Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat has filed legislation that would provide school-choice opportunities to all Oklahoma families, allowing parents to use state funds to pay for their children to attend any school, including private schools. If signed into law, the program would be one of the most robust school-choice programs in the nation and…Read More
The final vote was 52-48. Moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana joined Republicans to vote in favor of the repeal. Even with Senate approval, the GOP-backed resolution is unlikely to overturn the mandate. The Democrat-controlled House is not expected to take up the measure and President Biden would…Read More
A Senate committee introduced nine budget bills on Monday that would roll back several pro-life policies, allowing for domestic funding of abortions and funding of international pro-abortion groups. As part of the appropriations process for the 2022 fiscal year, the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday released nine bills allocating funding to various federal agencies and…Read More
The National School Boards Association (NSBA) has urged President Biden to have opponents of Critical Race Theory (CRT) investigated and prosecuted under federal anti-terrorism laws—even though the group did not identify any significant instance of organized terrorism associated with CRT opponents who have spoken out at school board meetings across the nation. In response, Oklahoma…Read More
Earlier this week, the Senate passed the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill which includes a non-discrimination clause. The bill sets up a grant program but says organizations who get the money must abide by the non-discrimination clause. So-called gender identity and sexual orientation are included in this provision which may make it difficult for religious organizations…Read More
Senate Republicans blocked a measure authored by Democrats that would overhaul election and voting laws, calling the legislation a partisan power grab. Democrats voted unanimously to begin debate on the For the People Act, a bill they framed as critical voting rights legislation. But the party only controls 50 votes in the Senate, and the…Read More
Members of the Senate have joined House lawmakers in advancing legislation that could potentially increase open transfer of students among Oklahoma public schools. Senate Bill 783, by Sen. Adam Pugh, would allow for open transfer of students between public school districts throughout the year. Such transfers are currently limited to a short period, other than…Read More
Sen. Steve Daines, R-MT, announced that he and 47 other senators will block any bill that would undermine the Hyde Amendment or other current protections for the unborn. In a Friday letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, the 48 senators wrote that the Hyde Amendment “has enjoyed decades of bipartisan support, including…Read More
Arkansas lawmakers have introduced a bill to ban nearly all abortions in the state in what lawmakers and pro-life advocates hope will serve as a new challenge to Roe v. Wade. On Nov. 18, State Sen. Jason Rapert (R) and Rep. Mary Bentley (R) introduced Senate Bill 6, to create the Arkansas Unborn Child Protection…Read More
With nearly all U.S. House and Senate races decided, Congress will be sharply divided the next two years—possibly undermining the viability of extreme pro-abortion policies. A Senate majority will hinge upon two Jan. 5 runoff elections in Georgia. Republicans would only need one of these seats to keep the Senate, but if Democrats sweep both…Read More