The state Health Care Authority picked four companies to run the program that affects about a quarter of the state. The Oklahoma Supreme Court says that decision is not constitutional. The Oklahoma Supreme Court voted 6-3 against the state, saying it did not have the authority to outsource the program. “The idea was that the…Read More
A South Carolina bill that bans abortions once an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detectable may become law this week. WMBF News reports the state House passed the South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act in a 79-35 vote Wednesday following its approval in the state Senate in late January. The pro-life bill prohibits abortions…Read More
A proposed South Carolina ban on abortion after an unborn child’s heartbeat can be detected has won approval from the state senate for the first time, drawing praise from the Catholic Diocese of Charleston. “The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston fully supports legal protection for unborn children, so we are extremely pleased that the South…Read More
More than 70 House and Senate Democrats announced Tuesday that they will reintroduce a bill ending the federal death penalty, enacting one of President-elect Joe Biden’s campaign promises. Spearheaded by incoming Senate majority whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) and democratic socialist congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), the bill would prohibit a sentence of death for any federal…Read More
Gov. Kevin Stitt is vowing to heed a call by 22 GOP lawmakers Wednesday to seek an investigative audit into state education officials’ oversight of public school cost accounting. The move comes on the heels of State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd’s recent findings, which questioned the oversight of Epic Charter Schools’ use of taxpayer…Read More
With the vote on a state question to expand Medicaid looming, Oklahoma’s GOP-controlled Legislature passed legislation to fund Gov. Kevin Stitt’s Medicaid expansion plan. Republicans in the House passed Friday a bill to increase a fee on some Oklahoma hospitals to bring in about $134 million to pay for most of the state’s share of…Read More
What a difference a year makes. This time last year, Gov. Kevin Stitt was standing between the leaders of Oklahoma’s House and Senate as the three Republican officials announced a joint budget deal. On Wednesday, the Legislature successfully voted to overturn Stitt’s veto of the $7.7 billion state budget legislators crafted for the upcoming fiscal…Read More
Leaders of Oklahoma’s Legislature have agreed to a $7.7 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year that includes cuts of 4% for most state agencies. Under the budget proposal, public schools face a funding cut of $78 million, or 2.5%, that legislators say can be fully filled with $200 million in federal funding for common…Read More
Oklahoma legislators returned to the state Capitol on Monday, the building will be open to the public, with some conditions. Legislators returned to the building for an unspecified amount of time to pass a state budget for fiscal year 2021 and vote on a handful of legislative priorities. After being closed to the public since…Read More
The answers to three key questions about the ongoing 2020 legislative session will shape what happens over the next month at an Oklahoma State Capitol currently closed to the public because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In less than five weeks, state lawmakers must pass a Fiscal Year 2021 state budget and adjourn sine die —…Read More