Republican leadership in the Oklahoma Legislature have assured Oklahoma City’s business community that a proposed campus carry bill won’t make it far this year. Senate Bill 1567 would allow anyone with a valid handgun license to carry a concealed handgun while on a university, college or CareerTech campus. The bill would allow schools to prohibit…Read More
Republican leadership in the Oklahoma Legislature have assured Oklahoma City’s business community that a proposed campus carry bill won’t make it far this year. Senate Bill 1567 would allow anyone with a valid handgun license to carry a concealed handgun while on a university, college or CareerTech campus. The bill would allow schools to prohibit…Read More
Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, a Catholic, cast the tie-breaking vote on Wednesday to pass a bill to liberalize abortion access in the commonwealth. Senate Bill 733 received 20 votes in favor and 20 votes against on Jan. 29. Virginia’s state Senate is composed of 21 Democrats and 19 Republicans. Fairfax, as lieutenant governor, is…Read More
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have spoken out against a Supreme Court decision permitting a new “public charge” rule to go into effect. A statement released Wednesday said the new rule limits access to public benefits for poor immigrants and is antithetical to Catholic teachings to love and serve the needy. On Jan.…Read More
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this spring in June Medical Services v. Gee, a case that could well be the vehicle the Court’s conservatives use to gut the right to an abortion. At the heart of the case is a 2014 Louisiana law requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a local…Read More
As a former educator, I understand how important it is for our children to have access to a quality education. And when it comes to educating our young people in the United States, we are fortunate to have numerous options to ensure the best results and learning for every child. In recognizing National School Choice…Read More
This is “National School Choice Week” and it is a good time to take stock of what rights we have been granted as parents to educate our children, what rights we have not, and why all this matters. What is “school choice?” It is the ability of a parent to choose where to send their…Read More
The number of Republican state lawmakers opposed to capital punishment is growing, a conservative group claims, as anti-death penalty activists look forward to continued momentum from the right on this issue in 2020. “The nation is down to only 25 states that still have an active death penalty system, of those, over a third have…Read More
As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments about public funding of religious schools, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter is urging justices to protect tax-credit scholarship programs such as one used in Oklahoma for private schools. Providing tax credits is not the same thing as direct state aid, Hunter said in written arguments to…Read More
There is no international right to abortion, the U.S. health secretary told officials from more than 30 countries on Thursday in Washington, D.C. “I stated this fact at the United Nations this past September, and I’ll repeat it here: there is no international human right to abortion. On the other hand, there is an international…Read More
Planned Parenthood announced this week that it plans to spend $45 million to support pro-abortion candidates at the presidential, congressional, and state levels in the 2020 election. The campaign, entitled “We Decide 2020,” marks the largest election spending in Planned Parenthood’s history. Jenny Lawson, executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes, told CBS News that “The…Read More
As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments about public funding of religious schools, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter is urging justices to protect tax-credit scholarship programs such as one used in Oklahoma for private schools. Providing tax credits is not the same thing as direct state aid, Hunter said in written arguments to…Read More
Since the beginning of my campaign I have taken a very straight-forward approach to abortion. I want to end abortion. The pathway to protect the unborn is often cluttered with strong opinions and misinformation. Couple that with a court system that is bent on stopping the protection of babies and on preventing women from protecting…Read More
The Supreme Court will once again weigh in on the case of the Little Sisters of the Poor in their legal battle against the HHS contraceptive mandate. The Supreme Court has twice protected the Catholic nuns, and an HHS rule issued in 2018 protects religious non-profits, but several states have dragged the Little Sisters of…Read More
On January 17, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops (FCCB) filed anamicus curiae brief with the Supreme Court of the United States in support of James M. Dailey, an inmate on Florida’s death row, urging a new trial in his case due to persuasive evidence of actual…Read More
Later this month, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear one of the most significant education cases in decades: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue. Centering around a modest tax-credit scholarship program in Montana, Espinoza could have major ramifications for educational-choice programs across America, which help nearly half a million students attend private schools. In deciding Espinoza, the Court has the opportunity to do…Read More
The Pardon and Parole Board voted Wednesday to recommend commutation for another 149 nonviolent drug offenders who were eligible for a single-stage docket made possible by a recent law change, board Executive Director Steven Bickley said. The cases now go to Gov. Kevin Stitt for consideration. House Bill 1269, which took effect Nov. 1, directed…Read More
According to 2017 data from the National Center for Education Statistics, African-American males have the lowest four-year college graduation rate in the country. Crossover officials note obtaining a bachelor’s degree is one of the strongest predictors of economic stability. But in the north Tulsa community surrounding Crossover, just 15.3 percent of residents have a bachelor’s…Read More
To address racial disparities in Oklahoma’s justice system, future criminal justice legislation may have to go through an additional step before being approved. State Sen. George Young, D-Oklahoma City, filed Senate Bill 1184, which requires a racial impact statement to accompany any bill that would lengthen sentences, create a new offense or change penalties for…Read More
Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City has announced his support for state legislation that would remove the death penalty from consideration in capital cases. “We don’t end the cycle of violence by committing more violence,” Coakley said in a Jan. 14 press release from the office of State Representative Jason Dunnington (D-Oklahoma City), who introduced…Read More
State Rep. Jason Dunnington (D-Oklahoma City) on Tuesday filed House Bill 2876 for consideration during the 2020 legislative session. If passed and signed into law, the measure will remove the death penalty from among the options in Oklahoma for sentencing in capital cases. “I’m proud to be a part of the important progress we’ve made…Read More
To address racial disparities in Oklahoma’s justice system, future criminal justice legislation may have to go through an additional step before being approved. State Sen. George Young, D-Oklahoma City, filed Senate Bill 1184, which requires a racial impact statement to accompany any bill that would lengthen sentences, create a new offense or change penalties for…Read More
Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City has announced his support for state legislation that would remove the death penalty from consideration in capital cases. “We don’t end the cycle of violence by committing more violence,” Coakley said in a Jan. 14 press release from the office of State Representative Jason Dunnington (D-Oklahoma City), who introduced…Read More
State Rep. Jason Dunnington (D-Oklahoma City) on Tuesday filed House Bill 2876 for consideration during the 2020 legislative session. If passed and signed into law, the measure will remove the death penalty from among the options in Oklahoma for sentencing in capital cases. “I’m proud to be a part of the important progress we’ve made…Read More
Two initiative petitions to legalize recreational marijuana in Oklahoma have divided the state’s burgeoning medical marijuana community. Some of the state’s most vocal medical marijuana supporters see the petitions as a threat to their newly legal way of life. Some medical marijuana supporters oppose the specific petitions. Others shun the idea of legalizing recreational marijuana…Read More
Gov. Kevin Stitt wants Oklahoma’s state schools chief to be appointed, a move that would give the governor more control over public education. Under the current system, Oklahoma voters elect a superintendent of public instruction — the state’s top public education official, who leads the state Department of Education and serves on the state Board…Read More
Two initiative petitions to legalize recreational marijuana in Oklahoma have divided the state’s burgeoning medical marijuana community. Some of the state’s most vocal medical marijuana supporters see the petitions as a threat to their newly legal way of life. Some medical marijuana supporters oppose the specific petitions. Others shun the idea of legalizing recreational marijuana…Read More
Gov. Kevin Stitt wants Oklahoma’s state schools chief to be appointed, a move that would give the governor more control over public education. Under the current system, Oklahoma voters elect a superintendent of public instruction — the state’s top public education official, who leads the state Department of Education and serves on the state Board…Read More
This has been a year of change for the Oklahoma City school district, the result of an overhaul in which 15 schools were closed and 17 others were reconfigured or relocated. One thing that has not changed, unfortunately, is frustration among teachers. The Oklahoma City branch of the American Federation of Teachers, which bargains on…Read More
This has been a year of change for the Oklahoma City school district, the result of an overhaul in which 15 schools were closed and 17 others were reconfigured or relocated. One thing that has not changed, unfortunately, is frustration among teachers. The Oklahoma City branch of the American Federation of Teachers, which bargains on…Read More
Gov. Stitt issued a proclamation declaring Jan. 26-Feb. 1 Oklahoma School Choice Week. In doing so, he joined dozens of other governors and hundreds of city and county leaders nationwide in recognizing the historic celebration of education. Oklahomans have planned 665 events and activities to celebrate opportunity in education during the Week, including rallies, roundtable…Read More
Gov. Stitt issued a proclamation declaring Jan. 26-Feb. 1 Oklahoma School Choice Week. In doing so, he joined dozens of other governors and hundreds of city and county leaders nationwide in recognizing the historic celebration of education. Oklahomans have planned 665 events and activities to celebrate opportunity in education during the Week, including rallies, roundtable…Read More
“I have an irreplaceable peace of mind knowing her mind and spirit are being nurtured simultaneously.” “What better way to show a child the value of generosity than the opportunity to receive the gift of an individualized education?” “We really try to focus on memorable family time, and the gift of Lily’s scholarship has given…Read More
In the latest move from Massachusetts state legislators to block abortion restrictions and expand access to the procedure, state Sen. Harriet Chandler has introduced a bill that would remove the longstanding requirement for teens to obtain parental consent before getting an abortion. Currently, Massachusetts state law requires that minors obtain the consent of a parent…Read More
2019 was a busy year for the U.S. Supreme Court. In its new term, which began in October, the justices examined the status of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation, gun ownership restrictions and, as it does most terms, the death penalty. The court also…Read More
Ahead of a Supreme Court hearing, more than 200 members of Congress have signed on to support Louisiana’s abortion regulations, and have asked the Court to address Roe’s “unworkable” finding of a “right to abortion.” 39 senators and 168 members of the House representing 38 states signed on to an amicus brief filed on Thursday…Read More
The Oklahoma Constitution provides stronger protection for abortion rights than the U.S. Constitution, according to a Tulsa clinic that is urging the state Supreme Court to toss out two state laws restricting abortion. Under a 1980 Oklahoma Supreme Court precedent, “a woman’s right to make her own decisions regarding her own health, including about whether…Read More
The Oklahoma Constitution provides stronger protection for abortion rights than the U.S. Constitution, according to a Tulsa clinic that is urging the state Supreme Court to toss out two state laws restricting abortion. Under a 1980 Oklahoma Supreme Court precedent, “a woman’s right to make her own decisions regarding her own health, including about whether…Read More