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    • Chapter 1: Introduction
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    • Chapter 9: Supreme Ridiculousness, The Original Antigenic Sin, Harm to the Naturally Immune, Omicron and Immunological Responses
    • Chapter 10: Vaccine narratives and continued linguistic evolution: leadership, conflicting data and lipid nanoparticles
    • Chapter 11: The Most Dangerous Vaccine Dethroned: Adverse Event Secrecy, Reporting Systems, Underreporting Factors, Batch Lookup, and Excess Mortality
    • Chapter 12: Undue Risk, Specific Adverse Events, and Autopsy’s after Covid-19 Inoculations
    • Chapter 13: Numerical Trickery, Vaccine Efficacy, Variants and Unnatural Viral Trends
    • Chapter 14: Conclusion: We The People Determine The Ending

Legislation

Conservative Coalition Forms to Defeat School Choice Bills

March 7, 2022

OKLAHOMA CITY

In the wake of the advancement of SB 1647 (Senator Treat’s “school choice” bill) to the floor of the Senate for discussion and vote, a group of statewide conservative grassroots organizations have formed a coalition to what they see as a imminent threat to private schools and parent-led homeschooling…namely the encroachment of state influence via public funding.

The group consists of ROPE 2.0 (Reclaim Oklahoma Parental Empowerment), the Constitutional Home Educators Alliance (CHEA), the Muskogee Politico, the Liberty Ladies, Nathan Teague (a Norman-area homeschool dad and author), and Ignite Liberty.

The group issued a formal statement, published below:

CHEA and ROPE have been actively lobbying at the Capitol against the passage of SB 1647, and for the passage of SB 1471. That bill would create a tax credit of up to $2500 per student for parent’s out-of-pocket expenses related to their child’s education.

While SB 1647 would involved state funds being handed out – which always comes with strings attached – SB 1471 (which is listed on Ignite Liberty’s Legislative Tracker) would simply involve parents being able to write those expenses off of their taxable income for the previous year. As a result, no state education dollars would ever change hands, preventing the strings of state oversight from being involved.

The Coalition appears to be having an effect, as passage of SB 1647 appears now to be less than a sure thing. House Speaker Charles McCall has repeated said that he has, “no plans to hear [SB 1647] this session.”

Ignite Liberty has joined this coalition support of defending private and homeschool education in order to preserve the maximum amount of parental control over their child’s education.

Filed Under: Featured Stories, Legislation

Protecting the “Other Means”: CHEA Fights to Defend Homeschooling From Creeping State Influence

February 22, 2022

OKLAHOMA CITY

Jana Belcher, Vice Chair of the Constitutional Home Educators Alliance.

Article 13, Section 13-4 of the Oklahoma Constitution is the section of the state’s constitution that gives the legislature the authority to compel school attendance for all children that are “sound in mind and body” from the ages of 8 to 16. The section reads as follows:

The Legislature shall provide for the compulsory attendance at some public or other school, unless other means of education are provided, of all the children in the State who are sound in mind and body, between the ages of eight and sixteen years, for at least three months in each year.

The clause, “unless other means of education are provided” is the clause that has allowed Oklahoma to enjoy the most robust homeschooling environment of any state in the union.

According to the Constitutional Home Educators Alliance (CHEA), that robust environment is now under direct attack through several of the “school choice” bills currently being pushed through the legislature – several of which have the backing of prominent conservative groups and legislators.

The biggest threat, according to CHEA, comes from the Sen. Greg Treat (R-Oklahoma City) sponsored bill, SB 1647. The bill, entitled the Oklahoma Empowerment Act, creates the Oklahoma Empowerment Account – a school voucher-type program that allows parents to take the money the state allocates to the public school for their child’s education and use it to help pay for private schools or homeschool expenses.

The groups supporting that bill, which include the Oklahoma Council for Public Affairs (OCPA), laud the bill as a way of allowing children from poor and underperforming schools a way out of those schools through either private education or homeschooling.

However, Jana Belcher, a founding member of CHEA and Vice Chair of the CHEA board, has a very different take on this bill.

“It’s not empowerment. It’s enticement and entanglement.”

Last week, Ignite Liberty interviewed three ladies – Jana Belcher, Carrie Bertrand, and Jenni White – who are at the forefront of the fight against “school vouchers” in an effort to better understand their argument against it. Jana Belcher and Carrie Bertrand are founding members of CHEA. Jenni White is a long-time conservative activist, former mayor of Luther, and founder of ROPE (Restoring Oklahoma Parental Empowerment).

White pointed out that the act itself is based on flawed logic. “We already have ‘school choice’ in Oklahoma. Parents can choose to send their kids to public school, public-school at home (via EPIC and other virtual charter schools), private school, or parent-led, parent-taught homeschool. If they can’t afford private school, we already have the Lyndsay Nicole Henry Scholarship that pays for children with special needs or from underperforming schools to attend the private school of their choice.”

“What this truly does,” according to White, “is incentivizes government control of private schools and de-incentivizes homeschooling.” It does this through the promise of a parent being able to take the approximately $3,900 the state would normally allot to the school district and send it to the parents that enroll in the program. The group claims that any state funds disbursed to the parents would automatically come with strings attached, giving the government more control over not only private schools but over homeschoolers as well.

Their point has validity to it, as Senator Treat admitted in committee hearings last week that there would have to be accountability for the funds disbursed. “If a parent is going to take the funds and go to Disney World, then obviously that’s a problem.” Treat went onto say that 10% of all of the “education savings accounts”  through this program would be audited every year. Any evidence of wrongdoing would then be turned over to the Attorney General’s office for investigation.

As written, the bill only allows parents to use the funds to enroll their children in “education service providers” that the state has approved to receive empowerment funds. According to the bill as currently written, education service providers are defined as,

a person, business, public school district, public charter school, magnet school, institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, or organization that receives payments from a parent directing an Oklahoma Empowerment Account to provide educational goods and/or, services to empowerment students.”

The bill defines “qualified expenses” as the following:

  • tuition and/or fees at a private school accredited or in the process of obtaining accreditation by the State Board of Education or another accrediting association approved by the State Board of Education
  • tuition and/or fees for non-public online learning programs
  • services contracted for and provided by a public school district, public charter school, or magnet school including but not limited to classes and extracurricular activities and programs,
  • tutoring services provided by an individual or a tutoring facility,
  • textbooks, curriculum, or other instructional materials including but not limited to supplemental materials or associated online instruction required by an education service provider,
  • computer hardware or other technological devices, educational software, and applications that are used to meet an empowerment student’s curriculum needs,
  • tuition and/or fees for a curriculum or program, along with related instruments, supplies, accessories, and materials, that provides instruction in drama, music, speech and debate, agriculture, or other similar activities,
  • school uniforms,
  • fees for nationally standardized assessments including but not limited to assessments used to determine college admission and advanced placement examinations as well as tuition and/or fees for tutoring or preparatory courses for the assessments,
  • tuition and/or fees for summer education programs and specialized after-school education programs; provided, however, that such expense does not include before- school or after-school childcare,
  • tuition, fees, instructional materials, and assessment fees for a curriculum or program offered by a technology center school,
  • educational services and therapies including but not limited to occupational, behavioral, physical, speech- language, and audiology therapies,
  • tuition and fees for concurrent enrollment at an institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education,
  • fees for transportation paid to a fee-for-service provider for the student to travel to and from an education service provider,
  • or any other qualified expense approved by the Agency.

According to this, then, a parent would be barred from using Empowerment Act funds to purchase curriculum to teach their children themselves without express permission of the Agency responsible for administering the program. Nor could they use Empowerment Act funds to pay for expenses related to joining one of the many homeschool co-ops around the state unless that co-op has been approved by the state to be an “education service provider.”  

CHEA argues that the notion that parents would have to get permission from the state to use these funds to educate their children themselves flies in the very face long-established Supreme Court precedent:

Our jurisprudence historically has reflected Western civilization concepts of the family as a unit with broad parental authority over minor children. Our cases have consistently followed that course; our constitutional system long ago rejected any notion that a child is ‘the mere creature of the State’ and, on the contrary, asserted that parents generally ‘have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare {their children} for additional obligations.'” U. S. Supreme Court, PARHAM v. J. R., 442 U.S. 584 (1979)

While it is true that homeschool parents wouldn’t be forced – yet – to take these funds, CHEA believes that the lure is too great for those families wanting to homeschool. As a result, those families will enroll in the program thinking it is the same thing as homeschooling, when in reality it is very different.

The trickle-down effect of that decision could do irreparable damage to the rich homeschool landscape that Oklahoma families have enjoyed for so long. As these funds make their way into the numerous homeschool organizations that have served the homeschool community for years, it would bring state regulation with it.

When pressed as to the concern about the legislature being able to use this bill as a way of controlling homeschoolers, Treat responded, “whether some future legislature is going to do that or not, we can’t really fight that battle now.”

According to CHEA, the legislature shouldn’t even open the door to the possibility.

The Digital Wallet Program

It appears as though the funds would be disbursed differently from other state benefit programs. There is a separate bill authored by Rep Ryan Martinez (R-Edmond), HB 3482, that would create a “digital wallet” program that appears to be the funding mechanism for the Empowerment Act funds.

According to the bill, the Digital Wallet Program is designed to, “increase learning opportunities for students, establish new flexibilities for families, empower families to create education solutions that fit the unique needs of their children, and to empower and encourage the state to directly support families.” The funds would be distributed by “the Governor, or his or her designee.”

CHEA has spoken to Rep Martinez to express their concerns about the bill. Since then, it was been activated and as been moved to the House Appropriations and Budget Education Subcommittee for consideration.

The Cautionary Tale of EPIC and the OKC Storm

CHEA has been speaking out for almost a decade against the creeping advancement of state influence into the homeschool world through the intermingling of state funds into homeschool extra-curricular programs via EPIC Charter School “learning funds.” Their argument has merit.

Back in 2019, one of the most prominent homeschool athletic associations in the state, the OKC Storm, was investigated by the OSBI in direct connection to their investigation of EPIC Charter Schools. OSBI officials raided the home of OKC Storm founder and athletic director Kurt Talbot, seizing his computer and cell phone in the process.

In the warrant, the OSBI alleged that the OKC Storm unlawfully received state funds through EPIC. The warrant stated, “Kurt Talbot employed over a dozen coaches who were not certified teachers and provided direct instruction to players. Kurt Talbot admitted that state appropriated funds were used to buy uniforms for Epic students, cover some of the costs of paying the coaches, and other expenses of the OKC Storm.”

Though no charges were ever brought against the Storm, homeschool parents run the very real risk of having their homeschool day interrupted by an investigation from state agencies should they take the bait and participate in the Oklahoma Empowerment Account program…and it wouldn’t even take anything as drastic as an OSBI investigation.

According to Section “N” of the proposed legislation, it would only take an “anonymous report”:

The Agency may promulgate rules to implement the provisions of this act, which shall include but not be limited to, (1) Establishing or contracting for the establishment of an online anonymous fraud reporting service; (2) Establishing an anonymous telephone hotline for fraud reporting.”

For CHEA, that risk alone is far to great to warrant passage of SB 1647.

SB 1647 passed out of the Senate Education Committee by the narrowest of margins, 8-7. It only passed because the Senator McCourtney utilized the privileges granted to him as Senate Floor Leader to vote in the committee.

The bill now heads to the Appropriations Committee. If it passes out of that committee it will head to the full Senate for consideration. As of now, if the bill passes the Senate it appears to be doomed in the House, as the Speaker of the House has said the bill will be “dead on arrival.” That, of course, could change.

Tax Credits Instead of Vouchers

In response to their advocacy against the bill, CHEA has been ruthlessly attacked on Facebook, in particular by those directly associated with OCPA, accusing them of not caring about kids in difficult family or educational situations.

Trent England, a member of the OCPA, attacks members of CHEA for their stance against SB 1647.

The attacks appear to be baseless, however, because the group is backing a version of “school vouchers” that does not pose a threat to homeschoolers.

SB 1471 (included in Ignite Liberty’s legislative tracker) would create refundable tax credits through the state tax structure that would allow parents to receive a tax credit for their children’s educational expenses of up to $2,500. Should a parent fall into the income category that would grant them a refund, those funds would be received in the form of a state tax refund through the Oklahoma Tax Commission.

So those same “single moms” Mr. England referred to in his tweet would likely be eligible for tax credits under that program.

Because this money is not given to the parents through the Oklahoma Empowerment Accounts, there would be no strings attached as to how the parents use it. In actuality, it would be a refund for money the parents have already spent on their child’s educational expenses.

According to a summary of the bill, “The Oklahoma Tax Commission (OTC) may require applicants for the credit to submit copies of such receipts or similar financial documentation as may be necessary to confirm the taxpayer’s statement of the allowable credit.” This would both prevent  any fraud, waste, or abuse by the parents as well as eliminate any avenue for the state to directly interfere with how a parent chooses to homeschool their child.

CHEA has been working behind the scenes to try and strengthen this bill even further by allowing parents to receive the $2,500 in tax credits without having to spend the money first – similar to how the Advanced Child Tax Credit from the CARES Act was paid out last year. This too could be done without the unwanted “strings” attached that would give the government a way into the homeschooler’s home.

SB 1647, according to Belcher, Bertrand, and White, would allow the state to, “follow the money first to the child, and then into the home where they would map the progress of the child via 300 different datapoints in the state’s longitudinal database.”

Additional Threats to Homeschooling

While SB 1647 presents the gravest threat, there are other bills that are equally concerning to CHEA for homeschoolers and private schools.

SB 1583 creates a “transfer allowance” that would allow a parent to transfer their child out of a failing school to the private school of their choice at the state’s expense. The summary for this measure directly points out the avenue that this gives the state for direct influence over a private school, stating, “The measure requires the State Department of Education to approve private schools in which students may enroll.”

SB 1509 is the most recent version of the “Tim Tebow” law attempted to pass through the state legislature. The law would provide a path for homeschool students to participate in extra-curricular activities at public schools, but only under strict guidelines.

According to the bill summary, “The measure allows a student to demonstrate adherence to academic standards by a method of evaluation agreed upon by the student’s parent or legal guardian and the resident district superintendent.” This gives the public school superintendent direct influence over how homeschool parents educate their children. If they feel a homeschool family should be using the same sex-ed curriculum, or the same SEL (social-emotional learning – another word for Common Core) programs the school uses then they would be within their power to force the parents to comply.

They Just Want to be Left Alone

Above all, CHEA emphasized that homeschooling families to not want any of these bills. They simply want to be left alone to educate their children according to the dictates of their own conscience.

They pointed out that homeschool parents have a long history of making whatever sacrifices were necessary to provide their children with the opportunities to be successful in their chosen fields. They have not yet needed the help of the State, and they don’t need it now.

Beyond that, the voucher programs seem to have a history of poor success. According to EdChoice.org, Florida’s voucher program is only used by 4.9% of students despite 62% of their students being eligible. Given how Florida’s program has been touted for its success by the proponents of SB 1647, it draws to question if there are other influences behind the scenes.

Data from EdChoice.org showing low participation rates in Florida’s school voucher programs.

The American Federation for Children has been the largest nationwide organization pushing the school choice agenda. Their local lobbyist, Jennifer Carter is the wife of Ray Carter, the director for independent journalism for OCPA…the main statewide organization pushing SB 1647.

Jennifer Carter was also the Chief of Staff to former State Education Superintendent Janet Barresi, the superintendent largely responsible to getting Common Core passed in Oklahoma. Though it has since been officially rescinded, it continues in many school districts as Social Emotional Learning (SEL).

OCPA’s influence is likely why even some of the most conservative, pro-homeschooling senators have voted in support support of SB 1647 in committee.

Interestingly enough, the Senators most willing to listen to the arguments from CHEA were Democrats J.J. Dossett (D-Owasso), and Jo Anna Dossett (D-Tulsa). They both voted NO along with Sen. Carrie Hicks (D-Oklahoma City), Sen. Tom Dugger (R-Stillwater), Sen. Brenda Stanley (R-Midwest City), Sen. Blake Stephens (R-Tahlequah), and Sen. Dewayne Pemberton (R-Muskogee).

The senators that voted YES on SB 1674 were as follows:

Sen. Nathan Dahm (R-Broken Arrow)
Sen. Jake Merrick  (R-Yukon)
Sen. Joe Newhouse (R-Tulsa)
Sen. Marty Quinn (R-Claremore)
Sen. Zack Taylor  (R-Seminole)
Sen. Adam Pugh  (R-Edmond)
Sen. Greg McCortney (R-Ada)
Sen. Greg Treat (R-Oklahoma City)

Ignite Liberty will continue to monitor the status of the legislation mention in this article. If you wish to subscribe to CHEA to receive their legislative updates in order to get updates on every bill that affects homeschooling in Oklahoma click here, then scroll to the bottom of the page.

 

 

Filed Under: Featured Stories, Legislation

Legislative Wrap-up: Pro-Liberty Bills Dominate 58th Oklahoma Legislature

June 11, 2021

OKLAHOMA CITY

When the 58th Oklahoma Legislature convened shortly after Joe Biden’s inauguration sealed the theft of the 2020 Presidential Election, no one knew whether the legislators would sense the urgency of the moment and finally push through the quagmire of “business as usual” politics.

As it turns out, the 58th Legislature will go down as one of the most staunchly conservative in Oklahoma’s history, with major advances taken to end abortion, protect 1st and 2nd Amendment rights, and stand up to the looming overreach of the Communists now in control of the Federal government.

With the session now in our rearview mirror, it’s a good time to look back and celebrate some of the historic achievements, as well as analyze a couple of head-scratching misses.

Abortion Ban Finally Passes

Perhaps the greatest disappointment in recent years was in 2016 when then-Governor Mary Fallin vetoed the Medical Licensing Bill that would have ended the horrific practice of abortion in the Sooner State, after promising to support it. This year, the Medical Licensing Bill was not only brought back up and passed, but two additional bills were added that will effectively criminalize 99% of all abortions performed in the state.

The Medical Licensing Bill, which reemerged as HB 1102, formally defined performing an abortion as “unprofessional conduct”, which justifies the Oklahoma State Board of Health to suspend the medical license of any medical practitioner who performs an abortion for “not less than 1 year.” The bill even included a much tougher “life of the mother” exception, stating, “an abortion may not be performed based solely on the mental or emotional health of the mother, notwithstanding a claim or diagnosis that the woman may engage in conduct which she intends to result in her death.”

Oklahoma also went after the medical licenses of abortion providers in HB 1904, which requires any physician performing an abortion to be board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. The significance of this bill is that none of the state’s abortion providers currently employ, or have, board certified OBGYNs performing abortions. The bill has strong legal precedent behind it since the State of Mississippi already passed a very similar piece of legislation several years ago which has stood the test in the courts. So even if the other two bills get struck down, this bill will make it impossible for abortion clinics to remain in business.

Lastly, Oklahoma also added its own version of the Heartbeat act (HB 2441), now requires anyone performing an abortion to conduct ultrasounds to detect a fetal heartbeat. If such heartbeat is detected, performing an abortion is now defined as a homicide in Oklahoma.

All three bills are set to become law on November 1st.

The Religious Freedom Acts

HB 2648 and SB 368 took two different approaches to protecting religious liberty in Oklahoma, in response to the unconstitutional restrictions placed on churches during the plandemic. Ignite Liberty interviewed Representative Brian Hill (R-Mustang), the driving force behind both bills along with Senator Bullard, to get a better understanding of the legislature’s strategy for protecting houses of worship throughout the state.

Representative Brian Hill (R-Mustang), the driving force behind HB 2648 and SB 368.

“SB 368 was the foundation, the backstop if you will, or our strategy,” Hill explained. “We had houses of worship that were being told by municipalities like Tulsa that they had to rope off every other pew, force the church staff to wear masks, and limit their capacity to 50%. These weren’t even restrictions that were placed on big box stores, yet they declared churches to be ‘super-spreaders’ and cracked down on them. It was absolutely preposterous! So we started off by declaring all gatherings of faith to be considered ‘essential’. That’s what SB 368 did.”

“But we didn’t stop there,” Hill continued. “We looked around the country and saw what was happening to churches and houses of worship in states like California and Louisiana, where pastors are under threat of arrest and jail just for having church, and knew we needed to do everything possible to make sure it didn’t happen here. So we crafted HB 2648 to declare that political entities in Oklahoma had absolutely no authority over churches whatsoever. Jay Sekulow and the ACLJ were a tremendous help to us in crafting the language of 2648.

“It really just echoed the principles already found in both the U.S. and Oklahoma Constitutions. Its a sad commentary on our times that we even had to do that here in Oklahoma, but when we had the City of Tulsa refusing to allow some churches to meet even outside, it was apparent that we as a legislative body had to do something to protect the religious liberty of all Oklahomans.

“If you had told me 5 years ago that we would even need to do that here in Oklahoma, I would have thought you were crazy,” Hill added. “If we lose the 1st Amendment we will lose the rest of them. I think it no small thing that our Founding Fathers placed the principles found in the 1st Amendment first, especially considering the situation they came out of. They knew that those liberties were, and still are, the foundation of all of our God-given liberties. It was incumbent upon us, as the people’s representatives to step up and do our job to defend those liberties. I am proud to have played a part in that effort.”

Hill concluded, “I want to also express my gratitude to the organizations of faith and the various denominations that rallied around this crucial legislation. As a 4th generation preacher myself, this goes to the core of what it means for me to be an Oklahoman. We had so many pastors and groups of faith support it because they understood the importance of what we were fighting for. I also appreciate Gov Stitt and his team coming alongside the House in full agreement. They recognized that administrations change, and if we’re not prepared for what the next thing could be we could be in a much worse place as people of faith and as Christians. Hopefully Oklahoma, as a state, is leading the way to show other states how critical it is that they stand up for our essential rights.”

The Big Misses

Despite the overwhelming successes of this session, no legislative term is ever perfect. There were two bills in particular that caused a great deal of frustration for their failure to pass, or to how they were altered.

The first was the debacle around HB 1236, the State’s Rights Bill. We’ve covered this bill extensively, so we won’t revisit it here. Though a version of it did eventually pass, the perhaps the most astonishing moment of the session occurred when Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat (R-Oklahoma City), stripped the language out of the original House bill on the grounds that it violated the Separation of Powers clause in the U.S. Constitution.

That particular clause essentially states that the three branches of the Federal Government have to stay in their lane, so to speak. Congress legislates, the Executive Branch enforces, and the Judicial Branch interprets. Treat inexplicably decided to try and apply those principles to the House version of HB 1236 by stating that the State legislature couldn’t just overrule the Federal government, a concept foreign to any understanding of the 10th Amendment.

Speaker Charles McCall correctly argued that it was well within the State’s power to keep the Federal government in check. Ultimately, Treat used the bill to expand government and add an additional bureaucracy onto the Attorney Generals office (the State Reserved Powers Unit) to handle any objections to Federal statutes, rules, or orders. The move infuriated conservatives in Treat’s district, which is comprised of NE Oklahoma County. Unfortunately, because he is termed out, the anger of his constituents had little impact.

The other major debacle was Treat’s refusal to allow SB 2, the Save Women’s Sports Act, to be heard on the Senate floor. The act, supported by every major conservative group in the state, would have banned biological males from competing in organized girls sports in Oklahoma, whether OSSAA or college. Treat’s excuse for stonewalling the bill was that this really wasn’t a problem yet in Oklahoma. Contrast that statement with the proactive approach of Representative Hill above, and you have a crystal clear picture of why Oklahoma’s legislature has been known more for what they haven’t done in recent years than for what they have.

Election Integrity In Focus For 2022

In addition to trying to get the Save Women’s Sports Act passed next year, several conservative groups in the metro area (including Ignite Liberty) have already stated that election integrity bills will be their primary focus going into next legislative session. Part of the reason why it wasn’t addressed this term is that the full analysis of Oklahoma’s elections was not yet complete. Ignite Liberty, along with the Oklahoma County GOP, has been meeting with election integrity experts over recent months to complete that analysis. A full report is expected by the end of the summer.

A large part of the success enjoyed this term was due to the citizens and voters getting actively involved with the legislative process. As has been often said about elections, if we aren’t involved in the process we can’t really complain about the results. We are blessed to have many outstanding legislators in our State House. Senators Rob Standridge, Nathan Dahm, Jake Merrick, and Representatives Denise Crosswhite-Hader, Brian Hill, and many, many others who we won’t name here are the very definition of public servants.

In order for them to serve us effectively, we need to be involved in the process. From our experience this session, they are happy to listen to our input, take our suggestions, and in many cases put them into action. We just have to do our part. After all, that’s what government “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” is all about.

 

Filed Under: Legislation

Legislature Fighting Against CRT-Based Healthcare

May 7, 2021

Oklahoma City

After the passage of State Question 802 last summer mandated the expansion of Oklahoma’s medicare to, “include those individuals over age 18 and under age 65 whose income does not exceed one-hundred thirty-three percent (133%) of the federal poverty level,” the Oklahoma Health Care Authority sent out Requests for Proposals (RFP) to private companies to help manage the Medicaid expansion in Oklahoma. After receiving those proposals, the OCHA then signed the contracts with several private managed care organizations (MCOs) to manage SoonerCare’s (Oklahoma’s Medicaid program) expansion without the Legislature having a chance to review the proposals or contracts.

Sen. Jessica Garvin (R-Duncan), author of SB 131.

In response, earlier this year the OHCA by the Oklahoma State Medical Association, Oklahoma Dental Association, the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association, the Oklahoma Society fo Anesthesiologists, Inc., and the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Inc., alleging that the OCHA violated state law by attempting to, “implement a species of managed care not validly authorized by statute and without conforming to the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act.”

CRT-based Healthcare

Though the contracts themselves have not been made available to the public, the RFP’s bring deep concern as to the direction that OHCA is taking SoonerCare…and for good reason. In an interview with Fox 25, Kevin Corbett, Governor Stitt’s appointed CEO of the OHCA, stated, “There is much work to be done and countless problems that must be fixed, but the first step to addressing any of these issues is to acknowledge they exist. As a white male, I have been ignorant for too long about the privilege I have been afforded due to the color of my skin and my gender.”

These views seem to have found their way into the RFP as to the expectations for what the MCO’s were to incorporate into their contracts. On page 193 of the RFP, under the section titled Cultural Competency, the contractors are required to, “develop a cultural competency and sensitivity plan for review and approval by OHCA at the time of Readiness Review. The plan shall include guidelines for evaluating and monitoring disparities in membership and service quality, especially with regard to minority groups.” In short, it is implementing the standards of Critical Race Theory to determine who gets service under the state’s Medicaid plans, and who doesn’t.

CRT’s influence is further see on page 189 of the RFP under the Health Disparities section, where it requires the contractor to, “maintain health equity representatives who are actively involved in improvement initiatives to reduce disparities.” So if you happen to be a struggling “white” Oklahoman that relies on SoonerCare to provide healthcare for your family, you could be discriminated against based upon those standards alone.

Sidestepping Abortion Bans

The RFP also, on page 154, would permit the funding of abortion along federal guidelines…not state guidelines. As such, SoonerCare would still be permitted to pay for abortions where rape or incest have occurred, regardless of whether the anti-abortion laws just passed by the legislature goes into effect on November 1st or not. By using the weaker language federal language for the “life of the mother exception” it allows doctors to perform abortions if in their judgement the believe that, “the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term.”

The language in the anti-abortion bills just signed into law require a much higher burden of proof for a doctor to use this exception. HB 2441, the “medical licensing bill” signed into law a couple weeks ago, stated, “an abortion may not be performed based solely on the mental or emotional health of the mother, notwithstanding a claim or diagnosis that the woman may engage in conduct which she intends to result in her death.”

The Legislature’s Solution

In addition to these concerns, members of the legislature have expressed deep concerns about what outsourcing SoonerCare to out-of-state MCO’s could do to healthcare costs in Oklahoma. In an interview Friday with Ignite Liberty, Senator Rob Standridge (R-Norman) pointed to nearby examples of what policies like this can do. “To believe the likely increase in costs to taxpayers, look no further than Texas or Kansas where the costs have skyrocketed since outsourcing to MCOs.” Meanwhile, Sen. Standridge pointed out that during that same period “Oklahoma’s cost per recipient has remained flat.”

To address this issue, Senator Jessica Garvin (R-Duncan) authored Senate Bill 131, the “Oklahomans Caring for Oklahomans Act”, which would immediately invalidate the contracts signed by the OCHA without the legislature’s approval, and would slow the rush for outsourcing SoonerCare. The Act requires the creation of a “program that controls costs and improves health outcomes for Medicaid recipients.”

The program does not come without its costs, as the estimated fiscal impact is in excess of $263M per year for the first 5 years. The money would go to, “continue building and sustaining infrastructure and maintaining a statewide staff…additional personnel, upgraded IT systems, data analytics, infrastructure needs, web portals/tools to reach members, etc.”

The price tag and new government program has caused some in conservative circles to balk. Jonathan Small, the President of OCPA (Oklahoma Center for Public Policy), has organized a rally next Tuesday against the passage of SB 131. In am email sent out Friday, Small claimed, “Instead of reforming Oklahoma’s Medicaid program and cutting waste from the medical welfare program—like Gov. Stitt’s plan would do—SB 131 would create a new government program that would cost up to $277 million and require hiring 1,200 welfare workers.”

Small also accused liberal Democrats and special interest groups of being behind SB 131, however the measure does have support from the vast majority of the conservatives in the legislature. Additionally, as has been pointed out by Ignite Liberty President, Bryan Armstrong, the Democrats lack the political power in Oklahoma to get anything passed.

SB 131 initially passed the Senate 45-0, and passed the House 73-17. The bill now heads back to the Senate for final approval. Due to changes in the bill from the original language, the vote is expected to be much closer the second time around.

The Big Question

Big question remain about the measure. For instance, who should be in charge of Oklahoman’s healthcare? Oklahomans or private out-of-state companies? The deep concern among conservative Oklahomans is that the out-of-state MCO’s will see this as a way of sidestepping the huge leaps that the Oklahoma Legislature has taken this term to eliminate abortion and Critical Race Theory from our state. From the looks of it, it appears like it is a concern that is well-founded.

However, is an expansion of state government a good idea? The conservative position is usually no, especially if the government is expanding in an area that it shouldn’t. However, the reality is that State Question 802 was passed by Oklahomans. The real concern is should healthcare be weaponized against conservatives, like disabled veterans, who need to use SoonerCare to provide healthcare to their families?

Would SB 131 increase the tax burden on Oklahomans? Yes. As has been seen in our neighboring states, allowing out-of-state MCO’s to manage SoonerCare will undoubtedly cause all Oklahomans healthcare prices to skyrocket, whether they use SoonerCare or not. Such policies can be devastating to any attempts to grow Oklahoma’s economy to the level that it can compete with for jobs and businesses with our neighbors to the south. That affects all Oklahomans in a very real way.

Perhaps the biggest question of all is if we, as Oklahomans, can afford to allow a state agency to bind the state to contracts which that agency had no authority to sign. Doing so would essentially invalidate the legislature’s authority and turn Oklahoma into nothing more than a massive bureaucracy where we are governed by unelected bureaucrats shoving their godless world views down our throats.

While all of these are an uncomfortable concepts, for most conservatives the latter is far more repulsive.

Filed Under: Legislation

HB 1775 Sent Back To Governor’s Desk After Procedural Error

May 5, 2021

Oklahoma City

Panic set in over the weekend throughout the various conservative groups across the metro area as rumors began to swirl about a possible veto of HB 1775 from Governor Stitt. HB 1775 is the measure which would ban teaching the principles of Critical Race Theory in any public school or university in Oklahoma.

Sen. Rob Standridge (R – Norman), co-author of HB 1775.

Monday morning Don Spencer, President of OK2A, put out an alert to his subscribers about the possible veto, spurring a tidal wave of action from nearly every conservative group in the Metro area, as well as the newly-minted OKGOP Chairman, John Bennett. By Monday afternoon, the Governor’s office was flooded with calls from concerned Oklahomans encouraging him to sign the legislation.

Ignite Liberty reached out to Senator Rob Standridge, the Senate author of the bill, to confirm the rumors of the potential veto.

As it turns out, the concerns may have been overstated. Though he could only confirm the rumors he had heard, Sen. Standridge stated that there had been an error in the tabulation of the voting in the house upon the bill’s final passage. Such procedural errors could have doomed the legislation should the bill had been challenged on Constitutional grounds in court. To fix this, the measure was withdrawn from the Governor’s desk as given a fourth reading and vote on the House floor.

In the end, the measure actually gained 7 votes as it passed with the emergency intact by a vote of 77-18. It had originally passed 70-19.

As of yesterday, May 4th, the bill was sent back to the Governor’s office for approval. It is widely expected that he will sign it into law, though he usually has 5 days from its arrival on his desk to sign it.

The measure, once signed, will bring much-needed relief to parents throughout the state, but especially in Edmond, Norman and Jenks School Districts where conservative parents and students have been suffering under the racist, Marxist ideology being force-fed to them by the radicals in charge of the schools.

While the measure does immediately ban the principles of Critical Race Theory from being taught in Oklahoma, it refers the measure over to the state’s regulatory authority over for enforcement. As such, the implementation and punitive aspects will be determined by the State Department of Education. Though the measure will absolutely give Oklahoma parents a much needed victory over CRT, it is still incumbent upon each parent to ensure that the local school districts are adhering to the new legislation.

As John Philpot Curran stated in a 1790 speech, “Eternal vigilance is indeed  the price of liberty.” For Oklahoma parents and schoolchildren, that vigilance is more important now than ever.

 

Filed Under: Legislation

Governor Stitt Signs Bill Defunding Planned Parenthood In Oklahoma

April 27, 2021

Oklahoma City – In a continuing assault on the abortion industry in Oklahoma, today Governor Stitt signed into law SB 584, the Defunding Fetal-Body-Parts Trafficking Act. Authored by Senators Dahm, Bullard, Treat, Jett, Stephens, Bergstrom and Taylor, the bill is a continued response to Project Veritas’ investigation in recent years of Planned Parenthood’s involvement in trafficking fetal body parts.

Governor Stitt – the most Pro-life and Pro-2nd Amendment Governor in the United States.

While Oklahoma has had laws against the trafficking of fetal body parts for some time, SB 584 specifically targets State funding to organizations that participate in this despicable practice. The bill amends 56 O.S. Supp. 2020, Section 1005.4, and inserts the following underlined language:

“No provider shall be eligible for reimbursement through Medicaid or any other federal or state program or any other funding from any political subdivision of this state including but not limited to cities, towns, municipalities or counties.”

The measure passed the Senate by a margin of 36-9 and House by a margin of 77-17 with the emergency measure intact, meaning the measure is effectively immediately. Combined with the three anti-abortion bills signed into law yesterday, the abortion industry in Oklahoma has taken devastating hits in the last two days. Should the laws stand through the certain legal challenges to be brought by the ACLU, it would make Oklahoma the first state in the Union to end abortion once and for all.

Two More Pro-2nd Amendment Bills Signed Into Law

In addition to SB 584, Governor Stitt also signed SB 646 and SB 672 into law. SB 646 allows employees of establishments that serve or sell alcohol to carry firearms with permission of the owners. SB 672 modifies Oklahoma’s firearm transport law to allow anyone to transport a firearm in the vehicle loaded or unloaded at any time as long as they are legally allowed to carry a firearm and are not involved in the commission of a crime. Both bills were supported by OK2A.

Combined with the 2nd Amendment Sanctuary law signed yesterday, and a slew of other pro-2nd Amendments laws passed this term, Oklahoma stands to earn the coveted title “most 2nd Amendment-friendly State in the Union”…and Governor Stitt, “the most pro-2nd Amendment Governor.” Both laws signed today go into effect November 1st.

Filed Under: Legislation

Heartbeat Bill, 2nd Amendment Sanctuary Act Signed By Governor Stitt

April 26, 2021

Oklahoma City – In a flurry of activity today, Governor Stitt signed 3 bills targeted at ending abortion once and for all in the Sooner State, as well as the much-lauded Second Amendment Sanctuary Act, into law today, making this one of the most productive days of the legislative session for the state’s Chief Executive. All three abortion bills go into effect November 1st, while the Second Amendment bill goes into effect immediately.

Governor Stitt signing SB 631 into law, declaring Oklahoma a Second Amendment Sanctuary State.

Abortion Criminalized in Oklahoma

The three bills targeting abortion were led by Oklahoma’s version of the Heartbeat Act that has already passed in several other states. The bill, HB 2441, now requires anyone performing an abortion to conduct ultrasounds to detect a fetal heartbeat. If such heartbeat is detected, performing an abortion is now defined as a homicide in Oklahoma.

The only exception allowed in the bill is if, “the mother has a condition that so complicates her medical condition that it necessitates the abortion of her pregnancy to avert her death or to avert serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.” However, the measure goes onto to clarify that, “No such condition may be determined to exist if it is based on a claim or diagnosis that the woman will engage in conduct which she intends to result in her death or in substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.”

While this bill is unlikely to appease the ultra-abolitionists, the reality is that this bill practically eliminates all abortions performed in the State of Oklahoma. A fetal heartbeat is detectable at 5-6 weeks gestation, usually before a woman knows she is pregnant. As for the “life of the mother” exception, most “high-risk” pregnancies aren’t diagnosed until second trimester at the soonest, long after the heartbeat is detected. As such, the Heartbeat Act as written criminalizes every abortion performed in Oklahoma except for those performed using RU-486 (the “morning after” pill). Most importantly, the bill only criminalizes those performing the abortion, not the mother.

Medical Licensing Bill Passed

In addition to the Heartbeat Act, HB 1102, known as the Medical Licensing Bill, was also signed into law. This bill was passed by the legislature in 2016 under strong support from the pro-life community in Oklahoma, led by Pastor Paul Blair of Fairview Baptist – Edmond. At the time, Governor Fallin had promised Pastor Blair and others that she would sign the bill. Fully expecting a fight, Pastor Blair had even lined up support from the Liberty Counsel who agreed to help defend the bill in court once the ACLU sued. However, at the last second Governor Fallin went back on her word and vetoed the legislation.

HB 1102 formally defines performing an abortion as “unprofessional conduct”, which justifies the Oklahoma State Board of Health to suspend the medical license of any medical practitioner who performs an abortion for “not less than 1 year.” The bill does include a similar “life of the mother” exception as HB 2441, to include the provision that, “an abortion may not be performed based solely on the mental or emotional health of the mother, notwithstanding a claim or diagnosis that the woman may engage in conduct which she intends to result in her death.”

The last bill targeting abortion is HB 1904, which requires any physician performing an abortion to be board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. The significance of this bill is that if immediately puts one of the metro-area’s most prolific and long-standing abortion providers out of business. Dr. Larry Burns’ office in Norman has been open and performing abortion since 1975. Effective November 1st, he will be out of business.

Oklahoma now a Second Amendment Sanctuary State

The last of the bills signed today was a measure that officially makes Oklahoma a “Second Amendment Sanctuary.” The bill, back by OK2A, “preempts the entire field of legislation by any agency of this state, or any political subdivision in this state to infringe upon the rights of a citizen of the State of Oklahoma the unalienable right to keep and bear arms.” It further clarifies that, “any federal, state, county or municipal act, law, executive order, administrative order, court order, rule, policy or regulation ordering the buy-back, confiscation or surrender of firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition from law-abiding citizens of this state shall be considered an infringement on the rights of citizens.”

Such bill would have gone hand-in-hand with the original language of HB 1236 in giving the Legislature the statutory authority to override any Federal Law or Executive Order which infringed upon the Second Amendment rights of Oklahomans. Since Senator Greg Treat gutted the original language of the bill, essentially forcing the legislature to abdicate it’s responsibility to protect Oklahomans from Federal overreach, that role, should the measure pass the House, will go to a board of unelected bureaucrats.

 

 

Filed Under: Legislation

Standridge, Bullard Strike Blow For Liberty As Anti-CRT Bill Passes Senate

April 22, 2021

Oklahoma City – In what will be seen as the most significant blow to the Godless, corrupt, anti-liberty Critical Race Theory that is polluting the school and universities throughout the Sooner State, HB 1775, co-authored in the Senate by Senators Rob Standridge (R-Norman) and David Bullard (R-Durant), passed the Senate late last night by a vote of 38-9. Oklahoma can be among the first, if not the first, State legislatures to pass such a measure if the House approves the bill next week. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis previously banned CRT in Florida curriculum.

Sen. Rob Standridge (R – Norman), co-author of HB 1775.

The bill outlaws “any orientation or requirement that presents any form of race or sex stereotyping or bias on the basis of race or sex. It also “prohibits a teacher, administrator or other employee of a school district, charter school or virtual charter school from requiring or making part of a course certain concepts, including one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex.”

The measure does more than outlaw CRT from being taught in school, it also “prohibits an enrolled student in an institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education from being required to engage in any form of mandatory gender or sexual diversity training or counseling.”

The measure was written, in part, in direct response to the Norman public schools requiring their school personnel to focus on a version of “equity” in education through the lens of Critical Race Theory. In an article written by the Oklahoma Council for Public Affairs (OCPA), Stephanie Williams, the executive director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Norman Public Schools stated, “When you look at multicultural education, that concerns itself with exposing privileged students to multiple perspectives and other cultures. For students of color … the focus is on seeing themselves reflected in the curriculum.”

In a slide presentation during a recent professional development training for Norman Public School teachers entitled “Teaching for Equity”, Norman school staff were taught that, ‘The actions of an accomplice [in promoting equity] are meant to directly challenge institutionalized racism, colonization and white supremacy by blocking or impeding racist people, policies and structures.'”

The slide presentation goes on to define an accomplice as someone who is, “informed by, directed and often coordinated with leaders who are black, brown-first nations/indigenous people, and/or people of color.” According to Williams, being and accomplice means being, “a disruptor and educator in spaces dominated by Whiteness,” though it was careful to point out that, “Being an ally is not an invitation to be in Black and Brown spaces to gain brownie points, lead, take over, or explain.”

In other words, being an “accomplice” means being an overt racist along the lines of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.

In a press release applauding the passage of HB 1775, Senator Standridge stated, “I would like to thank my Senate friends for the passage of House Bill 1775. I am honored to be a coauthor on this desperately needed legislation in the face of the highly inappropriate and racist training going on in Oklahoma schools today.  It’s happening in the schools in my hometown of Norman, where teacher training, using terms like ‘whiteness,’ ‘institutionalized racism,’ and ‘white supremacy,’ are leading children to judge each other more by the color of their skin than the content of their character—the exact opposite of Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream.”

Standridge continued, “I encourage every parent to make certain their schools are not making some students feel that, solely based on the color of their skin, they are naturally racist, they are inferior or superior, or in any way anything but equal to any other student. The state and every public institution in Oklahoma, including schools, should promote that every single child’s life and education matters equally, and that no child is less or more based on the color of their skin. No single school in this state should use their control and influence over the impressionable minds of young children to inject racist and sexist ideologies.”

This country was not founded on the notion of equality of outcomes. It was founded on equality of opportunity, and upon the belief that each man or woman has the inalienable right given by God to enjoy the fruits of their labor. While we have not been a perfect country, and have had periods of time when even that freedom of opportunity did not exist, we are the only country in the history of Western civilization to have fought a war with itself to restore those equities.

That is part of the American Exceptionalism that deserves to be taught in our schools, not Critical Race Theory. Thanks to Senators Standridge and Bullard, our students are one step closer to being free of this Marxist indoctrination that threatens the very fabric of our nation and once again can be taught what makes this country great.

Now that the bill heads back to the House for final approval, it is incumbent upon all liberty-loving Oklahomans to call their Legislators and ask them to support the measure as written. Don’t just call your legislator, call and email every single one of them. Let it be crystal clear that this Marxist takeover of our public schools will not be tolerated in Oklahoma. The future of our republic is at stake.

Filed Under: Legislation

Standridge Stands Strong As HB 1674 Is Signed Into Law; Fixes SB 222 Language

April 21, 2021

Oklahoma City – After the article published last Thursday regarding potential unintended consequences of the revised anti-bullying language in SB 222, Senator Rob Standridge and his team (R-Norman) reached out to Ignite Liberty to discuss ways to amend the language to ensure that all students were treated equally under the new legislation. The language as submitted would have redefined bullying as any threats or intimidation done either in person or through electronic communication that, in part, “involved an imbalance of power that was likely to be repeated.”

Sen. Rob Standridge (R – Norman), author of SB 222 and co-author of HB 1674.

As was pointed out in last week’s article, the unintended consequences this language could have could be absolutely disastrous to the very causes that Senator Standridge has become a champion of, namely taking on the proliferation of Critical Race Theory in Oklahoma public schools. Under the proposed language, a white, Christian conservative student who stood up for their beliefs could be falsely accused of bullying by a pro-BLM/CRT student that viewed all white students that didn’t bow to the CRT ideology as “aggressors” or “oppressors.”

Deeply concerned about the possibility of these unintended consequences, Sen. Standridge, after discussions with Ignite Liberty President Bryan Armstrong, quickly filed a floor amendment to strike the “imbalance of power” language from the legislation. The bill as it stands now puts its focus on mandating that the school districts be much more proactive in putting plans in place to address/head-of bullying before it starts.

Even though it is a sad commentary on the breakdown of Church and Family government for the Civil government to have to intervene in this area of our children’s lives (and one we must address as a society), SB 222 as now written does an admirable job of addressing this pressing need within our schools. If anti-bullying legislation is going to be on the books the language should be even-handed and fair to all students.

Senator Standridge should be applauded for his willingness to work to find a solution that addresses this dire need while creating an environment that is fair, balanced, and just for all Oklahoma students. The measure is expected to come to a vote on the floor of the House this week, and is likely to pass with strong support.

Flurry Of Pro-Liberty Bills Pass

With the deadline looming for bills to be heard in the opposite house, three pro-liberty bills on the Ignite Liberty Legislative Tracker passed the legislature today while the Governor signed one into law. SB 672 (allowing active duty/national guard/reserves and honorably discharged veterans to transport a firearm in their vehicle without a permit) passed the House with a vote of 79-13; SB 926 (allowing municipal penalties for discharging an air-soft firearm within city limits) passed the House by a vote of 74-8; and SB 646 (allowing employees of establishments that sell alcohol to carry a firearm with the owner’s permission) passed the House by a 78-16 margin. All three bills were endorsed and support by OK2A.

Meanwhile, Governor Stitt signed into law HB 1674. The legislation, co-authored in the Senate by Senators Standridge, Dahm, Bergstrom, Stephens, Jett, and Hamilton, and by Representatives West (Kevin),  Roberts (Sean), Humphrey, McDugle, and Steagall in the House, now makes its a crime for anyone to obstruct “the normal use of any public street, highway, or road within by restraining motor vehicle traffic, by approaching motor vehicles, or by endangering the safe movement of motor vehicles or pedestrians,” and makes any person liable for any damages caused by their actions.

The measure also levies penalties to organizations that are found to be co-conspirators in such action, increasing their punishment ten-fold over that of the individual. Most significantly, HB 1674 removes all civil and criminal liabilities from a “motor vehicle operator who unintentionally causes injury or death while fleeing a riot.” The measure becomes enforceable November 1st.

Filed Under: Legislation

Critical Week Ahead As Deadline For Floor Hearing Looms; SB 222 Update

April 19, 2021

Oklahoma City – This week proves to be a critical week for the 20+ bills remaining on Ignite Liberty’s Legislative Tracker that have yet to fully pass both houses of the Oklahoma Legislature. April 22nd is the deadline for bills to receive their 3rd hearing in the opposite house. If they do not receive a hearing, the bills will likely be considered dead for this legislative term, barring a miracle.

Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat (R-OKC) has yet to schedule HB 1236 for a hearing.

Some bills have been scheduled today for a hearing on the House floor. SB 612, the Medical Licensing Bill that would all but end abortion in the Sooner State moved to the House schedule and is available to be heard on the House floor tomorrow. SB 644 (allowing municipal employees to carry firearms while on the job) and SB 925 (Private Property Protection Act) have also been scheduled to be heard on the floor of the House this week.

Many other bills, however, still await their assignments. Of these the most glaring omission is HB 1236, the State’s Right Bill. Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat has yet to schedule it for a vote on the floor of the Senate, causing conservative groups from across to the state, led by OK2A, to issue a call-to-arms.

OK2A is holding a rally tomorrow at the 4th floor Rotunda in State Capitol at 6pm in support of the legislation. This bill, which Ignite Liberty covered earlier in the session, would give the State of Oklahoma the authority to veto any Federal legislation or executive order that was deemed to be unconstitutional by the Oklahoma Attorney General or the Legislature, should the AG choose to not act.

It is critical that each Oklahoman make their voices heard and respectfully request their legislators, and in specific Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, House Speaker Charles McCall, and House Majority Leader Jon Echols. Simply reference our Legislative Tracker, and for the bills that have completely passed the committees (all GREEN) send them an email stating “Please hear SB/HB_____ (insert the number of the legislation here.”

For House Bills, email Senator Treat. For Senate Bills, email Speaker McCall and Majority Leader Echols. Remember, as few as 10 people emailing each of them per bill could make the difference in these bills getting heard or not.

SB 222 Update

Ignite Liberty spoke with Senator Rob Standridge, principal author of SB 222, on Friday regarding the anti-bullying language inserted into the bill, which started as SB 570 – Hope Scholarship Act (providing school vouchers to bullied children allowing them to attend different schools). Senator Standridge has been a staunch opponent of Critical Race Theory being currently taught in Oklahoma schools, and has taken up the mantle of representing the parents of students who have been ruthlessly abused by pro-CRT teachers and fellow students in the Norman School District.

Senator Standridge was deeply concerned about the potential unintended consequences of the anti-bullying language inserted included in the bill, and supports Oklahomans voicing their concerns to House Majority Leader Jon Echols, who now controls the bill’s destiny. Ignite Liberty emailed Echols on Friday regarding the concerning language, and has yet to receive a response as of publishing time for this article.

Filed Under: Legislation

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