This Week In Oklahoma Politics

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about reports showing a nearly 2,500 COVID-19 death count discrepancy between the Centers for Disease Control and the State of Oklahoma, Governor Stitt joins other governors in complaints about President Biden's $1.7T Stimulus Package & Lawmakers work to curb the governor's powers during an emergency.The trio also discusses a bill passed by the State House to limit all abortions to only Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the another bill passed by the House requiring all initiative petitions increasing the cost of state government to include a clear statement concerning the additional funding.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about state officials calming fears of skyrocketing utility bills after last week's winter weather, President Biden approving a second emergency declaration on clean up from the storms and a bill to give the State Health Department more control of the Oklahoma and Tulsa County Health Departments.The trio also discusses a measure by Republican lawmakers to declare any President Biden executive actions as unconstitutional and the Cherokee Supreme Court striking the words 'in blood" from the tribes constitution and laws.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Governor Stitt coming under fire for leaving the state for a family vacation shortly before a winter storm moved is and state lawmakers learned of an extra $1.2B for the fiscal year 2022 budget.The trio also discusses a pending lawsuit from health organizations against the Oklahoma Health Care Authority over its plan to move forward with partially privatized Medicaid and Tulsa-based MyHealth is appealing the denial to its bid to run the state's health information exchange.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Governor Stitt signing legislation allowing public bodies to hold meetings online rather than in person and new bills currently working through the state legislature.The trio also discusses the race for Senate District 22 which now pits Republican Jake Merrick against Democrat Molly Ooten on April Sixth and the passing of Maxine Horner one of the first Black women elected to the state legislature.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the Governor's State of the State Address and his push to get schools to open for in-person learning.The trio also talks about the governor's mention of the U.S. Supreme Court's McGirt v. Oklahoma decision and the lack of any mention of criminal justice reform.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about a move by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to spend $2.2 billion to hand the state's Medicaid program over to a for profit company, MyHealth Access out of Tulsa losing its challenge after getting denied a bid with the OHCA despite coming in $30 million dollars less than the winner and Attorney General Mike Hunter suing a piano bar owner after he failed to produce a promised two million masks despite an upfront payment of more than $2 million.The trio also discusses the State Supreme Court ruling against Governor Stitt in his gaming compacts with two tribes and the 1921 Race Massacre Centennial Commission deciding to keep Senator Lankford after he apologized for his actions in questioning the validity of the 2020 Presidential Election.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the Oklahoma Health Care Authority denying the bid of a local company despite the organization coming in $30M less than the bid winner, prominent Oklahoma Republican Mickey Edwards announces he is quitting the Republican Party and Senator James Lankford apologizing to Black Tulsans for his involvement in questioning the election for President Biden.The trio also discusses the retirement announcement of Tom Colbert, the first Black State Supreme Court Justice and the appointment of Congressman Kevin Hern to the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about a new policy from Governor Stitt allowing students exposed to COVID-19 to not be quarantined if they were wearing a mask and social distancing, officials at the State Capitol stepping up security ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration and some Tulsa black leaders asking for Senator James Lankford to be removed from the 1921 Race Massacre Commission.The trio also discusses the State Health Department making COVID-19 vaccines available to state lawmakers and Pardon and Parole Board Chair Robert Gilliland resigning his position over health issues.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel talk about President Trump supporters storming the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Oklahoma health officials are moving into phase two of the Coronavirus vaccine and releasing a mobile phone app to help people get appointments and lawmakers hold Organizational Day to get ready for the Legislative Session starting in February while dismissing a rule for lawmakers to wear masks.The trio also discusses a measure by Broken Arrow Republican Senator Nathan Dahm to ban cities and counties from imposing local mask mandates and two high-powered lobbyists face thousands of dollars in fines from the Ethics Commission.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about new restrictions by Governor Stitt in the hopes of reducing the spread of COVID-19 and Oklahoma's seven electors cast their vote for President Donald Trump while the governor acknowledges Joe Biden did win the overall election nationwide.The trio also discusses the candidates for Senate District 22 previously held by Congresswoman-elect Stephanie Bice after two Republicans were kicked off the ballot and a state lawmaker filing a bill to make it harder to pass initiative petitions at the ballot box.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter joining a Texas lawsuit to overturn votes in four states won by President-elect Joe Biden and Governor Stitt rescinds the nomination of an anti-mask advocate for the State Board of Education.The trio also discusses the mustang in-school quarantining pilot program which died after failing to get any volunteers and the State Virtual Charter Board voting to bar two of its members from taking any action on Epic Virtual Charter School after learning of conflicts of interest with the school's co-founders.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Oklahoma City ending its enforcement of restaurants and bars staying open after 11:00, Governor Stitt announcing special election dates for the seat held by Congresswoman-elect Stephanie Bice and a law to keep trains from stopping for more than ten minutes at street crossings getting declared unconstitutional.The trio also discusses Oklahoma County Commissioner Kevin Calvey asking for a judge to delay a decision on immigration agents at the jail and the capitol is getting a new state seal.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel and former House Speaker Kris Steele about Governor Stitt's restrictions on bars and restaurants and mask requirement for state employees nd in state buildings to curb the spread of COVID-19 as well as Stitt's firing the president of the Virtual Charter School Board as he was investigating Epic Virtual Charter School.The trio also discusses calls by Republican lawmakers for an investigative audit of the State Department of Education, the decision by the Department of Corrections to end the practice of time of for good behavior and Oklahoma ranking the worst in the nation for voter participation.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel and sitting in for Neva Hill is former House Speaker Kris Steele. They discuss an end to an amendment on the Open Meetings Act allowing for public bodies to hold meetings virtually, the Oklahoma County Budget Board voting to take $15M returned by the Jail Trust for businesses and others impacted by the pandemic and former Oklahoma Congressman Jim Bridenstine stepping down as the head of NASA.The trio also discuses Oklahoma Attorney General getting involved in the Pennsylvania elections and Oklahoma City Physician Ervin Yen filing paperwork to run against Governor Stitt in the 2022 primary elections.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the race in Congressional District Five where Republican challenger Stephanie Bice beat Incumbent Democrat Kendra Horn, and both State Question 805 to end sentence enhancements and 814, to take money from the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust for Medicaid expansion failed to get enough votes to pass.The trio also discusses other election results from Tuesday and Oklahoma voters breaks records in turnout.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the outgoing Republican Oklahoma County Sheriff endorsing the Democratic candidate for the election to replace him, State Question 805 to remove sentence enhancements for nonviolent offenders and State Question 814 to take money from the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust to give to lawmakers to pay for Medicaid expansion.The trio also discusses Governor Stitt's decision to not appeal a judges decision finding tribal gaming compacts with the state automatically renewed at the beginning of 2020 while the Oklahoma City Council is delaying its decision on whether it will appeal the court decision calling its ban on panhandling unconstitutional.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the upcoming General Election and races they are watching, the Oklahoma City Fraternal Order of Police endorses GOP State Senator Stephanie Bice for Congressional District Five and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abby Broyles outraises her opponent Incumbent Republican Jim Inhofe.The trio also discusses the Oklahoma Health Care Authority moving forward with Governor Stitt's plan to privatize Medicaid and the Oklahoma County Jail Trust fails again to remove Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from the facility.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the fallout for Epic Virtual Charter School following a reports from the State Auditor and Inspector and Governor Stitt faces pushback from trying to move forward with the privatization of Medicaid.The trio also discusses more pushback against the governor's plan to move the State's Public Health Lab from Oklahoma City to Stillwater and Stitt is getting a new Secretary of State and Native American Affairs while also losing his Budget Secretary.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about a fight between the Oklahoma County Commissioners and the Oklahoma County Jail Trust over immigrations officers in the jail, the State Auditor releases a "deeply concerning" investigation of EPIC Virtual Charter School and the EPA gives Governor Stitt authority over environmental issues on tribal lands.The trio also discusses health care groups coming together to oppose State Question 814 to take money from the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust for lawmakers to use to pay for expanding Medicaid and the State Supreme Court shoots down another provision of the 2014 Workers Compensation overhaul.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and ACLU Oklahoma Executive Director Ryan Kiesel about support from Oklahoma Senators James Lankford and Jim Inhofe to vote for President Trump's nominee to replace the late-Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg on the U.S. Supreme Court, the Oklahoma County Jail Trust falling one vote shy of removing Immigrations and Customs Enforcement out of the jail and the state's decision to start testing prison employees following an outbreak of COVID-19 at facilities.The trio also discusses the removal of a petition to take the redistricting process out of the hands of politicians and give it to an independent redistricting committee and Oklahoma's unemployment drops to 5.7% making our state's the tenth lowest in the nation.