Will you support our consistent coverage of the Oklahoma Legislature?
The legislative session has come to an end, and our team at Oklahoma Voice has been on the ground at the Capitol every step of the way.
We dug into the budgetary disarray at the state's mental health department.
We explained the controversy surrounding the state's new social studies standards.
We analyzed the impact of a measure that could affect citizens' ability to place items on the ballot.
And more!
From covering key policy debates to breaking down what new laws mean for you, we're here to ensure that all Oklahomans can stay informed about what their elected officials are doing.
This journalism is free for you to read, but it isn't free for us to produce. If you can, consider supporting our nonprofit newsroom today.
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Thank you for being a part of this work. Every gift, no matter the size, supports our mission.
Janelle Stecklein Editor
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
17 minutes ago
- Axios
Skipping Mike Johnson
House Speaker Mike Johnson 's right flank is trying to bypass him repeatedly next month by forcing votes on releasing the Epstein files and banning congressional stock trading. Why it matters: The tool these members plan to use — the discharge petition — has been the source of growing controversy in the House. A discharge petition allows the House rank-and-file to force a vote on any piece of legislation if at least 218 members sign on. Top Republicans have discouraged the use of the maneuver, arguing it would effectively turn over control of the House floor to Democrats, but GOP populists have increasingly ignored that guidance. State of play: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) wants to force a vote on Rep. Tim Burchett's (R-Tenn.) bill to ban members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from trading or owning stocks. Tamping down congressional stock trading has been a cause célèbre for lawmakers in both parties for years, but congressional leaders have largely stonewalled their efforts to secure a vote. Another discharge petition from Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on forcing the release of the Justice Department's documents on Jeffrey Epstein is set to trigger a vote within days of the House's return in September. Between the lines: The Epstein petition is widely expected to obtain 218 signatures, with most Democrats and several right-wing Republicans likely to sign on. Luna's petition may be more contentious, sources said, as there have already been months of bipartisan negotiations around carefully crafting a stock trading bill that can pass with support from leadership. Several Democrats told us Luna may not get the support she needs to pass her bill unless she coordinates with that bipartisan group. Luna previously secured 218 signatures this spring for a vote on allowing House members who are new parents to vote by proxy for up to three months, but the vote never came to pass. Johnson failed to procedurally kill the petition, then scrapped House votes until Luna agreed to a compromise. One House Republican involved in that saga, speaking on the condition of anonymity, predicted Johnson would have a tougher time trying to spike the Epstein and stock trading discharge petitions due to broad public interest. Zoom out: The Epstein push is a clear revolt against both President Trump, who has dismissed the matter, and Johnson, who has called for transparency but quashed several rogue efforts to release the files. Johnson has indicated his support for a stock trading ban, but it's unclear if he would support doing so through a discharge petition that could undermine his authority. Trump has indicated support for a stock trading ban in theory, but opposed a bipartisan Senate bill that would have extended the ban to future presidents and vice presidents. A spokesperson for Johnson did not respond to a request for comment. The bottom line: Both measures could also run aground in the Senate, which is less given to populist passions than the House and has a 60-vote threshold that makes it harder to pass legislation.
Axios
41 minutes ago
- Axios
GOP populists plot to repeatedly bypass Mike Johnson
House Speaker Mike Johnson 's (R-La.) right flank is trying to bypass him repeatedly next month by forcing votes on releasing the Epstein files and banning congressional stock trading. Why it matters: The tool these lawmakers are planning to use — the discharge petition — has been the source of growing controversy in the House in recent years. A discharge petition allows the House rank-and-file to force a vote on any piece of legislation if at least 218 members — a majority of the chamber — sign on. Top Republicans have discouraged the use of the maneuver, arguing it would effectively turn over control of the House floor to Democrats, but GOP populists have increasingly ignored that guidance. State of play: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) wants to force a vote on Rep. Tim Burchett's (R-Tenn.) bill to ban members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from trading or owning stocks. Tamping down congressional stock trading has been a cause célèbre for lawmakers in both parties for years, but congressional leaders have largely stonewalled their efforts to secure a vote. Another discharge petition from Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on forcing the release of the Justice Department's documents on Jeffrey Epstein is set to trigger a vote within days of the House's return to session next month. Between the lines: The Epstein petition is widely expected to obtain 218 signatures, with most Democrats and several right-wing Republicans likely to sign on. Luna's petition may be more contentious, sources said, as there have already months of bipartisan negotiations around carefully crafting a stock trading bill that can pass with support from leadership. Several Democrats told Axios that Luna may not get the bipartisan support she needs to pass her bill unless she coordinates with that bipartisan group. Flashback: Luna previously secured 218 signatures this spring for a vote on allowing House members who are new parents to vote by proxy for up to three months, but the vote never came to pass. Johnson slipped a provision into an unrelated procedural measure to kill the discharge, but it failed. He then scrapped House votes until Luna agreed to a compromise. One House Republican involved in that saga, speaking on the condition of anonymity, predicted that Johnson would have a tougher time trying to spike the Epstein and stock trading discharge petitions. That is "much harder to do on these issues since they've had a lot more national attention," the lawmaker told Axios, "Epstein especially." Zoom out: The Epstein push is a clear revolt against both President Trump, who has dismissed the matter, and Johnson, who has called for transparency but quashed several rogue efforts to release the files. Johnson has indicated his support for a stock trading ban, but it's unclear if he would support doing so through a discharge petition that could undermine his authority. Trump, for his part, has voiced support for a stock trading ban in theory, but opposed a bipartisan Senate bill that would have extended the ban to future presidents and vice presidents. A spokesperson for Johnson did not respond to a request for comment.
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
California pushes partisan plan for new Democratic districts to counter Texas in fight for US House
LOS ANGELES — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday his state will hold a Nov. 4 special election to seek approval of redrawn districts intended to give Democrats five more U.S. House seats in the fight for control of Congress. The move is a direct response to a similar Republican-led effort in Texas, pushed by President Donald Trump as his party seeks to maintain its slim House majority in the midterm elections. The nation's two most populous states have emerged as the center of a partisan turf war in the House that could spiral into other states — as well as the courts — in what amounts to a proxy war ahead of the 2026 elections. Texas lawmakers are considering a new map that could help them send five more Republicans to Washington. Democrats who so far have halted a vote by leaving the state announced Thursday that they will return home if Texas Republicans end their current special session and California releases its own recast map proposal. Both were expected to happen Friday. However, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to call another special session to push through new maps. Texas House Democrats planning their departure from Illinois and back to AustinIn Los Angeles, Newsom staged what amounted to a campaign kickoff rally for the as-yet unreleased new maps with the state's Democratic leadership in a downtown auditorium packed with union members, legislators and abortion rights supporters. Newsom and other speakers veered from discussing the technical grist of reshaping districts — known as redistricting — and instead depicted the looming battle as a conflict with all things Trump, tying it explicitly to the fate of American democracy. 'We can't stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country,' Newsom said. 'We are not bystanders in this world. We can shape the future.' An overarching theme was the willingness to stand up to Trump, a cheer-inducing line for Democrats as the party looks to regroup from its 2024 losses. 'Donald Trump, you have poked the bear and we will punch back,' said Newsom, a possible 2028 presidential contender. Thursday's announcement marks the first time any state beyond Texas has officially waded into the mid-decade redistricting fight. The Texas plan was stalled when minority Democrats fled to Illinois, New York and Massachusetts on Aug. 3 to stop the Legislature from passing any bills. Elsewhere, leaders from red Florida to blue New York are threatening to write new maps. In Missouri, a document obtained by The Associated Press shows the state Senate received a $46,000 invoice to activate six redistricting software licenses and provide training for up to 10 staff members. In California, lawmakers must officially declare the special election, which they plan to do next week after voting on the new maps. Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers — enough to act without any Republican votes — and Newsom said he's not worried about winning the required support from two-thirds of lawmakers to advance the maps. Newsom encouraged other Democratic-led states to get involved. 'We need to stand up — not just California. Other blue states need to stand up,' Newsom said. Republicans hold a 219-212 majority in the U.S. House, with four vacancies. New maps are typically drawn once a decade after the census is conducted. Many states, including Texas, give legislators the power to draw maps. California is among states that rely on an independent commission that is supposed to be nonpartisan. The California map would take effect only if a Republican state moves forward, and it would remain through the 2030 elections. After that, Democrats say they would return mapmaking power to the independent commission approved by voters more than a decade ago. Some people already have said they would sue to block the effort, and influential voices including former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may campaign against it. 'Gavin Newsom's latest stunt has nothing to do with Californians and everything to do with consolidating radical Democrat power, silencing California voters, and propping up his pathetic 2028 presidential pipe dream,' National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Christian Martinez said in a statement. 'Newsom's made it clear: he'll shred California's Constitution and trample over democracy — running a cynical, self-serving playbook where Californians are an afterthought and power is the only priority.' California Democrats hold 43 of the state's 52 House seats, and the state has some of the most competitive House seats. Outside Newsom's news conference Thursday, U.S. Border Patrol agents conducted patrols, drawing condemnation from the governor and others. 'We're here making Los Angeles a safer place since we don't have politicians that will do that,' Gregory Bovino, chief of the patrol's El Centro, California, sector, told a reporter with KTTV in Los Angeles. He said he didn't know Newsom was inside nearby.
