Legislature won't try to override Gov. Kevin Stitt's vetoes from recent special session

With the board now made up completely of Stitt appointees, the Department of Veterans Affairs deputy director and general counsel quit prior to Friday's meeting, and the commissioners unanimously agreed to hire former Attorney General John O'Connor, who was a Stitt appointee.

A heated debate may reignite after two lawmakers filed bills that would allow parents to use taxpayer dollars to pay for their child’s private or home school education. #oklaed

"We're not going to beat these bills by rehashing the same far-left rhetoric and playing victim," said Brittany Novotny, who founded the PAC. "We're going to defeat these bills by finding common ground with Republicans in the Legislature and helping them to see this isn't necessarily the winning issue they think it is."

Oklahoma Senate and House of Representatives rules require that most bills and joint resolutions be filed before the start of the session. This year's deadline was Thursday.

Any tax revenue could go toward education or economic development, he said. Oklahoma's Native American tribes hold the exclusive right to offer gambling in the state.

Senate Bill 503, by Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, would cover parades, shows, concerts, plays or any other activity where a minor or unwilling witness could see lewd acts or obscene material.

“This case includes allegations of fraud involving millions of dollars in taxpayer funds,” Gentner Drummond said in announcing that his office would join with the OSBI in scrutinizing a sweetheart deal between the Oklahoma Tourism Department and Swadley's Bar-B-Q.

"We're definitely concerned for our neighbors and families that have really become used to having this extra amount after three years," a DHS official said, adding resources are available for those in need.

Gov. Stitt's attempts to oust Executive Director Joel Kintsel over the past year have been thwarted by the commission, whose members are mostly appointed by veterans organizations.

It “seems counterintuitive at first," Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said, but research indicates that the program helps people overcome addiction in the long run.