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Ryan Walters — he’s keeping the public out of public records

Ryan Walters — he’s keeping the public out of public records

When KFOR reporter Kaylee Olivas called out state Superintendent of Schools Ryan Walters for dragging out a public records request for more than 100 days, education journalists around the state could no doubt relate. 07/20/2023 05:00 AM

Requesting 5 interim studies

Requesting 5 interim studies

Last week, I was in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina, for the annual Council of State Governments (CSG) Southern Legislative Conference (SLC), which includes 15 member states that come together to study and discuss the issues of greatest importance to our region of the country. 07/20/2023 05:00 AM

Keeping officials accountable

Keeping officials accountable

We spend a lot of time talking about public records in our office. If that’s a new topic to you, you’ll find it worth your time to become familiar. State law enacted in 1985 requires that most publicly funded entities make their records available to the public for inspection or copying. That’s an important piece of government transparency; those records belong to the public and they help keep our elected officials accountable. Although news organizations request documents regularly in the course of their research and reporting, there are no special privileges. Anything available to a journalist is also available to you. There are some problems with the law. At nearly 40 years old, there is no provision for emailing records, but there are stipulations about faxing them. The only deadline an agency has is to respond to be prompt and reasonable, which is undefined. And the only remedy for noncompliance is to file a lawsuit or persuade your local district attorney to file a misdemeanor charge against his fellow government employee who works across the hall. Some agencies are very, very good about keeping the public’s business public. Others are not. In the past year, Oklahoma Watch has filed three lawsuits to force agencies to comply with the Open Records Act. Two were successful and one, against the Tulsa Police Department, remains open. 07/13/2023 05:00 AM

Commitments kept

Commitments kept

One-party Democratic rule in Washington notably led to several unprecedented crises in our country and around the globe. However, despite the challenges of working with a Democrat Senate and president, House Republicans have kept our commitments to the American people these past six months upon taking back the House majority. 07/13/2023 05:00 AM

The fight for life is far from over

The fight for life is far from over

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling of Dobbs v. 07/06/2023 05:00 AM

Be like Jesus

I am currently preaching through the Gospel of John at First Baptist Church in Newcastle. As I have worked my way through this great book of the Bible, there are several things I have been challenged by in Jesus’ life, in particular the way He was with people. 07/06/2023 05:00 AM

Protecting Second Amendment rights for disabled veterans

Protecting Second Amendment rights for disabled veterans

As enshrined in the Constitution, the Second Amendment guarantees law-abiding citizens of the United States the right to bear arms. Freedom and personal responsibility are pillars of our nation, and the Second Amendment must be protected, especially for those who suffered injury or were disabled while serving in our armed forces protecting the freedom of others. 07/05/2023 05:00 AM

Raising awareness for Alzheimer’s

Raising awareness for Alzheimer’s

June is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, a time to encourage national conversation about brain health and raise awareness to improve health care outcomes. Over six million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Of that number, 67,000 are Oklahomans. Anyone who is impacted by Alzheimer’s understands the gravity of this disease and the hardship endured by both the individual and the loved ones surrounding them. 06/29/2023 05:00 AM

Private school vouchers cost taxpayers $132.9 million in 2024

Private school vouchers cost taxpayers $132.9 million in 2024

This week, the Board of Equalization certified a $190 million decrease in state revenue for 2024. House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City said the decrease in state funding is largely due to the Republican supermajority’s decision to use taxpayer dollars to fund private schools. 06/29/2023 05:00 AM

Reigning in regulation

Reigning in regulation

While back in the Fourth District of Oklahoma, one of the top concerns I hear from constituents is the crushing weight of increasing overreach, overregulation and red tape from the federal government, which does not allow families and small businesses to flourish and succeed. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration has not taken note, and while forcing its progressive policies on the nation, President Joe Biden and Democrats have instead abused regulatory power and have produced egregious regulation after regulation. 06/29/2023 05:00 AM

Public safety gets a boost

Public safety gets a boost

Another area that saw incredible investment this session was public safety to better support our law enforcement agencies, courts, and victims. Together, our 14 public safety and judiciary agencies received nearly $980 million. 06/29/2023 05:00 AM

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