An Oklahoma family whose son was killed when a big-rig truck slammed into the back of his car is among those who are concerned about the Trump administration’s plans to relax trucking-safety rules.
Outside Attorney Withdraws from Oklahoma Opioid Case
|
Glenn Coffee has withdrawn as an outside attorney in the state’s ongoing opioid trial, saying his work on pretrial strategy and settlement discussions with drug companies had come to a close.
Making the Cut: What Lawmakers Did, and Didn’t Do, This Year
|
Oklahoma lawmakers closed out the 2019 session Thursday after nearly four months of debate on hundreds of bills that could impact the state for years to come. Here’s what the Legislature did, and didn’t do, this year, from the $8.1 billion spending bill to criminal justice reform.
More Legislators Become Lobbyists
|
Five former legislators who left office last year are now lobbying their former colleagues. A revived proposal to require a “cooling-off period” before legislators turn lobbyists is still in limbo.
Donations to Lawmakers Keep Flowing Even As They Vote on Bills
|
The fight over Oklahoma’s recently changed liquor distribution laws shows how donors get around a partial fundraising blackout during the legislative session. One donor in the fight, and his wife, have given at least $95,000 since Feb. 6.
As State Government Goes More Digital, Tag Agencies Endure
|
Gov. Kevin Stitt has made government modernization a centerpiece of his first year in office. But that vision could falter when applied to one of the state’s long-time service providers: local tag agencies.
In Latest Purge, Nearly 90,000 Inactive Voters Removed From Rolls
|
State election officials removed nearly 90,000 inactive voters from Oklahoma’s voter rolls earlier this month during its biennial purging of the list.
Working in Background, Lawyer Reaps Fees in Opioid Case
|
Attorneys in Oklahoma’s opioid lawsuit have bragged that they slept on cots in their offices and went through millions of pages of evidence. But one private attorney in the case, a former legislative leader, stands to make $5.6 million in the recent settlement against a drugmaker despite having no obvious role documented in court filings.
Pursuit of Curbs and Transparency in Contingency Cases
|
For more than a decade, state lawmakers have sought various ways to curb contingency fees for private attorneys who contract with the state, as well as make the costs more transparent. But none have passed.
Records Show Stitt’s Plan: Expand Agency Control, Launch ‘Community Turnaround’
|
A strategic plan laying out one-year and four-year goals for Gov. Kevin Stitt’s administration, obtained by Oklahoma Watch, includes securing gubernatorial control of all state agencies and boards, changing the educational system and launching an initiative aimed at social issues.
Tribes Shut Out of ‘Opportunity Zone’ Deals
|
Native American tribes across the country were left out of a major part of a new federal tax incentive for opportunity zones, with their governments unable to pool investments to support projects in some of the nation’s poorest areas.