Randy Krehbiel
Tulsa World Staff Writer
A measure to repopulate an Oklahoma Veterans Commission that barely has enough members to function passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Monday and was sent to the governor.
Senate Bill 1384, by Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City, seeks to patch up a two-year-old rift between several veterans service organizations and Gov. Kevin Stitt.
Introduced on the House floor by Rep. Josh West, R-Grove, an Iraq and Afghanistan combat veteran, the bill allows Stitt to appoint four at-large commissioners to fill vacancies normally reserved for members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, the Military Order of the Purple Heart and Paralyzed Veterans of America.
Those four appointments would revert to the service organizations as the at-large appointees' terms expired over the next few years, West said.
People are also reading…
The measure also drops the requirement that at least one appointee be a Vietnam War-era veteran and two must be from the Persian Gulf Wars. It adds the requirement that at least one have served since Sept. 11, 2001.
"I've been accused of being a homer for the governor," West said. "I've been accused of disrespecting Vietnam Veterans. I took offense to that. … If you know me, I'm not a homer for the governor. This is a viable path forward that provides a solution that would work and we would still not lose these legacy groups moving forward."
The original conflict arose over a dispute between Stitt and some of his appointees and former Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs Executive Director Joel Kintzel, who eventually challenged Stitt unsuccessfully in the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary.
Several of the service organizations contended Stitt had replaced their representatives without consulting them, in violation of state law. The Military Order of the Purple Heart sued unsuccessfully.
The measure passed 85-6 with 10 Republican members not voting.
Also Monday, the House voted to eliminate the statute of limitations for sex crimes against vulnerable adults if the perpetrator is proved through DNA testing or confesses.
As amended on the House floor, SB 1658, by Sen. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan, would also extend the statute of limitations for prosecution of "revenge porn."
The bill passed 92-0 after House sponsor Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, accepted the revenge porn amendment from Rep. Monroe Nichols, D-Tulsa.
Because of the amendment, the bill must go back to the Senate for final approval.
The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today.
Users can customize the app so you see the stories most important to you. You can also sign up for personalized notifications so you don't miss any important news.
If you're on your phone, download it here now: Apple Store or Google Play
