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2 weeks ago | 
journalrecord.com | Barbara Hoberock |Emily Gregg
OKLAHOMA CITY – A key legislative leader said Tuesday he is pleased that Gov. Kevin Stitt has backed off his call to abolish the Forestry Service following historic March wildfires. During a Tuesday interview with Oklahoma City television station News 9, the Republican governor said he no longer plans to abolish that state agency tasked with wildland fire detection and preserving the state’s forests.
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3 weeks ago | 
journalrecord.com | Sierra Pfeifer |Emily Gregg
The Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board is preparing to give out a new round of grants to statewide applicants. Soon, local governments will be able to take a bid at $29 million designated to address the opioid crisis. Applications for a chunk of the money will open May 12 and run through June 11. All Oklahoma counties, municipalities, public school districts, technology school districts and public trusts are eligible to apply.
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3 weeks ago | 
journalrecord.com | Barbara Hoberock |Emily Gregg
OKLAHOMA CITY – The state’s mental health commissioner on Tuesday said the agency is dealing with a $43 million shortfall, which some say has resulted in cuts to providers. Commissioner Allie Friesen spoke with providers who contract with the Oklahoma State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services during an emotional meeting where providers expressed frustration with the sudden cuts. Officials originally believed the shortfall was $63.7 million, she told providers.
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3 weeks ago | 
journalrecord.com | Barbara Hoberock |Emily Gregg
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Senate on Thursday advanced a bill that could imprison protesters who interrupt a religious service. Critics said the prohibition, which extends to one mile of the religious service, violates free speech rights. Senate Bill 743 makes it a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 and or one year in prison to willfully disturb a worship service within one mile of a church. A second offense would be a felony and carry a fine of $1,000 and or two years in prison.
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1 month ago | 
journalrecord.com | Emma Murphy |Emily Gregg
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s top insurance official warned that health insurance premiums could see “substantial increases” next year if federal subsidies for the Affordable Care Act aren’t extended. “A permanent extension of the $338 billion in enhanced federal health insurance subsidies is looking more unlikely,” said Glen Mulready, commissioner of the Oklahoma Insurance Department, in a statement.
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1 month ago | 
journalrecord.com | Emma Murphy |Emily Gregg
OKLAHOMA CITY — House lawmakers on Thursday approved a measure along partisan lines that would create a new felony for being in the country illegally, despite critics calling it “un-American” and saying it would create unnecessary fear. House Bill 1362 would allow an individual to be arrested and charged with a new felony punishable by five years in prison if they are apprehended for a violation of Oklahoma’s criminal law and are determined to be an undocumented immigrant.
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1 month ago | 
journalrecord.com | Barbara Hoberock |Emily Gregg
OKLAHOMA CITY – Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday called for an audit of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services after the agency’s head aired concerns about financial mismanagement. Meanwhile, legislative leaders asked their own fiscal oversight body, Legislative Office of Financial Transparency, to review the agency’s finances.
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1 month ago | 
journalrecord.com | Emma Murphy |Emily Gregg
OKLAHOMA CITY – Leaders of the Oklahoma House and Senate made renewed vows Thursday for transparency in determining the state budget, although the process may look different this year. Legislative leaders made major changes to the budget process for the 2024 session, including giving the public direct access to negotiations, after criticisms that it was “too secretive.”This year, House and Senate leaders said they remain committed to transparency but these public negotiations may not continue.
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1 month ago | 
journalrecord.com | AJ Dome |Emily Gregg
OVERLAND PARK — Weather enthusiasts across the Plains are concerned about a proposed Oklahoma bill that they fear could empower some storm chasers over others. Oklahoma Rep. Scott Fetgatter introduced House Bill 2426 last month to create a special license that would allow personnel from legacy TV stations and weather researchers affiliated with specified universities operating around severe thunderstorms, to act as emergency responders in the immediate aftermath of a tornado.
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2 months ago | 
journalrecord.com | Barbara Hoberock |Emily Gregg
OKLAHOMA CITY — A few hundred people gathered Monday on the south steps of the Capitol to participate in a national day of protest and criticize President Donald Trump’s administration. Carrying signs and flags, they pushed back against Trump’s most divisive policies, including the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its billionaire leader Elon Musk, and to ensure a division remains between church and state.
