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Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Legal challenge expected after Oklahoma governor approves initiative petition restrictions
Oklahoma United Founder Margaret Kobos speaks Nov. 19 at a press conference supporting State Question 835, now called 836, that would let voters decide if the state's primary system should be open. (Photo by Barbara Hoberock/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – A legal challenge is expected after Gov. Kevin signed a measure that puts more restrictions on the process voters use to get issues on the ballot. Critics said Senate Bill 1027, by Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, is an unconstitutional effort to limit Oklahomans' ability to utilize the state's initiative petition process, while supporters said it is necessary to ensure more input from rural counties and to prevent fraud. 'SB 1027 is bad policy,' said Margaret Kobos, founder and CEO of Oklahoma United. 'It suppresses voter input, makes it harder for Oklahomans to hold their elected officials accountable, and sends the message that those in power don't trust the people who put them there. SB 1027 does nothing but prove that Oklahomans' long held distrust of state government is well-earned.' Oklahoma United is a nonpartisan group backing State Question 836 seeking to open Oklahoma primaries. Robert McCampbell, an attorney representing the three petitioners for State Question 836, has said he did an analysis of the bill and found it unconstitutional on a number of fronts. Those include banning out-of-state circulators, per-signature pay, and out-of-state political contributions. He also found that it gives judicial powers to the Secretary of State, which violates the constitution. Oklahoma United said it is preparing for a legal challenge to Senate Bill 1027, but it was not immediately clear who would file a legal challenge and no lawsuit had been filed as of Tuesday afternoon. Currently, there are no limits on where signatures can be collected. The new law, which takes effect immediately, says that to place a measure on the ballot that would change a state statute, no more than 11.5% of the votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election could come from a single single county. The threshold increases to 20.8% for a constitutional amendment. Those seeking to place items on the ballot would be prohibited from paying petition circulators based on the number of signatures collected. The measure requires sources of payment to circulators to be disclosed and bars out-of-state interests from donating. Petition circulators would have to be registered voters. Finally, the measure would require a political appointee, the Secretary of State, to approve the gist, the brief summary of the ballot measure that voters see at the top of the signature sheet. Bullard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It is already extremely difficult for citizens to place measures on the ballot, but voters have successfully used the initiative petition process to circumvent legislators and expand Medicaid, legalize medical marijuana and make reforms to the state's criminal justice system. Raise the Wage Oklahoma collected enough signatures to get State Question 832 seeking to increase the minimum wage on the June 16, 2026 ballot. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill would make it more difficult for Oklahomans to get issues on the ballot, critics say
Oklahoma United Founder Margaret Kobos speaks Nov. 19 at a press conference supporting State Question 835, that would let voters decide if the state's primary system should be open. (Photo by Barbara Hoberock/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – Critics say a bill that would put additional restrictions on the initiative petition process is unconstitutional and will make it virtually impossible for citizens to get issues before voters. But Sen. David Bullard, the author of Senate Bill 1027, said it includes 'reasonable guardrails' and provides 'transparency.' Senate Bill 1027 attempts to change how signatures are collected, by limiting how many can be collected in the state's most populous counties and requiring a minimum be collected in the least populated. Under Bullard's measure only 10% of the signatures could come from counties with a population of 400,000 people, while 4% must come from less populated counties. Currently, signature gatherers are going to two or three counties, leaving the remainder of the state's 77 counties out, the Durant Republican, said. It also would prohibit payment of petition circulators based on the number of signatures gathered, but does allow for compensation, the source of which must be reported to the Secretary of State. It would bar out-of-state contributions except from those who do business or reside in the state. Critics of the measure say it amounts to an effort to stifle citizen participation. Oklahoma law allows residents to place their own measures on the ballot if they follow a complex set of requirements and collect a certain number of signatures from registered voters. If a statewide measure appears on the ballot, every voter has a chance to weigh in on it. It's extremely difficult for citizens to place measures on the ballot, but in recent years Oklahomans have used the initiative petition process to successfully circumvent the Republican-controlled Legislature by expanding Medicaid and legalizing medical marijuana. State Question 832, a citizen-led measure that proposes to increase the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour, is set for a June 16, 2026, vote. Meanwhile, supporters of eliminating the state's closed primary system are trying to get the issue on the ballot in the form of State Question 836. Sen. Michael Brooks, D-Oklahoma City, said the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that campaign donations are free speech, which the measure could violate. It would require signature gatherers to be qualified electors in the state and to have read the petition. The measure calls for the Secretary of State, a political appointee, to approve the gist of the petition, or description at the top of the signature page, something which is currently not done. 'By making it harder for citizens to bring issues to the ballot, lawmakers are silencing the voices of everyday Oklahomans and limiting public participation in policymaking,' said Margaret Kobos, founder of Oklahoma United, which is backing State Question 836. The bill would make it nearly impossible for grassroots efforts to succeed, she said. Attorney Robert McCampbell, who is representing the three petitioners for State Question 836, said heand did an analysis of the bill. He found itthe bill unconstitutional on a number of fronts. It violates the First Amendment by banning out-of-state circulators and prohibiting per-signature pay, and it unconstitutionally limits political contributions by banning out-of-state contributions, he wrote. It unconstitutionally limits political contributions by banning out-of-state contributions, he wrote. It gives judicial powers to the Secretary of State, another constitutional violation, McCampbell wrote. 'The government is not free to impose burdensome roadblocks to the citizen initiative process,' McCampbell wrote. Bullard said Senate legal staff has looked at the bill and has not told him there were any legal problems with it. Senate Bill 1027 last week passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and is available for consideration in the Senate. The vote was 7-2. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Retirement benefit hikes eyed for some Oklahoma retirees
Sen. Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, attends the final day of the 2024 Legislative Session on May 30 at the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Barbara Hoberock/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – A Senate panel on Tuesday passed five bills to start the process of giving some retirees a 2% cost-of-living adjustment. Senate Bill 8, by Sen. Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, would provide a 2% increase in benefits for members of the Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System. Senate Bill 174, by Sen. Roland Pederson, R-Burlington, would provide a 2% cost of living adjustment for members of the Teachers' Retirement System. Senate Bill 9, by Weaver, would provide a 2% increase in benefits to members of the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System. Senate Bill 90, by Sen. Avery Frix, R-Muskogee, would provide a 2% increase in benefits to members of the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System. Senate Bill 21, by Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, would provide a 2% increase in benefits to members of the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System who have been retired for five or more years. The proposals must first receive an actuarial analysis to determine the costs. Lawmakers next session could then consider any proposed increases. Lawmakers typically file cost of living adjustment bills in odd-numbered years and take them up in even-numbered years after the actuarial analyses are completed. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Panel kills bill calling for Ten Commandments monument to be restored at Oklahoma Capitol
A state-owned, privately funded Ten Commandments monument sits on OCPA grounds after being removed from the Capitol. (Photo by Barbara Hoberock/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – A Senate panel on Wednesday killed a bill that sought to return a Ten Commandments monument to the Capitol amid concerns that resurrecting it would violate the will of voters. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-5 against advancing Senate Bill 380, by Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant. It is very unusual for bills heard in committee not to advance. Sen. Lisa Standrige, R-Norman, said lawmakers pray before each legislative day. 'Show some courage' and allow the Ten Commandments to be displayed at the Capitol, she said. Senators in opposition to the measure expressed concerns that it was unconstitutional, would lead to other religious monuments and went against the will of the people. The measure would have called for a privately funded Ten Commandments monument inside and outside the Capitol. Any person who knowingly damaged or destroyed the monument would be guilty of a felony. The Oklahoma Supreme Court in 2015 ruled that a privately funded Ten Commandments monument on the Capitol grounds was religious and had to be removed. State officials spent about $4,700 to remove it to private property nearby. In 2016, voters resoundingly rejected State Question 790, put on the ballot by lawmakers, that would have allowed the Ten Commandments monument to be displayed at the Capitol. In 2018, then Gov. Mary Fallin signed a bill that would allow for the Ten Commandments along with other historical documents to be displayed on public property. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
