As had been widely speculated, state Senator Kim David, R-Porter, became the first candidate to announce for the State Corporation Commission job that Dana Murphy will vacate next year.
In the wake of the broad achievement of conservative policy objectives at the 2021 regular session, David – the Senate Majority Leader – seems fit for the challenge.
In her online announcement, she said, “For the past decade, I’ve fought to ensure Oklahomans have reliable, affordable energy and strong infrastructure. Serving on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission is the next step in continuing this important work while growing jobs and opportunities in our state.”
David shares the nearly universal disdain for the policy objectives and early performance of President Joe Biden: “As the Biden administration continues to put the squeeze on energy and utilities, the role of commissioner will take on even greater import. I think I have the right experience, knowledge, and temperament to fight and win on behalf of all Oklahomans.”
Having worked in several aspects of business, including energy, Sen. David might seem a natural to become Commissioner David. In her announcement release, she said, “I know how important low energy costs are to businesses and Oklahoma families alike. These are pocketbook issues that require strong, consistent, conservative leadership.”
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Although she does not normally sport feminine headgear, state Representative Rhonda Baker, a Yukon Republican, has a new feather in her cap. She was recently elected vice-chair of the Education Committee for the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC).
Baker said, in a statement, “What an honor to be elected by my national peers to be vice-chair of this important committee. Oklahoma has made enormous strides in recent years in funding education and crafting reforms to help improve student outcomes. I look forward to sharing our work with other legislators and learning from their experience as well.”
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Melissa Provenzano, a Democratic state representative from Tulsa, was chosen as Oklahoma State Director for Women in Government (WIG). The group, based in the nation’s capital city, is a non-partisan nonprofit for women in state legislatures.
Rep. Provenzano said, “The mission of this organization can’t be understated. For most of our country’s history, the government has been a male-dominated arena. That is changing. We are beginning to see more parity. There is a lot of work left to do, but with organizations like Women in Government, I know we can get there.”
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The newest member of the Board of Directors for the State Office of Juvenile Affairs is Bartlett Bouse of Woodward. A graduate of Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva who garnered his law degree from OU, Bouse brings a load of legal acumen to the post.
State Representative Mike Dobrinski of Okeene was delighted with the announcement, and no wonder: House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, tapped Bouse on Dobrinski’s recommendation.
Dobrinski commented: “Mr. Bouse’s career in family law and juvenile justice, as well as his experience in the district attorney’s office, will be invaluable as he serves on the Office of Juvenile Affairs Board of Directors.”
Bouse’s qualifications will become widely known as the OJA staff circulates his background information this week.
Not to detract from Bouse’s selection in any way, what caught my attention was the surprising resignation from the Juvenile Affairs Board of Sean Burrage, a vice president at the University of Oklahoma. He had served on the juvenile justice board since 2017. This spring, Burrage notified Speaker McCall – who had (under new legal provisions) appointed him to the post in 2019 – of his intention to resign.
Burrage served eight years in the Oklahoma State Senate (2006-2014), and I often interacted with him in those years. He was accessible and quotable, which reporters value.
In leaving the OJA Board, Burrage said in a letter to Speaker McCall, “My position at the University of Oklahoma is very demanding, and I need to give as much attention as possible to my duties in that regard. Please know that I feel very confident in the current board and the executive director, Rachel Holt.”
Burrage is known for his passion for juvenile justice and for systemic reforms to the legal system. In addition to his legislative service, the senator was president of Southeastern Oklahoma State University for five years, and previously was a partner in the Taylor Burrage Law Firm.
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Donald Trump left office in January as perhaps the most controversial president in modern American history. As his successor, Joe Biden, reaches the six-month mark in tenure, he’s got his own set of problems and controversies. Republicans seem as unhappy with Biden as Democrats were with Trump.
At the state Capitol, Representative Jay Steagall of Yukon is among Biden’s most prolific Oklahoma critics, and no wonder – he runs the recently created State’s Rights Committee for the State House.
From that perspective, Rep. Steagall didn’t like it one bit when White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, outlining steps her boss was taking to combat the COVID variant surge, said early this month the administration would, among other things, pursue “targeted, community-by-community, door-to-door outreach to get remaining Americans vaccinated by ensuring they have the information they need on how both safe and accessible the vaccine is.”
Rep. Steagall and other Republicans also blasted Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra when he said, on July 8, that it is “absolutely the government’s business” to know which Americans have not taken the coronavirus vaccine.
Stegall’s contention? “[T]hese types of actions and assertions from the federal government are not just overreaching but violate multiple provisions of the U.S. Constitution. First, the enumerated powers delegated in Article I, Section 8; the right of the People to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects as found in the Fourth Amendment; as well as the vertical separation of powers prescribed in the Tenth Amendment.”
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Another Republican solon, Kevin West of Moore, took note when the powerful National Education Association said it would make Critical Race Theory tenets part of its nationwide agenda.
West said, “When we ran legislation to prohibit the teaching of Critical Race Theory in Oklahoma public schools, we heard multiple allegations that this wasn’t a problem and this wasn’t being taught in our schools.
“Now we see that the largest teachers’ union in the nation, and the parent organization of the largest teachers’ union in the state, is pushing this harmful curriculum. This proves that Oklahoma Republican legislators were prudent to get in front of this issue and stop this increasing push to indoctrinate our children.”
Not long after Rep. West’s statement, the Oklahoma Board of Education decided (with only one dissenting vote) to develop rules to forbid the use of many of the CRT tenets in Oklahoma classrooms. In doing so, the Board emphasized that teachers would not get in trouble if they stick with the Oklahoma Academic Standards to fashion their curriculum.
The Oklahoma Education Association issued a somewhat conciliatory statement after the Board’s vote, with Katherine Bishop, the group’s president, commenting: “We believe this should clear up some confusion and give Oklahoma’s educators the confidence to continue teaching as they have been since the standards were adopted. We encourage the involvement of education professionals in the full rulemaking process moving forward.
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Every year, during the time between the close of one regular session and the early fall, legislators conduct interim studies on matters they deem unresolved or insufficiently considered in earlier deliberations. Under both Democrats (who used to run everything) and Republicans, who rule the roost these days, the interim studies generally follow the policy preferences of the majority party.
This year, to the surprise of longtime observers of state policymaking (i.e. old guys like me), Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, approved all 71 requests for interim studies this summer and fall.
As a result, Democrats like Sens. Kay Floyd and George Young of Oklahoma City will guide – working with Republican committee chairs, to be sure – studies on youth suicide and racial equity.
For the lower chamber, I will be watching how one particular Democrat – who has been on a bit of a roll lately – does.
State Representative Ajay Pittman of Oklahoma City wants to tackle the matter of high-speed police pursuits.
My hunch is Speaker McCall will not follow the path Treat trod – but it would make the interim (always an important part of the legislative year) more interesting if he did.