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GOP lawmakers aim to limit Stitt’s power

admin by admin
February 20, 2023
in Democratic


OKLAHOMA CITY — Four years after the Oklahoma Legislature made Gov. Kevin Stitt the state’s most powerful governor, several GOP lawmakers want to limit the governor’s ability to make appointments to key state boards and commissions.

Republican lawmakers want to reduce the number of appointments Stitt gets to the State Board of Education, Veterans Commission and the Turnpike Authority board — all governing bodies currently stacked with the governor’s appointees.

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In the wake of the Swadley’s scandal, a leading GOP senator wants to take away the governor’s power to hire and fire the executive director of the Tourism and Recreation Department and return that authority to the agency’s governing board.

If successful, the changes would be a dramatic reversal from four years ago when the GOP-led Legislature expanded the governor’s power by giving Stitt the authority to hire and fire the heads of five large state agencies.

“I think we got a little carried away,” Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, said of the agency reforms at the start of Stitt’s first term.

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McBride introduced legislation to dilute Stitt’s near-monopoly on the State Board of Education by adding four legislative appointees to the seven-member panel that includes six Stitt appointees. State Superintendent Ryan Walters, who also serves on the Stitt’s Cabinet, chairs the board.

Noting the board has been stacked with non-educators from urban areas, McBride said the House and Senate should have a say in the board’s composition to add more diversity to the panel.

“I hope the governor does not take this as a personal attack,” he said. “It’s just kind of a practical way to look at things.”

The Legislature in 2011 gave governors the power to replace board members at any point during their term. Previously, board members were appointed for six-year terms and could not be replaced until their term concluded.

Stitt said he won’t sign any bills that reduce his authority over state agencies, boards and commissions.

“That would be kind of moving backwards, in my opinion,” he said.

Giving the executive branch more control over state agencies was a key theme of Stitt’s 2018 campaign. In 2019, GOP lawmakers overwhelmingly passed legislation to give the governor the power to hire and fire the heads of the Office of Juvenile Affairs, Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, and Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, said he still philosophically thinks the governor should have significant control over executive branch agencies. Four years ago, he touted the agency reforms that gave the governor more power.

“I still believe in having accountability there,” he said. “That there is someone to hold accountable if something goes wrong.”

Rep. Danny Sterling, R-Tecumseh, who has been critical of the ACCESS Oklahoma Turnpike expansion, introduced legislation that would reduce the number of appointees Stitt has on the Turnpike Authority board.

The governor currently gets to appoint all six members. Under Sterling’s House Bill 2263, the governor would only get two appointments, with the other four appointments divided between the House speaker and the Senate president pro tem.

Sterling cited recent drama related to some of the governor’s appointments to the Veterans Commission as a prime example of why changes are needed. The attorney general recently said Stitt did not follow state law when appointing three members of the commission.

Rep. Jay Steagall, R-Yukon, is pushing a bill to eliminate the governor’s monopoly on appointing members of the Veterans Commission.

Preventing the governor from having the sole authority to name all the members of a board or commission could free appointees from feeling as though they have to cater to the governor’s wishes, Sterling said.

“It’s just kind of a balance of power, and implementing checks and balances from the standpoint that the House has input, the Senate has input and the governor still has input as well,” he said.

Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said Democrats warned the majority party four years ago about giving the governor more power. Kirt said she hasn’t looked at the specific House bills that would limit the governor’s appointments to key boards and commissions.

But looking back on the 2019 state agency reforms, she said giving the governor more power limited public oversight and the flow of information from some of the biggest agencies.

“It’s really hard not to be like, ‘I told you so,’” she said.

Feb. 6, 2023 video. The Oklahoma governor delivered his State of the State address to open the legislative session. Video via okhouse.gov


Tulsa-area state legislators and how to contact them

Sen. Nathan Dahm





DISTRICT 33

Sen. Nathan Dahm (R)

Hometown: Broken Arrow

District area: South and east Tulsa County

Phone: 405-521-5551

Email Sen. Dahm


Sen. Dana Prieto





Sen. Dana Prieto

DISTRICT 34

Sen. Dana Prieto (R)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Owasso and northern Tulsa County

Phone: 405-521-5566

Email Sen. Prieto


Sen. Jo Anna Dossett





Sen. Jo Anna Dossett

DISTRICT 35

Sen. Jo Anna Dossett (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: South and central Tulsa

Phone: 405-521-5624

Email Sen. Jo Anna Dossett


Sen. John Haste





Sen. John Haste

DISTRICT 36

Sen. John Haste (R)

Hometown: Broken Arrow

District area: Eastern Tulsa County, western Wagoner County

Phone: 405-521-5602

Email Sen. Haste


Sen. Todd Gollihare





Sen. Todd Gollihare

DISTRICT 12

Sen. Todd Gollihare (R)

Hometown: Kellyville

District area: Creek County

Phone: 405-521-5528

Email Sen. Gollihare


Sen. Kevin Matthews





Sen. Kevin Matthews

DISTRICT 11

Sen. Kevin Matthews (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Northern Tulsa, southeast Osage County

Phone: 405-521-5598

Email Sen. Matthews


Sen. Joe Newhouse





Sen. Joe Newhouse

DISTRICT 25

Sen. Joe Newhouse (R)

Hometown: Broken Arrow

District area: South Tulsa, Bixby, Broken Arrow and Jenks

Phone: 405-521-5675

Email Sen. Newhouse


Sen. Dave Rader





Sen. Dave Rader

DISTRICT 39

Sen. Dave Rader (R)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Central and south Tulsa

Phone: 405-521-5620

Email Sen. Rader


Sen. Cody Rogers





Sen. Cody Rogers

DISTRICT 37

Sen. Cody Rogers (R)

Hometown: Tulsa

District Area: West Tulsa County

Phone: 405-521-5600

Email Sen. Rogers


Rep. Meloyde Blancett





Rep. Meloyde Blancett

DISTRICT 78

Rep. Meloyde Blancett (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Midtown Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7334

Email Rep. Blancett


Rep. Jeff Boatman





Rep. Jeff Boatman

DISTRICT 67

Rep. Jeff Boatman (R)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Southeast Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7341

Email Rep. Boatman


Rep. Amanda Swope





Rep. Amanda Swope

DISTRICT 71

Rep. Amanda Swope (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Brookside in Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7361

Email Rep. Swope


Rep. Suzanne Schreiber





Rep. Suzanne Schreiber

DISTRICT 70

Rep. Suzanne Schreiber (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Midtown Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7359

Email Rep. Schreiber


Rep. Dean Davis





Rep. Dean Davis

DISTRICT 98

Rep. Dean Davis (R)

Hometown: Broken Arrow

District area: Elm Place in east Broken Arrow, east to 248th East Avenue

Phone: 405-557-7362

Email Rep. Davis


Rep. Mark Tedford





Rep. Mark Tedford

DISTRICT 69

Rep. Mark Tedford (R)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Jenks, Bixby and Tulsa between those cities

Phone: 405-557-7331

Email Rep. Tedford


Rep. Scott Fetgatter





Rep. Scott Fetgatter

DISTRICT 16

Rep. Scott Fetgatter (R)

Hometown: Okmulgee

District area: Okmulgee County and the southeastern tip of Tulsa County

Phone: 405-557-7373

Email Rep. Fetgatter


Rep. Ross Ford





Rep. Ross Ford

DISTRICT 76

Rep. Ross Ford (R)

Hometown: Broken Arrow

District area: West Broken Arrow

Phone: 405-557-7347

Email Rep. Ford


Rep. Regina Goodwin





Rep. Regina Goodwin

DISTRICT 73

Rep. Regina Goodwin (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Downtown and northwest Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7406

Email Rep. Goodwin


Rep. Kyle Hilbert





Rep. Kyle Hilbert

DISTRICT 29

Rep. Kyle Hilbert (R)

Hometown: Depew

District area: Westernmost Tulsa County, Creek County

Phone: 405-557-7353

Email Rep. Hilbert


Rep. Mark Lawson





Rep. Mark Lawson

DISTRICT 30

Rep. Mark Lawson (R)

Hometown: Sapulpa

District area: Sapulpa, Mounds, southwest Tulsa County

Phone: 405- 557-7414

Email Rep. Lawson


Rep. T.J. Marti





Rep. T.J. Marti

DISTRICT 75

Rep. T.J. Marti (R)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: East Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7356

Email Rep. Marti


Rep. Stan May





Rep. Stan May

DISTRICT 80

Rep. Stan May (R)

Hometown: Broken Arrow

District area: Southeast Tulsa County; small section of southwest Wagoner County

Phone: 405-557-7338

Email Rep. May


Rep. Monroe Nichols





Rep. Monroe Nichols

DISTRICT 72

Rep. Monroe Nichols (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Southeast corner of Inner Dispersal Loop to Owasso; also includes Turley and Sperry

Phone: 405-557-7391

Email Rep. Nichols


Rep. Clay Staires





Rep. Clay Staires

DISTRICT 66

Rep. Clay Staires (R)

Hometown: Skiatook

District area: Sand Springs, west Tulsa between Arkansas River and Osage County line and Riverview

Phone: 405-557-7390

Email Rep. Staires


Rep. Terry O’Donnell





Rep. Terry O'Donnell

DISTRICT 23

Rep. Terry O’Donnell (R)

Hometown: Catoosa

District area: Catoosa, east Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7379

Email Rep. O’Donnell


Rep. Melissa Provenzano





Rep. Melissa Provenzano

DISTRICT 79

Rep. Melissa Provenzano (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: East and southeast Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7330

Email Rep. Provenzano


Rep. Lonnie Sims





Rep. Lonnie Sims

DISTRICT 68

Rep. Lonnie Sims (R)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: West Tulsa County from the bend of Arkansas River down to Glenpool

Phone: 405-557-7340

Email Rep. Sims


Rep. John Kane





Rep. John Kane

DISTRICT 11

Rep. John Kane (R)

Hometown: Bartlesville

District area: Bartlesville, north Tulsa County including Collinsville

Phone: 405-557-7358

Email Rep. Kane


Rep. Mark Vancuren





Rep. Mark Vancuren

DISTRICT 74

Rep. Mark Vancuren (R)

Hometown: Owasso

District area: Suburban Owasso

Phone: 405-557-7377

Email Rep. Vancuren


Rep. John Waldron





Rep. John Waldron

DISTRICT 77

Rep. John Waldron (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Northeast Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7410

Email Rep. Waldron


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Tags: institutionsjob marketkevin stittlawlegislationlegislatureoklahomaparliament and legislative bodiespolitical powerpoliticsstate governmenttrade
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