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OKLAHOMA CITY – Reps. Eddy Dempsey, R-Valliant, and Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, will hold an interim study on the Kiamichi River in Southeast Oklahoma before the House and Natural Resources Committee. Humphrey said the study is being conducted to address Southeastern Oklahoma citizens who have expressed serious concerns about a hydro-energy plant being proposed at the Kiamichi River. "Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation (SEOPC) is alleged to have threatened over 500 landowners with eminent domain and plans to remove these landowners to complete their project," Humphrey said. "The study will review potential effects of this project on the river, wildlife and the landowners." Speakers will include opponent Seth Willyard; Tye Baker and Ahndria Ablett, both with the Choctaw Nation; Zach Quintero with Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co., and Nels Rodefeld with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Time: 1 to 3 p.m. Date: Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024 Place: Room 206, State Capitol, 2300 N Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City

Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, held an interim study Monday, Oct. 21, to discuss the effectiveness of properly administered corporal punishment.  Olsen stated that he does not intend to run any particular bill related to this issue.  "I have no intention to require parents to do this, or even for schools to be required to implement corporal punishment," he said. "What I do object to is the desire of some people to totally prohibit it for all schools and in all situations, no matter how extreme."  Olsen also said the "so-called science" attempting to condemn corporal punishment is very weak.  "There seem to be significant problems with the methodology of studies that advocate for total prohibition of corporal punishment," Olsen said. "They do not control for the variables. They confuse correlation with causality. They don't separate outliers of extreme abuse that don't even come close to properly administered corporal punishment. They often don't compare spanking with other disciplinary measures. So, generally speaking, much of the science is questionable at best."  Olsen also responded to people who attempt to affirm that corporal punishment is condemned by the Bible.  "We can't play fast and loose with the clear text of the Bible," Olsen said, adding, "Read Proverbs 19:18. Read Hebrews 12:11. The words of the King James Bible are very clear. If we will honor the clear statements that God tells us in the Bible, things will go better for us."  He reiterated his intention for holding Monday's interim study.  "I have no intention of trying to require parents or schools to use corporal punishment. That is their decision. What I absolutely oppose is all of us caving in to ill-informed zealots that want to prevent all schools everywhere from ever using any corporal punishment. It has worked well for generations, and centuries, and it still needs to be an option today." 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, will hold an interim study this week on the response to COVID. "The study will demonstrate people unnecessarily died due to protocols established by government," Humphrey said. "It is important to take actions and pass legislation that will prevent the government from mishandling another pandemic." Time: 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Date: Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 Place: Oklahoma State Capitol, Room 4S5, 2300 N Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City Presenters include: Dr. David Martin who will give a history of COVID starting with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS CoV-1) and federal mandates; Dr. Pierre Kory who will discuss medical treatments and hospital protocols, including denials of treatment and rejected drugs; Dr. Mary Bowden, who will discuss gene vaccines, the push of the "safe and effective" narrative, adverse effects and censorship of doctors, including threats to licensing; Kevin McKernan, chief scientific officer and founder of Medicinal Genomics, who will present his proof of contamination and adulteration of COVID mRNA Vaccines; Dr. Janci Lindsay, who will discuss gene therapies and vaccines, potential adverse effects, reported failures of safety and regulatory agencies and accusations of collusion; Attorney Warner Mendenhall, who will discuss financial, medial and pharmacy incentives, the forced use of specific protocols, and insurance company reimbursements for only specific medicines; and Attorney Rachel Rodriguez, who will explain requested legislation. 

The Oklahoma Freedom Caucus (OKFC) challenge the decision to host and promote "National Coming Out Day" at Tinker Air Force Base. Sen. Shane Jett, chair of the OKFC and a U.S. Navy veteran, expressed the criticism shared by thousands of military families. "Military bases have significant budgets to cultivate positive relationships in their communities," Jett said. "It’s incomprehensible that Tinker Air Force Base would openly promote a prurient lifestyle that would obviously affront the tenets of faith of over 75% of Oklahoma’s professing Christian population, as well those practicing Jewish and Muslim faiths. It is vulgar, prurient, inappropriate and unbecoming of our military facilities." Rep. Jim Olsen, House vice chair of the OKFC, echoed these concerns, adding, "The military exists to protect our freedoms, not to serve as a platform for sexual social experimentation. Events like these distract from their mission and undermine the moral fabric that holds our armed forces together. We will continue to demand that Tinker focuses on what matters most: national defense and the protection of American values." Sen. Dusty Deevers, Senate vice chair of the OKFC, emphasized the potential dangers of such events, saying, “We urge Oklahomans to make their voices heard. For too long, polite and long-suffering Oklahomans have endured intentional disrespect to their moral sensibilities, defiance of tenets of their faith in direct offense of morality and decency. This is not the way forward.” The OKFC encouraged citizens to demand accountability from Tinker Air Force Base and their elected representatives. "Silence has been interpreted as the consent of hedonistic sexual gratification as a so-called 'alternative lifestyle,'" Jett said. "We do not give our consent. We do not approve. We call appropriate shame upon those who promote this nonsense in the name of ‘diversity, equity and inclusion,’ which is intended to divide, distract and destroy the morale of this country and devastate the military readiness of our armed forces." The members said the public can get involved by requesting their state and federal legislators require military facilities to focus on military readiness, provide a wholesome environment for the base community, and discontinue the promotion of sexual and politically-charged events that affront and disrespect Oklahoma values. The members encouraged the public to directly contact Tinker Air Force Base to express their opposition at 405-739-2025.

Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, and Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval, D-Oklahoma City, hosted an interim study on healthcare challenges facing rural Oklahomans before the House Public Health Committee on Thursday, Oct. 10.  "A strong healthcare system is the backbone of a healthy economy, but when we fail to invest in rural healthcare, we fail our fellow Oklahomans," Pae said. "Without providing the right resources today, rural hospitals will continue to close their doors. These difficulties won't just go away if we ignore the problem or resolve themselves unless we take targeted investment and action."  "This interim study shed light on our current healthcare challenges and the immediate steps we can take to make a significant difference next session," Alonso-Sandoval said. "As a representative of an urban district, I've seen how parts of our cities face healthcare access issues similar to our rural communities. It's clear that addressing the lack of healthcare resources is crucial for all Oklahomans, no matter where they live. This study emphasized the importance in providing comprehensive solutions that ensure quality healthcare is accessible to every Oklahoman." According to the Oklahoma Hospital Association (OHA), in 2023, Oklahoma's healthcare spending per capita was $9,444, whereas the U.S. healthcare spending per capita was $10,191.  When speaking on operational challenges hospitals face, Rich Rasmussen, president and CEO of OHA, said total expenses were $2 billion higher in 2023 than pre-pandemic. He attributed this increase to rising labor costs, including contract labor expenses, as well as growing prices of utilities, drugs and supplies.  "The majority of hospitals dipped into their reserves to be able to cover operating costs," Rasmussen said.  Sean McAvoy, executive director of Primary Care Services for Comanche County Hospital Authority, said there are several reasons why providers may choose not to go to rural areas.  McAvoy said many rural areas lack facilities that meet healthcare standards, requiring new construction of healthcare facilities, as well as having a smaller workforce to recruit from, leading many healthcare providers to recruit new hires, which can be costly. Additionally, McAvoy said, rural areas with fewer employees mean fewer people with employer-sponsored healthcare, which typically pays better rates to healthcare providers.  McAvoy said transportation presents a challenge in rural areas, especially for older adults, but telemedicine is an increasingly valuable tool to address certain healthcare concerns. He also pointed to mobile clinics as a good option to expand care in rural areas quickly, although he said they typically have high operational costs.  Melissa Alvillar, the chief nursing officer at Comanche County Memorial Hospital, said Oklahoma is ranked 49th nationally in healthcare outcomes.  "Hospitals such as ours are willing to grow and willing to add beds to facilitate the care that the rural environment needs, but we need the financial help to support that," Alvillar said. She said healthcare providers need support from lawmakers to deliver the care Oklahomans deserve.  "We have the ability to be higher in healthcare than 49th," Alvillar said.  She told attendees it's hard to get people to join or stay in the healthcare workforce given the increase in physical assaults and threats against healthcare providers and, as a result, the cost of staff pay and benefits to retain employees is "through the roof," further stressing hospitals' and clinics' budgets.  Dr. Mark Woodring, vice chair of the Board of Rural Health Association of Oklahoma, highlighted the recent groundbreaking of a new rural hospital in Tillman County. Since the 2016 closure of Memorial Hospital and Physician Group in Frederick, residents have driven between 30 minutes to an hour to receive hospital-level care. The new hospital is funded in part by the Legislature's appropriation of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.  According to the most recent data, Woodring said, "Most of Oklahoma is a health professional shortage area." One suggestion he offered to improve rural health outcomes was creating a healthcare rural opportunity zone pilot program or offering state income tax exemptions or credits to providers who relocate.  "It's creating maybe an additional incentive not to go into a specialty that's going to pay them more," Woodring said. "They know that certainly primary care, while competitive is not paying as much as a maybe a cardiologist or an orthopedic surgeon."

OKLAHOMA CITY – Reps. Tom Gann, R-Inola, Kevin West, R-Moore, and Rick West, R-Heavener, today issued statements regarding an Oklahoma Supreme Court request for oral arguments in their case against Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett. "On Monday, the Oklahoma Supreme Court changed its position and took the extraordinary step of asking for oral arguments about our Petition for a Writ of Prohibition against Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett. We filed our case after allegations of sexual misconduct and public drunkenness were published, but Hiett refused to disqualify himself from Oklahoma Corporation Commission cases involving the victims and/or witnesses of his alleged criminal conduct. These utility cases are worth billions of dollars and affect millions of Oklahoma customers of Oklahoma Natural Gas, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, and Public Service Company of Oklahoma. "We are thrilled and encouraged by this development. The court clearly recognizes the extreme public importance of this matter and the potential for severe injury to Oklahoma ratepayers if Hiett’s tainted participation is allowed to continue to violate Oklahomans' constitutional due process rights. We look forward to making our case to the court on November 12." In addition, the lawmakers reiterated their earlier public statements on this matter: Sept. 5, 2024: https://www.okhouse.gov/posts/news-20240905_1 Sept. 30, 2024: https://www.okhouse.gov/posts/news-20240930_3

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, in an upcoming study will examine federal and state regulations and responses as well as global initiatives opposing beef production and land management in Oklahoma. Speakers and topics include: U.S. Representative Harriet Hageman, R- WY, “RFID EID, 30 X 30 Land Grab;” Shad Sullivan, Colorado and Texas fifth-generation rancher and property rights advocate featured on Glenn Beck, Fox News, and Laura Ingraham, “The War on Beef;” John Paul, pastor of 1000 Hills, Woodward, OK, “The Promise;” Linda Murphy, Oklahoma educator/property rights expert, “National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors in OK;” Karen Gerfen Glueck, AGPROfessionals vice president of communications and strategic planning, “Enemies Lurking in Oklahoma;” and Mindy Patterson, founder and president of The Cavalry Group, “Public Private Partnerships and The Sustains Act” Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Date: Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024 Place: Stan Tech Building, 4100 N Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City BBQ meal provided at noon by Seiling FFA’s championship team “The Oklahoma Smokeshow.”

The House Public Health Committee heard from advocates for harm reduction supporting an extension of a law passed in 2021 to legalize needle exchange programs in an interim study Thursday. Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, coauthored Senate Bill 511 in 2021, which authorized programs that register with the Oklahoma State Department of Health to distribute and collect hypodermic needles, cleaning and test kits, and opioid antagonists if no state dollars are used. However, the law passed with a five-year sunset, meaning it will sunset in 2026. Pae said he requested an interim study on the effects of SB511 to learn about the ongoing efforts to invest in harm reduction and currently available data on the programs in time to take action before the bill expires. "I believe harm reduction programs not only save lives, but ultimately save the state money," Pae said. "Since Senate Bill 511 is set to sunset in a few years, I wanted to start the conversation now about the outcome of these programs and how we can best support our community partners fighting the good fight across the state." Brittany Hayes, policy director at Healthy Minds Initiative, said harm reduction aims to minimize the negative outcomes associated with substance use, such as the spread of diseases. While harm reduction programs promote safer use, Hayes said the most important part of harm reduction is meeting people where they are. "If a person comes to you, that's a first step," Hayes said. "You need to meet them where they are. Not everybody is ready to step into a treatment facility day one. Not everybody is ready to step into a treatment facility year three." Hayes shared data on Oklahoma's syringe service programs (SSPs), which was self-reported by four harm reduction organizations from 2022 to 2024. Over those two years, the organizations distributed 25,125 naloxone kits, which included two doses each, and self-reported 1,212 overdose reversals from naloxone they distributed. The organizations also referred 1,528 clients for services, such as substance use education or testing for HIV and STIs. One of those clients was Tamra Graham, who told the committee about her personal experience with harm reduction services. She was prescribed opioids after surgery, which ultimately led into a decade-long struggle with addiction. "I’m a wife, I'm a mother, but most importantly, I'm alive," said Graham, who has been clean for a year and a half. Graham said while ready access to clean needles reduced her risk of diseases, they also kept her connected with community resources available to help when she was ready to quit her addiction. "Having access to clean syringes did not enable my drug use but helped put my mind at ease knowing I would be safe from most diseases common in IV substance use, such as hepatitis C or HIV," Graham said. "When seeking services from Shred the Stigma, I was never pressured to practice abstinence, which made me feel more in control of my substance use, but I knew when I was ready to start my recovery journey, that they would be there to provide support and resources for me to do so." Graham is now a program assistant at Shred the Stigma, the same harm reduction organization that initially provided her with hypodermic needles and, later, with resources to seek treatment. Between 2022 and 2024, Oklahoma's four harm reduction organizations served 8,896 clients and distributed 578,330 syringes. Hayes told the committee that one of the outcomes they anticipate is that syringe exchange programs will lead to a significant decrease in HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV) cases. Both diseases can spread through shared needles. Hayes noted that in 2022, Oklahoma ranked among the top seven states in the U.S. with the highest rural burden of HIV, with each case costing the state nearly $510,000 a lifetime. That same year, Oklahoma also had the highest rate of new HCV infections. "When we’re talking about syringe exchange programs, access to safe injection kits decreases rates of disease, and we hope that’s the story that Oklahoma's SSP program will be able to tell when the data is more complete," Hayes said. Pae said he intended to file legislation next year to remove or extend SB511's sunset date.

Rep. Collin Duel, R-Guthrie, recently led an interim study examining the Oklahoma Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) and the Oklahoma Foreign Adversary Divestment Act (FADA). IS24-060 was held before the House State Powers Committee. The interim studies' purpose was to analyze the effectiveness of current federal and state laws in addressing foreign adversary activities within Oklahoma, focusing on the Foreign Agent Registration Act of 2025 and the Foreign Adversary Divestment Act. Alex Gray, Chief Executive Officer of American Global Strategies LLC and former Chief of Staff to the National Security Council, opened the interim study, stating that America's adversaries are actively seeking to bring conflict to U.S. soil. "The Chinese Communist Party views our states and localities as less prepared to resist Chinese Communist Party aggression than the U.S. at the federal level," Gray said. "So, taking these steps now to harden ourselves at the state and local level is a critical part of deterring a future conflict." Frances Hui, policy and advocacy coordinator at the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, who was the first Hong Kong activist to secure asylum in the United States, spoke about personal accounts as a target of transnational repression carried out by Beijing.    "I always find it important to remind Americans and people living in democracies: freedom is not free," Hui said. "It's something that requires fighting for and continuously defending." Matthew du Mee, Partner at Fusion Law, provided an overview of FARA, which is intended to protect U.S. national security by requiring enhanced transparency into the activities of organizations operating in the U.S. on behalf of foreign adversaries. The study highlighted three main issues with FARA: lobbyists, commercial activity, and academic research are often exempt. As a result, adversary espionage and influence campaigns can operate relatively unhindered across the U.S. through these loopholes. Organizations such as TikTok, the drone manufacturer DJI, and others with ties to China have been allowed to operate without FARA registration despite being recognized as foreign-controlled entities. Michael Lucci, founder and CEO of State Armor, wrapped up the section on FARA, providing future considerations at the state level that would differ from the federal level. Lucci's considerations included adversary national application, removing academic, commercial, and lobbying loopholes, looking back at accountability, and a state proposal with civil-only penalties. Duel then had Lucci provide a brief overview of FADA. FADA's purpose is to divest assets in the People's Republic of China to maintain compliance with fiduciary duty. "There are moral, national security reasons, but I think that the closing argument on holding Chinese assets is really fiduciary at this point," Lucci said. "The fiduciary argument, I believe, would be to get out now." Investments in Chinese assets have long carried moral risks; for example, pension dollars have funded human rights abuses and China's military buildup. Indiana, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Texas and other states have divested some or all their PRC assets. Sweden also recently divested its public pensions from China. "This is really an accelerating trend that we're seeing with the state, the federal government, and American allies," Lucci said. Other speakers include Dr. Jacqueline, founder and CEO of Long-Term Strategy Group and Ambassador Kelley Currie, Founder of Kilo Alpha Strategies, and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Commission on Women's Rights. Duel thanked everyone for attending and presenting at the interim study. "All the information provided is extremely valuable," Duel said. "I look forward to seeing what we can do as the state of Oklahoma in order to help prepare ourselves for a threat from the CCP. "