“In Oklahoma, we fund students, not systems.” So said Gov. Kevin Stitt in his State of the State address earlier this month, in which he laid out a bold vision for increasing educational choices. At the center of that plan is the Oklahoma Empowerment Act (SB 1647), a proposal to allow families to claim a…Read More
A group of Oklahoma lawmakers who believe 59-year-old death row inmate Richard Glossip may be innocent announced on Tuesday that a law firm will conduct a third-party review of the case. “If it comes back and he’s guilty, then we’ll move forward with the execution,” Rep. Kevin McDugle, a Republican, said at a press conference…Read More
Senator James Lankford, R-Ok., is demanding the acting inspector general of the Department of Defense (DOD) audit into the agency’s religious exemption requests for its COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Lankford will be sending a letter to Sean O’Donnell, the acting DOD inspector general, requesting the audit amid reports of a Navy chaplain and other sailors being…Read More
Late Wednesday evening, the Florida House of Representatives passed a bill that banns abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, mirroring other bills passed across the country. According to Reuters, the bill passed along party lines, 78-39, shortly before midnight. The bill has been sent to the Senate for consideration. The bill is expected to pass…Read More
Jessica Bagos is the kind of mom who may be on the verge of transforming K–12 education. “I grew up in public schools, and I’ve always been a proponent of the public-school system,” she says. Then came the Covid-19 lockdowns. The public schools closed in Royal Oak, Mich., the Detroit suburb where she lives. When…Read More
One of the Oklahoma Legislature’s most polarizing education bills narrowly passed committee on Tuesday. The Senate Education Committee advanced Senate Bill 1647, called the Oklahoma Empowerment Act, with an 8-7 vote. The legislation, which drew a large crowd to the meeting room, would set aside state education funds in accounts for families who wish to apply the money to private-school…Read More
What do voters consider most important when it comes to public education? According to a 2018 survey commissioned by the Oklahoma Education Association, it’s not money. It’s “accountability.” Many Oklahomans are under the impression that our public schools are in fact accountable. After all, schools are subject to a dizzying array of laws and regulations—on…Read More
Both Gov. Kevin Stitt and Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat have endorsed significant expansion of school-choice opportunity in Oklahoma with Treat filing the most expansive school-choice bill in the nation. Now a former leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives is joining them, publicly voicing his support for empowering parents. During a recent public…Read More
Consumer prices surged more than expected over the past 12 months, indicating a worsening outlook for inflation and cementing the likelihood of substantial interest rate hikes this year. The consumer price index for January, which measures the costs of dozens of everyday consumer goods, rose 7.5% compared with a year ago, the Labor Department reported…Read More
The Oklahoma legislative session opened Monday, and Governor Stitt promised residents that he’d be cracking down on illegal marijuana farms. With 6,100 marijuana farms currently licensed with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, spokesman Mark Woodward said there’s no doubt that legalization has changed the landscape of the state. “Noises, lights and smells and criminal activity…Read More
Many public school districts oppose private school choice, but in Florida, one of the most choice-rich states in America, many of their employees embrace it. This school year, at least 2,600 public school district employees in Florida are sending their children to private schools using the state’s two main private school choice programs. We know…Read More
Though 12 states have filed a legal challenge to a Biden administration rule that allows clinics that refer for abortions to receive federal family planning funds, a federal court has said the rule can stay in place pending the outcome of the lawsuit. The lawsuit was brought by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, joined by…Read More
How would you like to skip the state sales tax at the supermarket? Lawmakers at the Oklahoma State Capitol are working on plans to potentially make that happen. It doesn’t happen often at the Capitol, but some Republicans and Democrats are actually agreeing on something: a tax cut that could save every Oklahoman when they…Read More
South Dakota Republicans blocked a pro-life proposal from Gov. Kristi Noem that would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected and was modeled after Texas’ law that allows private citizens to sue. Republican lawmakers in the state said the bill could “jeopardize” their chances of ultimately getting abortions outlawed in the conservative state.…Read More
After a difficult 2020-2021 year for many Catholic schools, enrollment numbers are rebounding nationwide, according to data from the National Catholic Educational Association. Overall, enrollment in Catholic schools in the U.S. is up from 1.63 million last year to 1.69 million this year, an increase of more than 3.5%, according to the NCEA. Despite the…Read More
Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is slated to announce a sweeping school choice bill Monday at the State of the State address, the Daily Caller exclusively learned. Stitt will introduce the Oklahoma Empowerment Act, an educational savings account program designed to “fund students” instead of public school systems. Oklahoma’s Secretary of Education Ryan Walters told…Read More
Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Steve Daines (R-MT) today, joined by several of their Senate colleagues, reintroduced the Child Tax Credit for Pregnant Moms Act, which allows pregnant moms to claim the Child Tax Credit for their unborn children. This bill builds on the Child Tax Credit provisions included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs…Read More
A state senator filed a bill that prohibits foreign-owned businesses from buying land in Oklahoma, saying foreign interest in the state’s marijuana industry is a primary concern. Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, filed Senate Bill 1469, which states that all foreign ownership of Oklahoma lands is prohibited. “As Oklahoma’s marijuana industry continues to grow, we’ve seen…Read More
As John McCormack has noted, a new Marist poll on abortion commissioned by the Knights of Columbus adds to a significant body of research finding that most Americans oppose taxpayer funding for abortion both at home and abroad. While many survey research firms ask only infrequently about incremental pro-life laws, the annual KofC/Marist poll consistently…Read More
Oklahoma’s shifting population means new district lines for the Oklahoma House of Representatives. And redistricting means changes for some lawmakers and their constituents. “I lost about half of Atoka County,” said Rep. Justin Humphrey (R-District 19). “I kept a small part of the Lane and Farris area, and lost most of Atoka County, but I picked…Read More