This Week in Oklahoma Politics

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the Statewide Virtual Charter School moving forward with approving the nation's first religious charter school and the fiscal year 2024 budget becoming law without the governor's signature. The trio also discusses Governor Stitt promising to send Nat...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the state Supreme Court tossing out two Oklahoma laws banning abortion in the state and at least three former Department of Education employees suing Superintendent Ryan Walters. The trio also discusses the 2023 legislative session and more than a do...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the nearly $13B budget approved by legislative leaders and Attorney General Gentner Drummond promising to not enforce a new law banning gender-affirming care for minors. The trio also discusses another veto by the governor, this time on a bill to all...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about state lawmakers calling for a special session to run concurrently with the regular session and Governor Stitt along with legislative leaders celebrating an education funding plan. The trio also talks about a former Department of Education employee sa...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the U.S. Supreme Court staying the execution of death row inmate Richard Glossip, the stalemate over education funding with two weeks left in the regular legislative session and the stack of Governor Stitt's vetoes still waiting for a vote in the Hou...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about State Superintendent Ryan Walters finally testifying before lawmakers during a House Appropriations & Budget Committee and the House passing a tax credit voucher bill for private and home school families while rejecting a teacher pay raise. The t...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about death row inmate Richard Glossip failing to get clemency from the Pardon and Parole Board despite pleas from Attorney General Gentner Drummond along with several state officials and Governor Stitt searching for all "legal avenues" to remove McCurtain...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the scandal in McCurtain County where several officials were recorded making racist and hateful statements, the State Senate overriding the governor's veto on a $600M appropriation of funds to the Health Care Authority and Panasonic inking a deal to...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the Statewide Virtual Charter School declining an application for the Catholic Church to set up the nation's first ever tax payer funded religious school, the governor removing State Superintendent Ryan Walters as his Secretary of Education and Walte...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Attorney General Gentner Drummond releasing a binding opinion canceling controversial new rules from the State Board of Education on library books and sex education and Superintendent Ryan Walters choosing to not appear before lawmakers. The trio als...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the censure of Representative Dean Davis after the Broken Arrow Republican was arrested on charges of public intoxication and the State Senate amending and passing education bills from the House causing a stalemate between the chambers. The trio also...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Politics Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about a decision by the State Supreme Court allowing women the "limited right" to an abortion to save their life, the Environmental Protection Agency telling Governor Stitt he can't legally refuse shipment of toxic waste from a train derailment in Ohio and...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Volkswagen choosing Canada over Oklahoma for its electric vehicle battery plant despite a $700M incentive package, Governor Stitt declining to accept a shipment of toxic waste from the train derailment in Ohio and Oklahoma banks are working to reassu...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Right Attorney Ryan Kiesel about State Question 820 to legalize recreational marijuana in the state failing to get enough votes for passage, a new poll showing Oklahomans are virtually split on the legalization of sports betting and House Republicans censure the state's openly non-bi...

Thanks for subscribing to This Week in Oklahoma Politics podcast. Today, we’re bringing you a Bonus episode of The KOSU Daily podcast. The KOSU Daily is our daily news roundup, where you can get caught up with Oklahoma news in 7 or 8 minutes every weekday morning. It's a great, quick way to stay in touch with what's happening in Oklahoma. Today's episode features reports on the failed vote on recr...

State Question 820 will be the only issue on the ballot on Tuesday, March 7. If approved, it would legalize recreational marijuana for adult use in Oklahoma and create a pathway for expungement of some marijuana offenses. In this bonus episode of the podcast, we bring you two stories about State Question 820 from KOSU reporters Kateleigh Mills and Xcaret Nuñez. The first story concerns how approva...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the vote this Tuesday on State Question 820 to legalize recreational marijuana in Oklahoma and the State House passing legislation to all but ban gender affirming care in the state. The trio also discusses a poll finding a majority of Oklahomans supp...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about a bill to require legislative oversight of State Superintendent Ryan Walters if he attempts to downgrade a schools accreditation, Walters removing the pictures of Education Hall of Fame members and the State Equalization Board approving an extra $2B...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about questions arising over a state lawmaker selling her house to the Turnpike Authority at more than $100K above the appraisal for the agency's expansion in Norman, Attorney General Gentner Drummond taking over a criminal case against a state lawmaker an...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about the governor's State of the State address to open the 2023 legislative sesion. The trip also discusses new opposition to State Question 820 to legalize recreational marijuana facing a vote on March Seventh and Attorney General Gentner Drummond planni...

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt kicked off his new term with the annual State of the State address on Monday. The Governor laid out his policy priorities for the session: which includes expanding school choice, eliminating the state grocery tax of 4.5% and reducing the personal income tax and corporate tax rates. He also called for a ban on gender-affirming care for minors. His priorities and those of s...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and civil rights attorney Ryan Kiesel about an investigation over misspent COVID-19 education funds and a budget hearing for State Superintendent Ryan Walters before lawmakers. The trio also discusses the firing of a Department of Education attorney who had supported LGBTQ rights and the new p...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about State Superintendent Ryan Walters going before lawmakers calling for merit-based pay for teachers, AG Gentner Drummond taking up the case of Oklahoma's sweetheart deal with Swadley's Bar-B-Q to run restaurants at state parks and an 18-year-old lawsui...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about Attorney General Gentner Drummond requesting a delay in the next executions and Governor Stitt replacing four members of the Veteran Commission. The trio also discusses the new power for Oklahoma's Congressional delegation in the Republican controlle...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and civil rights attorney Ryan Kiesel about the Governor's second inaugural speech to kick off a new term in office and Stitt abruptly replacing two-thirds of the State Board of Education on only his second day. The trio also discusses new State Superintendent Ryan Walters resigning as CEO for...