Oklahoma Watch (https://oklahomawatch.org/author/trevorbrown/page/2/)
Gov. Kevin Stitt’s choice for secretary of veterans affairs and the military has been accused of shortchanging veterans who work for his consulting company, according to a federal lawsuit in Louisiana.
Three former legislators who left office in November are now lobbyists, embodying a practice that state ethics officials have unsuccessfully tried to ban in the face of opposition from the Legislature.
Time is running out for efforts to have a bipartisan, citizen-led commission redraw Oklahoma’s legislative and congressional boundaries – a move that would take the process out of the hands of the Legislature.
Gov. Kevin Stitt used his first State of the State address to call for an additional pay raise for teachers, a more modernized state government and greater control over state agency leaders’ employment.
What was absent, however, might be as important as what was included.
Thousands of Oklahomans with felony convictions could find it tough to obtain and keep health insurance – and rebuild their lives – if rules are approved that require many Medicaid recipients to work 20 hours a week.
After being sworn in as Oklahoma’s 28th governor Monday, Kevin Stitt laid out his vision and priorities for improving the state. Oklahoma Watch reporters offer analysis through annotations.
When Kevin Stitt becomes Oklahoma’s 28th governor Monday, he will have 180 days to release the names of the individuals, businesses and trade groups that helped pay for his inauguration. Critics of the disclosure rule say it takes too long for the public to find out who’s trying to curry favor with newly elected governors.
Oklahoma bucked expectations as enrollment on the federal health-care marketplace climbed to a record level for next year. But community groups say a slashing of help from outreach counselors could limit coverage of rural residents.
As the popularity of early voting continues to rise, some lawmakers are reviving a plan to make it easier for Oklahomans to vote. But they will likely run into continued resistance that has given Oklahoma the shortest in-person early-voting period among the many states that allow early voting.
After an Oklahoma Watch inquiry, the head of Gov.-elect Kevin Stitt’s transition team abruptly resigned from the board of a controversial Christian group accused of making disparaging comments about Muslims, gays and liberals.