollars to Jail Trust. The issues was listed as item #22 on the agenda but it was moved up and the vote was called for before Commissioner Blumert was even seated.
8/31/20 Jail Trust voted to accept $37M in federal CARES dollars - $3M for airflow at the jail and another $34M for yet-undetermined expenditures. Members of the public were there, gave comment, and were not happy with the vote.
9/21/20 Jail Trust voted 4-2 to not honor ICE detainers, however, the Jail Trust’s bylaws require 5 affirmative votes, so the vote was not actually valid and thus the decision was vacated. There was consternation about how this all went down. There were a number of very vocal protestors at the meeting, so tensions were running high. Trust chairwoman Tricia Everest was participating virtually and just before the vote was called, she disconnected from the meeting. It is unclear why. In her absence, Co-Chair Jim Couch called for the vote. Calvey & Lamb voted ‘no,’ Couch, Berry, Brown, & Ekwerekwu voted ‘yes,’ Everest was now absent, and because of that, Danny Honeycut, counsel for the Sheriff’s office who was sitting in for Sheriff Taylor, abstained from voting because he wasn’t sure it was a valid vote. So that made the vote 4-2-1. The counsel for the Trust, John Williams, was present in the meeting but did not say anything about it not being a valid vote until hours later
Also at this meeting (Sept 21), the Trust passed a resolution to accept $34 million of federal CARES money from the BOCC, however, the Trust did not have a plan for how it was going to spend it. They had a long list of needs at the jail, but weren’t sure which ones to do. So, the Trust authorized the CEO to hire a Program Assistant to help winnow the list, which they would present at the next meeting.
9/30/20 In an emergency meeting, the Trust authorizes $3 million in CARES money to be used for a no-bid repair contract with an out-of-state contractor. They also canceled the Trust meeting scheduled for Oct 5th and carried those agenda items over to Oct 19th. This was interesting because the Oct 5th meeting was supposed to be when the Trust would re-vote on the involvement of ICE at the jail.
10/5/20 BOCC approved full cooperation with ICE in a 2-1 vote. Before the vote, Commissioner Blumert raised the question why this matter had not gone through the board’s Policy & Governance Committee. Calvey claimed it didn’t need to. (Then what’s the committee for?) Commissioner Blumert also raised doubt that the BOCC could set policy for the Jail Trust since they are a separate entity independent of the BOCC by design. Calvey said the lease agreement with the Trust for operation of the jail states that they shall follow County policy, which is why he wanted to set that policy at this time.
10/6/20 The next day, Commissioner Calvey filed petition asking the court to order that the Trust must do what the BOCC tells them to do. The petition was filed on behalf of three parties: the Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association, Tom Vineyard (an individual), and Commissioner Calvey himself, in his official capacity as County Commissioner. The rather obvious issue here is that Commissioner Calvey was arguably suing himself, since he sits on both the BOCC and the Trust. Furthermore, he filed the suit as the attorney of record for the petitioners. This might not have been a problem if he was party to this as an individual citizen (like Mr. Vineyard), but Commissioner Calvey was listed as party in his official capacity as County Commissioner. In effect, Commissioner Calvey hired a private attorney to represent the County, and that private attorney was himself. This was an unprecedented move, as the county already has legal counsel - the District Attorney.
10/16/20 District Attorney David Prater responded to Calvey’s suit. His motion to intervene basically said that the DA’s office is the official representative of the county in virtually all legal matters. Prater’s motion also said that the BOCC does not have authority over the Trust. He pointed to the lease agreement as saying that while the county owns the jail, the Trust is responsible for management of it.
10/19/20 Jail Trust votes 4-2-2 to remove ICE from jail, but by-laws require 5 votes to pass, so no change
Virtual Civic Saturday: Perseverence
Below are the full text of the “civic scriptures” and “civic sermon” read during the event.
Civic Scripture
From the late Senator Margaret Chase Smith’s “declaration of conscience”:
Those of us who shout the loudest about Americanism in making character assassinations are all too frequently those who by our own words and acts, ignore some of the basic principles of Americansim -
The right to criticize.
The right to hold unpopular beliefs.
The right to protest.
The right of independent thought.
The exercise of these rights should not cost one single American citizen his reputation or his right to a livelihood nor should be in danger of losing his reputation or livelihood merely because he happens to know someone who holds unpopular beliefs. Who of us does not? Otherwise none of us could call our souls our won. Otherwise thought control would have set in.
The American people are sick and tired of being afraid to speak their minds lest they be politically smeared as Communists or Fascists by their opponents. Freedom of speech is not what it used to be in America. It has been so abused by some that it is not exercised by others.
From Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham City Jail”:
We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of good people. We must come to see that human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and persistent work of men willing to be coworkers with God, and without this hard work time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.
From the American author and artist, Mary Anne Radmacher:
Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying 'I will try again tomorrow.'
From the farewell address of President Dwight D. Eisenhower:
As we peer into society’s future, we - you and I, and our government - must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.
Down the long lane of history yet to be written, America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.
Civic Sermon
I started to write this civic sermon at least a dozen times over the past few weeks. Sometimes with pen and paper, sometimes on the computer, other times just speaking my thoughts aloud to myself in the car while I drove around. But every time I had the same experience - I hit a wall. I found it hard to focus on writing when there were so many other things in our world that I felt I needed to worry about.
There’s Covid, obviously, where earlier this week our state surpassed 100,000 cases and saw record-breaking numbers of people hospitalized and in the ICU due to the disease. When we crossed the 100,000 cases mark on Monday, I did some quick arithmetic and posted the result to Twitter, stating simply: 1 in 37 Oklahomans has been diagnosed with COVID-19. As of today, that tweet has been shared nearly 300 times and liked by more than 600 people. However, it did nothing to stop the six deaths that were reported that same morning, nor the other 50 deaths that have been reported in our state since then. By the time this is over, the odds are we’ll all have lost someone we know to the disease. Wondering who - and how many - can be downright crippling.
Then there’s the impending election, which is arguably of larger consequence for the future of our great nation than any other presidential election in two generations. It sure feels that way, at least. You can’t escape it. Billion-dollar campaigns are now the new normal, with ad buys designed to permeate every form of media we consume. In the face of unprecedented attacks on voting rights and our electoral process itself, we find ourselves looking for help from the companies we love to hate - Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have all reminded me to register to vote nearly every day for at least the past six weeks. Even Yelp got in on the action, interrupting me with an election reminder while I was trying to look up what time Roxy’s Ice Cream store closed one night. I wanted ice cream, and I got politics. Maybe that’s smart marketing, though - catching people in their moment of vulnerability.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the impending election are stress-inducing events for lots of reasons, and it's important to acknowledge that not only have they added stress to our lives, they have amplified other, baseline, "normal" stressors that we all experience every day. Something as simple as going to work or buying groceries now requires additional research, planning, and strategy. Getting food from a restaurant, buying toilet paper, going for a run, voting - it's all different now. We find ourselves cut off from our friends and family, restricted to open-air hangouts at the end of the driveway, nervously wondering if our children are asymptomatic carriers and fearing they'll infect their grandparents. Hugs, once relished in my family like chocolate icing on a big slice of yellow cake, have been sidelined completely.
How do we carry on when everything feels so bizarre, so distant, so uncertain?
While the circumstances have changed, the associated feelings are not new to most Oklahomans. Amongst our American brethren, we are uniquely accustomed to the sudden and complete interruption of life. Many of us know someone - or several someones - who have had their trees and lives uprooted by a tornado. I vividly remember my friend Jon tweeting that he had just watched his house in Moore get blown away on the news...on a television in the hospital, where he sat with his newborn child in the NICU. Or my friend Amy, who sat across the desk from her boss at 9:01 am on April 19, 1995; and a moment later the wall and the floor and her boss were all gone.
This year was supposed to be the 20th annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, but, like everything else, the event was forced to become "virtual." Registrants received boxes in the mail with their shirts and blankets and medals, along with instructions to run their selected race sometime in the two weeks between October 4th and tomorrow, October 18th. I don't know if you know this, but there are a lot - I mean, a LOT of marathons out there - but the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is different from all the rest. It was the first half marathon I attempted when I started running in 2014, and this year will be my sixth time. Once I actually run it, I mean. Because, as I mentioned at the beginning of my talk, I don't know about about you, but lately I'm having a hard time finding the motivation to keep going. I don't know what I'm waiting for, exactly...but I do think it seems appropriate for us to talk about perseverance today.
Regardless of how you feel about running, we can all admit that it provides a wonderful analogy for just about everything in life. And while sports drinks and fancy, stretchy clothing have renewed our interest in running for exercise and sport, running has been a part of human existence since…forever, really. Scientists believe that one of things helped humans rise to the top of the evolutionary food chain is our ability to run long distances and simply wear out our prey and other predators. People, it seems, were built to keep going.
And, perhaps that’s why running has been used as an analogue for getting through life for thousands of years. You can even find running analogies in the Bible. The Apostle Paul wrote letters to the church at Corinth and to his friend Timothy that include phrases like "running to win" and "finishing the race,” which is somewhat ironic because history records Paul as being not just blind and bald but also bowlegged, an affliction that would have made running unduly difficult for him. Perhaps that’s the reason why running analogies resonated with him so strongly. He knew, quite intimately, how hard it was to simply keep going.
I took up running when I was in my early 30s, after the birth of my first child. I was pretty clearly running from existential dread; it was my attempt to avoid or postpone or at least slow down the inevitable aging and weakening of the human body that befalls all of us. When I started running, I learned a lot about myself, about other people, and about how we all interact and flow together as one community. When you run through the streets of your town you see and feel all the cracks, all the bumps, all the glistening lawns and empty lots, the formidable mansions and the homeless shelters, the exhaust of our cars and the exhaustion of our resources, the children at the park and the dirty needles in the gutter.
Obviously, I’m not here to talk about running. I’m here to talk about stuff that’s way harder than running. Community-level change. Making a difference in the lives of our neighbors. And why it is so danged important that, even when it gets hard, you keep going.
To do that, I’m going to share with you the three most important lessons I have learned from running: It’s easy starting out, Just make it to the next block, and Never waste a downhill.
Lesson 1: It’s Easy Starting Out
This one seems obvious. All you have to do find a place to run, lean forward a little bit, put one foot in front of the other, and let gravity do the rest. It feels…natural, right? After just a few steps you begin to build up some momentum and feel the breeze in your face and, Wow! Look at you! You’re doing it! You are running!
I love the beginning of a race, especially big ones, like marathons. Thousands of people joined together with a common purpose. It’s dark, the music is thumping, the air is absolutely electric. There is a collective sense of We’re going to do this. We’re going to run and we’re going to finish, and it’s going to feel great. Look at how awesome we are.
And as you stand in that corral, you may begin to look around at the other runners, sizing them up, trying to decide which ones "look like real runners,” which ones you think you can beat, trying to make yourself feel better and justify your presence there by devaluing others. “Look at them. Psh. What do they know about running? Look at those shoes. Look at that old guy. Is that a fanny pack? Ugh." Don't give in to those thoughts. Viewing your neighbors as competitors rather than teammates is a surefire way to suck the joy out of the experience.
Because once you start running, you'll soon realize that what you thought was a solo exercise is really a group project. The more you try to look out for yourself, the more likely you will collide with someone else, particularly if they are only looking out for themselves.
Like so much of life, running a marathon is a community effort. The road is long and if we’re going to get there, we must realize that we’re all in this together and therefore we need to lookout for one another, encourage one another, and try not to get in each other’s way.
Lesson 2: Just Make It To The Next Block
Before long, you notice the crowd around you is thinning. Some people are still cruising along, but others are breaking to walk or stand and stretch and catch their breath. You begin to question yourself and what you’re doing. Doubt creeps in. "Should I walk? Why did I start down this road in the first place? Ugh, what if I can’t finish? Do I even want to finish any more? Is there a way for me to quit so that no one will notice?”
In any race, there are a million points along the way where you may feel like giving up. I get it. It’s hard, it’s uncomfortable, it feels lonely, it makes you hurt. Caring about something and sticking with it to the end requires incredible stamina and grit. While things were easy starting out when everyone was there together, now you look around and may not recognize the people around you. The rallying music has faded and the finish line feels impossibly far away. So you pull over to the side, step out of the flow, and disconnect a bit from the community around you.
It's okay to take a break if you need it; there is absolutely no shame in that. But, I have found that if you tell yourself "just make it to the next block" before you stop, often you'll end up going two or three more as well. Sometimes, just giving yourself permission to stop provides enough relief that you don't need to actually stop at all. You're doing the best you can, and you can make it to the next block.
Lesson 3: Never Waste a Downhill
Every race has hills. Some are well known and highly anticipated, like Gorilla Hill in the Oklahoma City marathon, where the local residents of a big yellow house along the route rent a 30-foot inflatable gorilla and volunteers dress up and hand out bananas to runners. Other hills are smaller, less flashy. Some are low and long, like the rolling highways of western Oklahoma. Regardless of the size of the hill, I am always thankful to reach the top. It feels like an accomplishment, something to be celebrated, and, too often, a permission slip to stop trying. After all, what goes up must come down, and what better time to walk than when gravity is pulling you along?
One of my former running buddies has a habit of shouting “Never waste a downhill” whenever we reached a peak. She recognized that our natural inclination is to put in less effort when the road gets easier. Which is silly, of course - that kind of complacency is exactly how the hare lost to the tortoise in Aesop's classic fable. When we see that things may be easier ahead, we should press on even harder. If the wind is at our back, we can accomplish more than we might otherwise. We should call to the others around us, rally them to the cause, and not let that downhill go to waste. We. must. keep. going.
One more thing
Before I bring Chris back up to take us out with a song, if you'll permit me, I'd like to add one more lesson that I learned from running. I wasn't really planning to share this, but as we've gone along today, I think it's fitting for where we're at as a country and as a community.
On April 30, 2017, I was running the Memorial Half-Marathon, per usual, and I just was not into it. I had not really trained for it, it was cold and rainy, and I was grumpy about the whole deal. I was running by myself and felt disconnected from the event and the people around me. As I came west down 23rd Street, under the highway and started up the hill toward McDonald's, I ran into my friend Adi. Adi is a gifted yoga instructor and a talented writer and, I recently learned, when she was younger, Adi was an aspiring advocate who wanted to “free the dolphins.” As luck would have it, Adi is also a runner. Not a “runner” like me - she is a legit ultramarathoner. 50 milers, 100 milers, this girl can get after it.
Anyway, there I was, wallowing in my own self-loathing about my poor performance in the race when I see Adi stopped in the middle of the road, on a hill, trying to hold still the wheelchair she was pushing while she stretched a rain fly over the little girl who sat in the chair. I helped her get situated and then we continued on along the course, laughing and talking as we jogged.
After a couple of miles, Adi paused and graciously said “Andy, you don’t have to stay with us. We’ll just slow you down.” Little did she know - they were the only things keeping me going.
I had never run with a rider before. I saw people in chairs during races, but I knew nothing about them aside from that very passive awareness. I assumed whoever was pushing them was a friend or relative, but in this case, I learned that Adi had simply volunteered, and by sheer luck of the draw she was paired up with Mariela.
From the moment I started running next to Mariela, I...disappeared from public view. There were still runners streaming past us on all sides, and literally everyone offered words of genuine encouragement - “Good job!” “You’re doing great!” “Keep it up!” - all of it directly squarely at Mariela. Who, I must admit, soaked it up with a smile from ear to ear. “Thank you!” she’d call back after each one.
We didn’t run the whole way, and when we did run, we were slow. It’s hard enough to push your own body down the street for 13 miles; an additional 70 lbs of chair and rider makes it that much more difficult. My time ended up being a full 30 minutes slower than the year prior, but I didn’t care.
When we were about a mile from the end, Adi leaned over to tell me that Mariela’s family would be waiting near the finish line with her walker, and we were going to get her out of the chair so she could walk across the finish line herself. And so, we did. This photo explains how it felt.
My entire perspective on running changed that day. I had been focused on just getting to the finish line and doing it for me. And if that’s where you’re at because that’s where you need to be, that’s perfectly fine. You gotta be present for yourself, I get that and I affirm that. You do you. But, hear me out - what if you also show up for the folks around you?
America has this weird thing about rugged individualism and bootstraps and blazing your own trail and all this. We’re like a teenager who thinks they can make it in the world on their own without any help from anyone because they have a car and a job making sandwiches at Subway. Too often we - collective we, societal we - fail to appreciate or even acknowledge the relationships and reciprocity we have with other nations, with other states, with other cities, with the people who live in the neighborhood across the highway or the house right next door.
What if we acted like we’re all running side by side? What if it wasn’t a “race,” but rather, just run with friends? What if your neighbor needed you to push them? What if you needed them to push you?
2020 Election Resources Compendium
Tens of thousands of Oklahomans have already voted safely and securely by mail, which is truly great and exciting news! If you haven’t yet voted and are still looking for information about some of the nonpartisan names and issues that appear on the ballot, we’ve got you covered. Take a look below for information about the judges up for retention, state questions 805 and 814, and, for those of you in Oklahoma City, the proposed changes to the city’s charter.
Oklahoma is one of a handful of states that places state Supreme Court, Appellate Court, and other judicial officials on the ballot. This year, the only judicial elections are retention elections, which means that the justices in question were appointed to their positions and voters are simply deciding if they should be retained or if the Governor should appoint someone else to the position. If you aren’t an attorney who has practiced in front of these justices, it can be difficult to find information about them to help inform your decision. Thankfully, the Oklahoma Bar Association has created this resource concerning the retention ballot and the candidates thereon.
There are two state questions on the ballot this fall, both of which are somewhat nuanced in what they do. We’ve covered both questions on Let’s Pod This; links to the video & audio versions of those episodes are below.
State Question 805: Video | Audio Only
State Question 814: Video | Audio Only
Our 2020 State Questions Guide is embedded below as image files; you can also download it as a PDF here.
Read:
The League of Women Voters of Oklahoma County, in conjunction with the OKC Municipal Counselor’s office, has created a “plain language” summary of the proposed changes.
Watch:
Listen:
2020 OKC Charter Amendments
The following information was created and shared by the League of Women Voters of Oklahoma County. We are cross-posting it here with their permission.
The Oklahoma City Council called a special election on Nov. 3 for proposed City Charter amendments that are primarily intended to modernize wording, address inconsistencies and resolve discrepancies with state law.
The proposed changes were introduced August 4 and the approved for the ballot at the final hearing during the City Council meeting on August 18. The election will be the same day as the November 3 nationwide general election, but on a separate ballot available to all Oklahoma City voters at their usual polling place or via mail if voting absentee.
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The OKC Municipal Counselors office and Former LWVOK President, Jean McLaughlin, has assisted the LWV of Oklahoma County with the following summary to prepare voters with this information before voting.The City Charter is like the City constitution and can only be changed by Voters. The purpose of these propositions (amendments) is to delete obsolete wording, improve clarification, achieve consistency with state law and make minor changes for improved government functioning. There are no tax issues. Oklahoma City Voters will receive a separate ballot with the 9 propositions at the polls or if they vote by mail.
LWVOKC Explanations of the 9 proposed City Charter Amendments:
Proposition 1 relates to Mayor and City council elections. The name of the February “primary” election would become the “general” election and the April “general” election will become the “run-off” election. It lengthens the time when elected officers take office from one week to four weeks after the April run-off election. The Mayor and Councilmembers will continue to have overlapping 4-year terms.
Proposition 2 relates to the qualifications for the offices of Mayor and Council members and reformats the section for easier reading. To file as a candidate a person:
A. Must be a citizen of the United States and Oklahoma
B. Must be at least 21 years of age
C. Must have been a resident of Oklahoma City for at least one year before filing for office. The wording in the current Charter requires 3 years of residency that may be found unconstitutional if challenged.
D. The Mayor must have been a registered voter in Oklahoma City for at least one year.
E. A City Council candidate representing a ward must have been a registered voter at an address within the ward for at least one year. Previously, a 6-month residency was required.
Proposition 3 provides for filling a vacancy in the office of Mayor. If the vacancy were to occur within the first three years of the Mayor’s term, Council would have 30 days instead of 15 days to call a special election. If the vacancy occurs within the final year of the Mayor's term of office, it shall be filled by a majority vote of the Council within 30 days instead of the prior 15 days.
Proposition 4 relates to when regular meetings of the City Council will be held. The current language states that meetings will be held every Tuesday. This is changed to read: meetings will be held at such times as the Council may designate by ordinance to reflect current practice.
Proposition 5 relates to the City Manager having exclusive control of city employees. A new section is added to state that the Mayor and any Councilmember may provide information to the City Manager regarding the positive or negative performance of any officer or employee under the City Manager. This information must be based on direct personal knowledge or on a signed written statement provided by a resident.
Proposition 6 relates to the two divisions of the city government and specifies more clearly their responsibilities. The Division of Public Affairs under the Mayor and the City Council shall include the City Manager, Municipal Counselor, City Auditor, Municipal Judges, and all City boards, commissions and committees created by the Mayor or City Council. The Division of Public Management shall comprise all city departments, functions, agencies, commissions and boards not placed under the Division of Public Affairs.
Proposition 7 would be a new section in the City Charter that changes the terms of Councilman and Councilmen to consistently refer to such officers as Councilmember, Councilmembers, Councilor, or Councilors as grammatically appropriate.
Proposition 8 would amend the charter to add the word “welfare” to the list of reasons for enacting and enforcing ordinances. The new wording is: ordinances may be enacted to protect health, safety, welfare, life, or property.
Proposition 9 prohibits City officers and employees from accepting anything of value from certain privately owned businesses within the city that is not granted to the general public. This prohibition applies to any transportation business or utility company that has a franchise or contract with the city. The wording of this section is changed to more clearly state its intent.
2020 State Questions Guide
There are two state questions on the ballot this fall, both of which are somewhat nuanced in what they do. We’ve covered both questions on Let’s Pod This; links to the video & audio versions of those episodes are below.
State Question 805: Video | Audio Only
State Question 814: Video | Audio Only
Our 2020 State Questions Guide is embedded below as image files; you can also download it as a PDF here.
What are we voting on? (June 2020 Edition)
“Wait, there’s an election next week? What are we voting on?”
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard that phrase, though I suppose it’s understandable - due to how we schedule elections in our state, there’s inevitably one somewhere in Oklahoma nearly every month of the year. Back in March we had our presidential primary election, and next Tuesday, June 30th, we’ll have our state primary election. For most Oklahomans, there will be four or five races on the ballot in addition to one state question, which we describe more below.
A word about primary elections
Before we get started, it bears mentioning that the purpose of primary elections is to allow political parties to choose their best candidates that they will then submit to the general election, which is held in November. Oklahoma has a “modified, closed-primary” system, which means that members of each political party are only allowed to vote for their party’s candidates. Our system is called “modified” because the Democratic Party allows voters who are unaffiliated (aka “independent”) to vote in the Democratic primary. Make sense? Allow me to summarize:
Voters registered as Republican can only vote for Republican candidates.
Voters registered as Democrat can only vote for Democratic candidates.
Voters registered as Libertarian can only vote for Libertarian candidates.
Voters registered as Unaffiliated/Independent can only vote for Democratic candidates.
If you feel like that is unfair, you’re not alone. Closed primaries are a contentious issue. Political parties are basically private clubs - it’s free to join, but by affiliating with one party you basically give up your ability to have any say in how the other party conducts their business, including which candidates they run. Furthermore, the parties use taxpayer dollars to run their private candidate selection process. Having a closed system, it means that voters may not get any say at all in who represents them.
For example, let’s say you live in Enid and are registered as an Independent. There are two candidates for Oklahoma House District 40, but both are Republicans. Because we have closed primaries, only registered Republicans can vote in the primary election to choose their state representative. Everyone in HD40 who is registered as Democrat, Independent, or Libertarian does not get to vote in that race. (According to the State Election Board, HD40 contains 9,396 Republicans, 4,176 Democrats, 2,951 Independents, and 114 Libertarians. So, only 56% of voters in that district are allowed to vote in the election that will decide who represents the entire district.)
What you can expect to see on the ballot
US Senate. Like all states, Oklahoma has two seats in the US Senate, which are elected to staggered, six-year terms. Only one of the seats is up for election this year - the seat of long-time incumbent Senator Jim Inhofe. He has both Republican and Democratic challengers, so regardless of your party affiliation, you’ll get to vote in a primary for this seat.
US House of Representatives. Oklahoma has five Congressional seats and they all are up for election this year. However, whether or not you have a primary election to decide depends on where you live and your party affiliation. The most contested Congressional seat is CD5, which is currently held by Kendra Horn. She is facing perennial candidate Tom Guild in the Democratic primary, and there are nine Republican candidates vying for the nomination from their party.
Oklahoma Senate. Oklahoma has 48 state Senate districts, which are elected to staggered, four-year terms, with half of the seats going up for election every-other year. So, again, whether or not you have a primary election to decide depends on where you live and your party affiliation.
Oklahoma House of Representatives. Oklahoma has 101 state House districts, which serve two-year terms, which means they’re all up for election this year. Like the items above, whether or not you get to vote in a state House race depends on where you live and your party affiliation.
In addition to the legislative positions listed above, there are also “down ballot” races for various County, City, and School Board positions on next week’s ballot as well. You guessed it - whether or not you are able to vote in one of those races depends on where you live and your party affiliation. If you’re curious, the state Election Board has a long list of all the races sorted by county:
And last but certainly not least, we have State Question 802. This is a statewide issue, so all voters get to vote. In fact, you will receive a separate ballot containing just this question all by itself. SQ802 deals with expanding Medicaid, and the “ballot title” (the summary paragraph that you will see on the ballot) reads as follows:
This measure adds a new Article to the Oklahoma Constitution. The new Article would expand Oklahoma's Medicaid program to include certain low-income adults between the ages of 18 and 65 whose income does not exceed 133% of the federal poverty level, as permitted under the federal Medicaid laws.
Supporters say: Oklahoma has one of the highest rates of uninsured people in the country, most of whom can’t afford it and don’t work at jobs that provide it. This measure would fix that. Furthermore, Oklahoma has been paying for Medicaid expansion through our federal income tax for more than 10 years, but all that money goes to other states because we didn’t expand Medicaid in our state. It may cost some money, but it’s worth it to ensure that all Oklahomans have health insurance, and if there’s ever a time our state needed a stronger safety net, it’s right now.
Opponents say: Oklahoma can’t afford to expand Medicaid, especially right now. Our economy is already fragile and cuts are expected next year as it is; having to come up with another $100 million per year is too much. Giving people free health insurance doesn’t incentivize them to work, so they end up costing the state more.
When you can go vote
If you haven’t already voted absentee (aka voted by mail), you can still vote early or vote on election day. Here’s all the days & times:
Early Voting - at your County Election Board
Thursday 6/25 from 8a - 6p
Friday 6/26 from 8a - 6p
Saturday 6/27 from 9a - 2p
Election Day - at your assigned precinct (find your precinct here)
Tuesday 6/30 from 7a - 7p
What to do if you’re not registered to vote
Unfortunately, if you’re not already registered to vote, you can’t vote next week. HOWEVER, you should still go ahead and register so that you’ll be all set for future elections. Oklahoma’s online voter registration system won’t be fully operational until 2022, but you can register by paper form. To get a voter registration form, you can print one of the state election board or stop by and fill one out at any tag agency (they’ll mail it for you, too).
Best of luck out there. Remember: Decisions are made by those who show up!
How to Vote by Mail
Just a quick reminder that any registered voter in Oklahoma can vote by mail – no excuse necessary! (Although a pandemic is certainly a worthy excuse!) All you have to do is sign up online.
We made this quick "how-to" video for requesting an absentee ballot:
And here's some Step-By-Step instructions, in case you're into that kind of thing. I was overly detailed; it's really pretty simple.
Go to the state's Online Voter Tool website.
Enter your name and date of birth, then click "Find Me."
Scroll down a bit; below the blue Voter Services heading you'll see a checkbox for "Request an Absentee Ballot." Check that, then click the blue "Begin" button at the bottom.
On the next screen you will need to enter your Driver's License number (or a state ID) and/or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you have a Voter ID PIN, you can enter that as well. (I honestly don't know what that is.)
Read the instructions, scroll to the bottom, check the two affirmation boxes, and then click the blue "Validate Me" button.
On the next screen, select the reason you are requesting an absentee ballot and check whichever box is appropriate for you. Most people will fall into the last category listed: "All other voters."
Scroll on down and decide if you'd like an absentee ballot for just one election or for all elections for the remainder of the calendar year. (You have to renew your absentee status annually.) Select which ever one you want. (I suggest "all," especially in year like this when things are so uncertain.)
Below that, you can enter your phone number and/or email address if you'd like to (and you should, because the Election Board will notify you of upcoming elections!)
And finally, if you are an Independent (or "Unaffiliated") voter, you can choose which party's primary & run-off ballots you'd like to receive. (At this time, only the Democratic Party allows Independents to vote in their primaries, so that's your only option.)
Click the blue "Continue" button.
The next page is just a confirmation of everything you've entered and a final attestation that it's all valid & correct. Look it over, check the three boxes, type your name, click Submit and you're all done!
2020 State of the State (full text transcript)
On February 3, 2020, Governor Kevin Stitt delivered his second State of the State address to a joint session of the Oklahoma legislature. Below is the transcript of his remarks.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. President Pro Temp, Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell, members of my cabinet, Madam Chief Justice, members of the 57th Legislature, my best friend — the First Lady Sarah Stitt, my children, my parents, and my fellow Oklahomans …
It is a great honor to stand before you to today, and I thank my heavenly Father for allowing me to be in this position of service to Oklahoma.
Let me get right to the point. The state of our state is growing in strength, stability, and new opportunity for generations to come.
We are moving in the direction we all want to go: Top Ten in the Nation.
And we are getting there because of the hard work of Oklahoma’s entrepreneurs, because of the dedication of teachers in the classroom, because of the generous givers and compassion coming from Oklahoma’s non-profits, because of the community involvement of churches, and because of those in this room, and across our state agencies, who are making the tough, selfless decisions for the future of our great state.
I want to take a moment to highlight a few of those individuals, who are my special guests in the Chamber today:
First Lieutenant E.J. Johnson, Technical Sergeant Rebecca Imwalle, and Staff Sergeant Joy Mahan. These proud Guardsmen represent the hundreds of Oklahoma’s finest called to duty during record flooding in the State this past May.
Under the leadership of Major General Michael Thompson, they walked levies, filled sandbags, performed rescues, and conducted countless other tasks day after day.
Engineers in the Oklahoma National Guard also partnered with ODOT to build a temporary road that provided evacuees in Braggs a way out of their flooded community.
In addition to their duties within the State, the Oklahoma National Guard is also fulfilling their federal mission. More than 400 Oklahoma Guardsmen are currently fighting overseas on behalf of our state and nation at this very moment. I ask that every Oklahoman keep these brave men and women in your thoughts and prayers.
Also in the Chamber with us today is Dr. Tomas Diaz de la Rubia, the University of Oklahoma’s new head of research. I am committed to partnering with our state institutions in recruiting the best talent in the nation to Oklahoma. We will compete, and we will win.
This past year, the University of Oklahoma not only won its 13th Big 12 Football Championship, it also won the talent of one of the best researchers in the nation.
Dr. Tomas is an internationally renowned researcher who is bringing his impressive background at Purdue University, and with companies, such as Deloitte, to play a key role in identifying innovative opportunities that will elevate OU’s research reputation to Top Ten in the country. Thank you for choosing the best state in the nation to move to and make an impact.
Today, we also recognize an Oklahoma son from Tuttle — CEO of Paycom, Chad Richison. Chad founded his company, Paycom, right here in Oklahoma City in 1998, and through his vision and leadership, Paycom now serves as one of the largest employers in our great state.
Just this past month, Chad hit an incredible milestone when Paycom was added to the S&P 500 list.
Thank you, Chad, for reminding us that the American dream is still alive, and Oklahoma is the best place in the nation to accomplish it.
To all my guests, thank you for being here today.
We all know that Oklahoma’s economy, and quite frankly our state budget, is built on the backs of the hardworking men and women in the oil and natural gas industry.
When I delivered this address last year, 60 percent more drilling rigs were operating in Oklahoma than exists today.
Our first budget together was blessed by a thriving industry. Now, we must look at the realities of a changing and evolving market that is becoming more efficient and less influenced by international volatility.
As a result, our State’s general revenue fund is estimated to be down almost one percent versus fiscal year 2020, and our total spending authority is very close to the same amount.
But we have nothing to fear. We will remain vigilant in recognizing our needs, planning for our future, and shedding waste where operations are outdated or redundant.
In fact, the greatest challenge before us today is not Oklahoma’s economy. There are two reasons why:
First: The fiscal discipline displayed by many of you in this room last year has allowed the State to garner its largest savings account in Oklahoma’s history at $1 billion.
As a result, Moody’s Investor Service changed Oklahoma’s outlook from “stable” to “positive” in October. Their decision reflects an expectation that Oklahoma will maintain “strong fiscal management” and “a commitment to increasing reserves.”
Let’s follow through on that commitment.
Senator Joe Newhouse has filed legislation that would give Oklahomans a voice this year on increasing the Constitutional cap on our State’s Rainy Day fund to 30%. Let’s get it to a vote of the people!
And while we wait on this vote, I am also asking for elected leaders to join me, again, in setting aside $100 million in additional funds as part of the Fiscal Year 2021 budget.
Thanks to our strong pension plans, low bond debt and progress in savings, Oklahoma is ranked as the fifth most solvent state in America. Let’s take this to #1.
By saving in the good times, we are demonstrating our commitment to protect the taxpayer, the job creator, and the citizen who depends on core services.
Second: Oklahoma’s economy is more diverse than ever before.
When the City of El Reno faced the closure of a major facility, Oklahoma’s Department of Commerce quickly went into action.
We deployed two career fairs, and more than 350 Oklahomans were offered employment with companies in aerospace, finance, manufacturing, healthcare and more.
This was possible because Oklahoma’s economy remains on good footing.
Our unemployment rate remains below the national average. Oklahoma’s household income has risen by nearly 4% in 2019.
And sixty companies moved to our state or made significant expansions in Oklahoma this past year, with more than $2.9 billion in new capital investments announced.
One of our strongest industries this year was tourism, led by the vision of our own Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell – Imagine That!
In 2019, Oklahoma’s tourism website achieved a #1 ranking in web traffic. We beat states like California and Colorado.
And tourism will continue to grow. This year, we are welcoming the largest movie production in state history with Killers of the Flower Moon.
You gave us the tools last year to bolster our recruiting efforts, and the Lt. Governor was an exceptional partner in landing this deal for Oklahoma. Once again, beating states like Texas and New Mexico.
The film production’s presence is expected to inject tens of millions into our economy.
Thousands of Oklahomans will be hired as local talent and through contracts for lodging, transportation, hardware, food and more.
Oklahomans, our economy is competitive. And in this administration, we will keep it that way!
The greatest challenge before us today is government bureaucracy.
In my first year of public service and as the chief executive, I have found government too big and too broken.
The state of Oklahoma spends roughly $20 billion annually. The Legislature has a strong handle on the 40% managed through the appropriations process.
Then, we — working together — provide oversight of the 60% that goes directly to state agencies from apportionments, fines, fees, and federal funding.
Last year, we delivered the greatest transparency to the State’s budget by publishing Oklahoma’s checkbook online.
With the new system, we are providing user-friendly access to recent spending data.
In partnership with my office and Oklahoma Treasurer Randy McDaniel, we took Oklahoma’s 47th ranking to 7th place in online budget transparency.
And we will continue to fine tune how citizen interact with it in order to compete for first place in transparency.
Most importantly, the Legislature delivered the strongest accountability in state history when you sent to my desk legislation to reform five of our state’s largest agencies.
This action strengthened our budgeting oversight.
Time and time again, state agencies would ask you for more money as the solution.
But I’m here to tell you it’s not all about funding. It’s about focus. It’s about leadership.
Your reforms have allowed me to go recruit the best talent, to break down silos between agencies, and to deliver the Legislature with budgets that are results-oriented.
When good policy meets the right leadership, anything is possible!
Just look at what transpired in 2019 between two key agencies.
When I came into office, I was told that a change in our prison system wasn’t possible without an immediate injection of $1 billion dollars.
I was told the Pardon and Parole Board could not take on an increase in casework without more employees and more funding.
I was told that it would be logistically impossible to accomplish a large commutation docket to give low-level, non-violent offenders a second chance.
What did we do? You passed better policy, and we changed leadership in both agencies.
As a result:
Pardon and Parole Board consolidated its investigators with Department of Corrections.
This streamlined the case work all while increasing it by 118% over 2018. They did this without a single dollar more.
The Department of Corrections launched its first-ever re-entry fairs across 28 facilities for individuals that were part of the HB 1269 commutation docket.
The idea originated from the First Lady, and it will become a permanent practice at the agency moving forward.
The number of Oklahomans in our state prisons declined by 7.6% from 2018. As a result, the number of those incarcerated is the lowest level since 2009. This is reducing the strain on our prison facilities and giving us the opportunity to reimagine the future of housing inmates.
And in conjunction, the Department of Corrections withdrew its year after year request for more than $1 billion in additional funding and submitted a FY’21 request that addresses the critical needs of tomorrow.
It is now time to complete this successful consolidation effort.
I am calling for the Legislature to protect the Constitutional mandate for Pardon and Parole Board appointments yet pass legislation that absorbs the remainder of the operations with Corrections.
Collaboration is already taking place, thanks to the leadership of Director Scott Crow and Director Steve Bickley. It is time we make this official in law to prevent future bureaucracy from creeping back in.
When government is working and is unified under one vision, we can change the lives of Oklahomans for the better.
Here in the Chamber with us today is Tara. Tara is a mother of four children who was serving a 10-year sentence due to a relapse with a drug addiction.
Prior to her release, Tara met Chris Linder from Center for Employment Opportunities at the transition fair.
When she was commuted under the HB 1269 docket, Tara was immediately connected to sober housing at Exodus, began working a temporary job for CEO, and within a month of release was hired for a full-time position by a local Tulsa company where she is finding stability and opportunity again.
Tara, we believe in you. The State and our community partners want to help you keep a tight hold of the hope and future you and your family deserve.
Friends, agency consolidation must not stop there.
Sec. Tim Gatz has done an exceptional job leading both the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.
Sec. Gatz is beginning the process of combining all back office and common functions into one shared service entity for both agencies.
We will maintain separate general management for unique functions, while streamlining operations that are duplicative in nature so we can deliver the highest quality of transportation possible.
We will operate with one, unifying vision for infrastructure as we continue to move towards Top Ten status. Thank you, Sec. Gatz, for your leadership.
When Oklahoma is in crisis, it is most often our Office of Emergency Management (OEM) that is at the center of restoring us back to normal.
OEM has the ability to call upon whatever resource it needs to help Oklahoma’s communities prevent, respond, or recover from a major crisis.
Homeland Security is a key part of that effort, proving valuable coordination to support our first responders.
By merging these two agencies, we will bolster response capabilities, streamline coordination, and leverage existing resources for stronger prevention programs.
As we prepare to recognize the 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing in April, we must continue to set the standard for our nation in how to respond to and manage crisis when tested by tragedy.
Oklahomans deserve it and this merger will help us achieve that goal.
Thank you to OEM Director Mark Gower and Homeland Security Director Kim Carter who are committed to working with the Legislature to get this done right.
Some will cry that consolidation is disruptive. Let me be clear – it will-be for political insiders and those that find comfort in big bureaucracy.
But it is what we need to do to improve decision-making, deliver better accountability, and target dollars directly towards helping our citizens instead of paying for administrative bloat.
Oklahoma has the 20th highest land mass among states, the 28th largest population, and yet, we have the 9th most state agencies out of all 50 states. This is unacceptable.
There is no value to having more agencies than other states; it has not solved our Bottom Ten rankings in critical categories.
As we reduce bureaucracy, we must also provide necessary relief and enhanced opportunities for our dedicated public employees.
President Pro Tem Greg Treat and Representative Mike Osburn have already filed legislation to begin the conversation again on civil service reform.
It is time we get this done in 2020!
The state’s current civil service program is broken.
High quality employees are forced into a system that doesn’t maximize their professional growth and potential.
Agency leaders have their hands tied in who they can hire and promote due to outdated restrictions.
Today, I am calling for reform that requires all new hires in state government, moving forward, to be unclassified.
I am requesting language that allows agency directors discretion to offer bonuses, within the confines of their budgets, for employees to receive a promotion out of their restricted classified positions.
Through this attrition model, I am casting a vision for the majority of the State’s work force to be unclassified in the next five years.
As part of civil service reform, I am calling for a 3-person panel in the Human Capital Management Department to maintain whistle blower protections and to provide due process to state employees who have serious grievances, whether these employees are classified or not.
Let’s make the state’s largest employer a place where we can hire the best; where we reward good performers; and where we are building a training ground for an exceptional workforce that can transition beyond public service if they so choose.
With a long-term focus on agency reform, we will lay a new, stronger foundation for the State of Oklahoma. Any policy that the Legislature sends to my desk to further this effort will be signed. This is how we will actually get the tax-dollar directly back to the citizen - through better services.
One of the most significant areas where we need reform is health care.
I just returned from Washington, D.C., where I stood with the Trump administration to announce that the State of Oklahoma will be pursuing new flexibilities through the Healthy Adult Opportunity.
With these new flexibilities, Oklahoma will begin the process in the coming weeks to rollout SoonerCare 2.0.
Under this reformed Medicaid program, we will seek to close the gap of those uninsured in Oklahoma.
We will deliver much-needed accountability in the Medicaid system to focus on rewarding health outcomes and stronger performance in care.
With HAO flexibility, we will deliver personal responsibility to new enrollees under SoonerCare 2.0.
We will seek to establish moderate premiums and work requirements.
We will encourage able-bodied adults to transition towards a path of maintaining private insurance and pursuing educational or employment opportunities that advances their full personal potential.
With HAO flexibility, we will seek to establish programs that enhance accessibility of health care in rural Oklahoma.
And we will seek to expand targeted treatment for opioid addiction and substance abuse.
But I can’t do this without you.
Oklahoma is currently positioned to be the first in the nation to be granted the Trump administration’s waiver to achieve unprecedented flexibility and accountability in delivering Medicaid to adults.
No one who is currently eligible will lose coverage; actually, more than 180,000 Oklahomans would gain coverage under SoonerCare 2.0.
State Auditor Cindy Byrd is in the middle of auditing our Medicaid rolls, a request I filed last year. Her auditors expect to be done this spring, which will allow us to address abuse in the system and ensure that the reformed SoonerCare 2.0 will truly help those who need it the most.
But Washington needs to see support from the Oklahoma State Legislature to feel confident that this plan is on solid financial standing.
Today, I call on the House and the Senate to send to my desk legislation to give certainty that the Oklahoma Health Care Authority can use the full 4% of the SHOPP assessment to fund SoonerCare 2.0, while protecting reimbursements.
We must also reform TSET. Let’s protect the current corpus yet reallocate future funds towards improving the delivery of rural healthcare.
Help me keep Oklahoma #1 in competing for this new opportunity through the Trump administration.
Any other effort to enact a clean expansion of Medicaid, to include putting it in the State’s Constitution, will create significant restrictions.
With straight Medicaid Expansion, Oklahoma will be left with the same ineffective and unaccountable program that has failed to bring us out of Bottom Ten rankings.
The time is now to innovate, to focus on outcomes, and to make Oklahoma a national leader in the delivery of healthcare.
To make this sustainable, we must also move forward on significant reforms in the operations of our state health and human services agencies.
Did you know that Oklahoma has 10 different state agencies passing money through the Medicaid program in Oklahoma?
And 18 state entities that license health care facilities and providers?
You cannot convince me that operating that many bureaucracies is an efficient way of doing business. And it has to change.
This is why I am calling for the Legislature to begin the process of creating one central health care agency.
Let’s partner together to fully integrate, by the year 2022, the functions of the State Department of Health, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA), the Department of Mental Health, and others, as well as all of the state’s licensing boards that deal with health.
In addition, Oklahoma can no longer afford to be so far behind other states with regards to using and protecting health data.
Within the next couple months, we will select a vendor to establish a statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE).
This effort has been a long-time in the making and with the right leadership in place, more progress has been made in 10 months than in the last 10 years. Thank you OHCA Director Kevin Corbett and Secretary Jerome Loughridge.
A functional HIE will protect Oklahomans’ health records while ensuring these records are portable and accessible at all times, and I appreciate Senator Greg McCortney’s legislation that will enhance and protect the hard work underway in our agencies.
And this is just the beginning of health reform in Oklahoma.
Many of you in the Legislature are spearheading legislation that will help to create a better healthcare system across the board, to include legislation that will create pricing transparency for medical bills, and Representative Marcus McEntire’s legislation to put an end to surprise billing practices.
Thank you. Let’s continue to work together and push the envelope on improving health care delivery and outcomes for all 4 million Oklahomans.
In this administration, we will continue to focus on becoming Top Ten in education.
It is why the Legislature put more funding into the funding formula this school year, bringing the total taxpayer investment in common education to the largest in state history.
We will protect it. But we must also reform it by taking a hard look at our state’s funding formula.
We should allow voters to unlock more local dollars. With reform, we must also address any mechanisms that are preventing tax dollars from getting directly to today’s classroom.
The path to Oklahoma’s future prosperity will be achieved by promoting the profession of teaching and focusing on students’ advancements and opportunities.
This is why the Legislature rallied last year to give our teachers a second year of much-deserved pay raises. I am glad to report that not only did districts give pay raises of at least $1,220 last year, but some went beyond, like Owasso Public Schools, where now a first-year teacher can expect a beginning compensation of $42,000.
It is why this Legislature continues to build a competitive and solvent Teacher Retirement System, by investing more than $300 million annually above the $750 million that taxpayers support through employee and employer contributions.
Our dedication will continue so that teachers know that when they retire, their pensions will be funded.
But more state revenue is not the answer alone.
We must also continue to recruit the best teachers and confront our teacher shortage. I support legislation that would direct the State Board of Education to issue a teaching certificate to anyone who holds a valid out-of-state teaching certification, with no other requirements except a criminal history record check.
This year, we must get across the finish line proven solutions to enhance learning opportunities for students.
Now is the time to raise the cap on the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship to $30 million, to allow Oklahomans to be rewarded for investing their funds directly to our students and schools
In the Chamber, as my special guests, are Ms. Alegra Williams and her sixth- and eighth-grade sons, Chaves and Sincere.
Ms. Williams’ sons were struggling in school, making all C’s and D’s until she had the opportunity to enroll them in Crossover Preparatory Academy, a private all-boys school in north Tulsa.
Crossover prep was started as a key initiative to restore their community through education for young men. Crossover Prep is a tuition-free school because they believe that a child’s access to a quality education shouldn’t be dependent on their parent’s ability to afford it.
In the boys’ first semester at Crossover, Chaves jumped three reading grade levels, and Sincere jumped two-and-a-half reading levels.
Chaves and Sincere, will you stand? And will everyone join me and their mom in applauding their hard work this year?
Chaves and Sincere were able to get the help they needed because of the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Act.
Increasing the tax credit cap will provide additional incentives for donors, resulting in more public-school grants and private-school scholarships.
Thank you to Senator Dave Rader and Representative Jon Echols for leading the charge.
Let’s work together to make sure all students at all schools have access to an innovative, enriching curriculum, regardless of ZIP code.
Because we believe in all students and helping them succeed, I am also launching a program this year called Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG).
JAG is a state-based national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing dropouts among young people who have serious barriers to graduation and employment.
In more than three decades of operation, JAG has delivered consistent, compelling results – helping more than one million young people stay in school through graduation, pursue postsecondary education and secure quality entry-level jobs leading to career advancement opportunities.
While we are on the topic of education, let me take a brief moment to address one critical matter.
In 2019, 1.3% of the common education funding came from the State’s exclusivity fees on Class III games on tribal casinos. These dollars, which are first deposited to the Oklahoma Education Reform Revolving Fund, equal roughly $130 million compared to public education’s total funding of $9.7 billion, as sourced by the 2019 School District Revenue Report.
The Model Gaming Compacts have been a success, greater than anyone predicted.
Unfortunately, we have an expired Model Gaming Compact, a compact in which notable tribes have previously called “dated” and “unsuitable” for current and future business.
After 5 offers from the State for all stakeholders to come together to modernize the Model Gaming Compact, three tribes instead sued the State on New Year’s Eve.
While we wait for the federal court’s decision, I am calling for the Legislature to join me in protecting public education. I am asking for legislation that will allow the remaining cash balance from 2019 and funds from the Revenue Stabilization Fund to be leveraged, if needed, to compensate for any temporary pause in Class III gaming fees.
As Governor, I remain supportive of the sovereignty of the State of Oklahoma and our right — and your duty as the Legislature — to oversee all industries operating in the State.
I also remain confident the State and Oklahoma’s tribes can hammer out a compromise that is a win-win for all four million Oklahomans, and we can accomplish this without putting public education in the crosshairs.
As I said last year, and it bears repeating, we need more taxpayers, not more taxes.
Everything we do has a dotted line back to growing our economy.
It is why my budget calls for the funding of the Closing Fund by another $3 million, as well as a $200 million financing plan with a majority prioritized towards rural roads and high-volume interchanges.
Oklahoma has moved from 49th to 13th in bridge conditions within 15 years, and while we work towards Top Ten in this critical category, we are going to start moving the needle on our ranking of super-two roads and pavement quality.
Oklahoma is the crossroads of America, and our roads are key to attracting future job creators whether it is to Altus, Enid, Broken Bow or in the heart of Tulsa.
Today, I am also filing an executive order to address Oklahoma’s excessive red tape.
Oklahoma’s administrative code is double the size of the state of Kansas and 20 percent more than Missouri and New Mexico.
My executive order will call for the first-ever comprehensive review of the State’s administrative code and will instruct agencies to remove two regulations for every new one created.
The intent is to reduce red tape by 25% in the next three years, providing relief to Oklahoma’s job creators and farmers and ranchers while also strengthening our recruitment efforts to diversify and grow Oklahoma’s economy.
We must also continue our progress on occupational licensing reform.
Speaker Charles McCall and Senator Adam Pugh made it a priority last year to reduce barriers to work for military families.
And Senator Julie Daniels and Rep. Zach Taylor passed meaningful second-chance legislation to expand occupational licensing opportunity for those who have previously encountered the justice system.
This year, let’s get universal licensing recognition across the finish line too. We can continue to make progress on economic prosperity when we remove unnecessary and antiquated barriers to entry.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Oklahoma is competing. Oklahoma is winning. Oklahoma is undergoing the Turnaround that voters demanded.
It may not be comfortable at times. It demands hard decisions and boldness. It requires long-term planning and commitment to one vision.
But we are making inroads that will last for generations… that will make us stronger… more prosperous… Top Ten.
There is no place I would rather be than Oklahoma.
There is no better team than the ones elected in this room.
There is no better time in our State’s history than now. Let’s do this together.
God bless you. And God bless the great State of Oklahoma.
2019 wrap-up...and a look ahead
Episode Description
Did Governor Stitt deliver on the plans and promises he listed during his 2019 State of the State address? We break it down and then look ahead at what to expect from the 2020 legislative session.
Show Notes / Episode Outline
A look at Governor Stitt’s first year
Full text of his 2019 State of the State
He got expanded hiring & firing authority
Beta version of digital drivers license is now available (and maybe the full version as well?)
Teachers got another small raise
Changes made to school funding formula?
780 retroactivity passed, plus big changes to pardon & parole board
He spent substantial time talking about why we should not expand Medicaid.
Also announced his Governors Challenge for the marathon - do we think he’ll do that again?
Expand Rainy Day Fund to $2B - did that happen?
How did he do on transparency, esp regarding the budget?
Tribal gaming situation
You know what hasn’t been talked about much? OSDH.
2019 legislative session
Many new legislators, and yet, same ol’ topics
Abortion
Guns
Healthcare (and Medicaid is still being discussed)
Part of the story was how quiet the okleg was this year
What to expect in 2020
Legislative session expectations & rumors
Recommendation(s) from Medicaid working group; will that result in an actual bill?
More rule making related to medical marijuana?
COLA for retirees
Legislatively referred ballot measures related to abortion? (Some sort of trigger bill, perhaps?)
Efforts to restrict ballot measures? (It’s been added to the State Chamber’s 2030 plan)
Last year at this time, the fiscal outlook was more positive than it is now, right? Price of oil was higher, number of rigs was higher. How does that influence what happens this year? (And if it doesn’t, why not?)
Ballot initiatives filed thus far
Medicaid expansion
Independent redistricting
Criminal justice reform
Rumored:
Permitless carry repealer
Legislative-referred measure pertaining to abortion
Any others?
What to expect from Let’s Fix This
Annual Predict-o-Rama in early February
Bill tracking / updates related to election reform.
Civic education online courses (released throughout the year)
Back to our weekly update podcast format!
The Election Night Show 2020: Nov. 3rd