Okla Legislature 2nd Worse in Nation

[patric]

Here comes the next crazy train...

House Bill 1002, by Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, would let any county sheriff detain or arrest any federal employee while enforcing a buy-back, confiscation or surrender of firearms, accessories and ammunition in the sheriff's jurisdiction.

House Bill 1780 from Rep. Danny Williams, R-Seminole, would ban sex education programs in schools.

House Bill 2186 from Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, makes it illegal to host drag queen story hour on public property or in places where a minor could see the event. The bill also makes it illegal for anyone to stage on public property an "adult cabaret performance," which includes drag queens, strippers, topless dancers or go-go dancers.  Senate Bill 503, by Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, would allow municipalities to deny a permit for any "public display of lewd acts or obscene material" in public places or where children could see them. The law would cover parades, shows, concerts, plays and any other activity where a minor could witness lewd acts or obscene material or any person could unwillingly see them.

Sens. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, and Shane Jett, R-Shawnee, filed legislation Thursday that would allow taxpayer funds to be used for private school tuition or other education expenses in lieu of a student attending public school.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Here comes the next crazy train...

House Bill 1002, by Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, would let any county sheriff detain or arrest any federal employee while enforcing a buy-back, confiscation or surrender of firearms, accessories and ammunition in the sheriff's jurisdiction.

House Bill 1780 from Rep. Danny Williams, R-Seminole, would ban sex education programs in schools.

House Bill 2186 from Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, makes it illegal to host drag queen story hour on public property or in places where a minor could see the event. The bill also makes it illegal for anyone to stage on public property an "adult cabaret performance," which includes drag queens, strippers, topless dancers or go-go dancers.  Senate Bill 503, by Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, would allow municipalities to deny a permit for any "public display of lewd acts or obscene material" in public places or where children could see them. The law would cover parades, shows, concerts, plays and any other activity where a minor could witness lewd acts or obscene material or any person could unwillingly see them.

Sens. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, and Shane Jett, R-Shawnee, filed legislation Thursday that would allow taxpayer funds to be used for private school tuition or other education expenses in lieu of a student attending public school.

Lol...Sheriff gonna get himself up on some big time Federal charges...??    I gotta see that.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Gee.  I wonder why we don't get any more real consideration by big national employers??  I just can't understand it....

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Gee.  I wonder why we don't get any more real consideration by big national employers??  I just can't understand it....

Take a deep breath, and count to four.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Take a deep breath, and count to four.

Takes a 10 count.

[patric]

Gee.  I wonder why we don't get any more real consideration by big national employers??  I just can't understand it....

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The Oklahoma House has passed a measure to ban 'classroom instruction' on sexual orientation or gender identity from Pre-K to 5th grade.
Last year, Florida passed HB 1557, known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, which bans the teaching of sexual orientation or gender identity in Kindergarten through 3rd grade "or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards."
"This isn't happening in our schools in the first place, so why are we trying to write a piece of legislation that is not happening?" said Rep. Jacob Rosecrants, a former Norman teacher.

Also today...

A former Florida lawmaker who sponsored a bill dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" law by critics has pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief funds.
Joseph Harding entered a guilty plea on Tuesday in federal court in the Northern District of Florida to one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering and one count of making false statements, according to court records.
https://www.npr.org/2023/03/22/1165292718/florida-lawmaker-dont-say-gay-covid-fraud

Protecting our children.

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A former Florida lawmaker who sponsored a bill dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" law by critics has pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief funds.
Joseph Harding entered a guilty plea on Tuesday in federal court in the Northern District of Florida to one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering and one count of making false statements, according to court records.

Protecting our children.

Teaching them that sometimes you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Teaching them that sometimes you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar.

Like MarkWayne Mullin with his PPP loan gift from all of us!

[patric]

Oklahoma has formally begun the process of essentially blacklisting some of the nation's largest financial firms from doing business with the state, Treasurer Todd Russ said Wednesday.

Russ released a list of 13 firms he said do not meet the requirements of a 2022 law barring contracts with companies deemed hostile to oil and gas or that do not respond to a set of questions put to them by the treasurer's office.

The treasurer's press release did not say which of 13 financial firms, including Blackrock, Wells Fargo and Co., JPMorgan Chase and Co., Bank of America Corp., were found to be "boycotting" oil and gas and which had not responded to the request for information.

https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/state-begins-severing-ties-with-some-of-nations-largest-financial-firms/article_c47280f2-e9db-11ed-a345-eb4d19652aa0.html

[patric]

Oklahoma bill making journalists get licenses, drug tests sparks First Amendment pushback

A state lawmaker's bill that requires journalists to be licensed and forced to take quarterly drug tests probably won't get very far in the upcoming legislative session but it's already sparking pushback from the state's news media.

Senate Bill 1837 would create the "Common Sense Freedom of Press Control Act." The measure requires criminal background checks of every member of the news media, licensing of journalists through the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the completion of a "propaganda free" training course through the Oklahoma State Department of Education, a $1 million liability insurance policy and quarterly drug tests.

The measure, which would apply to all media outlets operating within the state, was proposed by Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow. Dahm also serves as state chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party.

John Small, a member of the board of directors of the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists and editor of the Johnston County Sentinel, a weekly newspaper in Tishomingo, said Dahm's bill was a bad idea and a violation of the First Amendment.

"He's asking journalists to undergo more scrutiny than he did," Small said. "The bill is an egregious violation of the First Amendment."

Small questioned the need for the measure. "I wonder if it's a knee-jerk response on his part, because there are journalists in Oklahoma, myself included, who think the good senator may be a couple of McNuggets short of a Happy Meal."

Mark Thomas, executive director of the Oklahoma Press Association — an industry tradegroup — said he doubted Dahm's bill would go very far in the Legislature. "Nathan knows how to get his name in the paper," Thomas said.

Rep. Mickey Dollens, a Democrat from Oklahoma City, said he is concerned about Dahm's proposed legislation and called it "yet another example of how radicalized GOP lawmakers in Oklahoma have transformed the Republican Party."

"I would have said this bill has no chance of advancing, but based on extremist legislation passed in recent years, I wouldn't put it past them," Dollens said. "As a Democratic legislator in a supermajority Republican House, I feel it's one of my duties to push back on unconstitutional extremist legislation and to be the voice of those Oklahomans who don't have one in their elected officials."

For journalists like Small, the ongoing effort by some public officials to restrict the news media has become a big problem. "This is not a partisan thing," Small said. "I can't believe that this bill would get any traction, but given that we are living in a time when a former president referred to journalists as the 'enemy of the people,' nothing surprises me."

State lawmakers will have the chance to review Dahm's proposal when they return to the state Capitol on Feb. 5 for the Second Session of the 59th Oklahoma Legislature.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/politics/government/2024/01/18/oklahoma-bill-would-make-journalists-get-licenses-regular-drug-tests/72268519007/

[patric]

Outrage as Oklahoma Republican's bill labels Hispanic people 'terrorists'

An Oklahoma lawmaker is facing backlash for proposing a discriminatory bill that deems people of Hispanic descent as "terrorists".

The Republican state representative JJ Humphrey introduced the bill, HB 3133, which seeks to combat problems in the state, such as drug and human trafficking, and lay out punishments to those who have committed these "acts of terrorism".

The punishment for such a crime would be forfeiting all assets, including any and all property, vehicles and money.

In addition to "a member of a criminal street gang" and someone who "has been convicted of a gang-related offense", the bill defines a terrorist as "any person who is of Hispanic descent living within the state of Oklahoma".

State senator Michael Brooks, who serves as the senate's minority caucus vice-chair and founded the Oklahoma Latino legislative caucus, said the move by Humphrey was unsurprising.

"To have the law treat people differently based on their race or ethnicity only creates greater divides," Brooks said. "The bill is fatally flawed, and I don't know if there's much of a way to be able to change it."

Humphrey apologized but then doubled down.
He said: "I apologize for using the word Hispanic, but I was not wrong. Again, these are Hispanic. Reality is they are Hispanic. There's nothing to be ashamed with."

Humphrey said he will go back to the bill and amend the language from "Hispanic" to "undocumented here illegally, or something like that".

If passed in the Republican-controlled legislature, the bill would become law and take effect on 1 November.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/18/oklahoma-bill-labels-hispanic-people-terrorists

https://www.fox23.com/news/hb3133-deems-any-hispanic-resident-convicted-of-a-gang-related-crime-a-terrorist/article_f104c208-b62f-11ee-b3ac-d708028c0736.html

Not the slightest attempt at concealing institutionalized racism.

[patric]

Another solution in search of a problem:


TULSA, Okla. — A bill prohibiting Pride flags from flying outside state property will advance to the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
House Bill 3217, or, the "Patriotism Not Pride Act," is penned by Representative Kevin West. "No flag that represents sexual orientation can be displayed on state property," he said at a hearing.

The bill also prohibits state funds from being spent on "Pride Month activities." An amendment was added to also stop private donations from funding these celebrations on state grounds.

Representative John Waldron showed skepticism of the bill.
"Do you have any data that suggests that the pride flag has been displayed in state buildings?" he asked. "I do not," replied Rep. West.

Also questioning the bill is Dorothy Ballard, Executive Director of Oklahomans for Equality.
"There does not need to be a divide between patriotism and pride," said Ballard. "The title of the bill alone is not only inflammatory, but clearly biased."

[patric]

A state senator said during a public forum in Tahlequah that LGBTQ+ people are "filth," and that he and his constituents don't want them in "our state."

"Is there a reason why you won't answer about the 50 bills targeting the LGBTQ community in the state of Oklahoma? If you are ashamed of those bills, they shouldn't be there," (Audience member Cathy) Cott said.

Cott pointed out that a 16-year-old had died earlier this month following a physical altercation at an Owasso High School. Cause of death has not yet been definitively established, though police said a preliminary report indicated a beating at the hands of other students didn't kill Nex Benedict.

"We are a Republican state – supermajority – in the House and Senate. I represent a constituency that doesn't want that filth in Oklahoma," (State Sen. Tom Woods, (R) District 4) said.

Several audience members clapped at his statement, while others appeared shocked.

"We are a religious state and we are going to fight it to keep that filth out of the state of Oklahoma because we are a Christian state – we are a moral state," Woods said. "We want to lower taxes and let people be able to live and work and go to the faith they choose. We are a Republican state and I'm going to vote my district, and I'm going to vote my values, and we don't want that in the state of Oklahoma."

https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/senator-calls-lgbtq-people-filth-says-most-dont-want-them-here/article_c8979398-d260-11ee-9823-973bf20c3730.html

https://nypost.com/2024/02/25/us-news/oklahoma-lawmaker-refers-to-lgbtq-people-as-filth/

[heironymouspasparagus]

A state senator said during a public forum in Tahlequah that LGBTQ+ people are "filth," and that he and his constituents don't want them in "our state."

"Is there a reason why you won't answer about the 50 bills targeting the LGBTQ community in the state of Oklahoma? If you are ashamed of those bills, they shouldn't be there," (Audience member Cathy) Cott said.

Cott pointed out that a 16-year-old had died earlier this month following a physical altercation at an Owasso High School. Cause of death has not yet been definitively established, though police said a preliminary report indicated a beating at the hands of other students didn't kill Nex Benedict.

"We are a Republican state – supermajority – in the House and Senate. I represent a constituency that doesn't want that filth in Oklahoma," (State Sen. Tom Woods, (R) District 4) said.

Several audience members clapped at his statement, while others appeared shocked.

"We are a religious state and we are going to fight it to keep that filth out of the state of Oklahoma because we are a Christian state – we are a moral state," Woods said. "We want to lower taxes and let people be able to live and work and go to the faith they choose. We are a Republican state and I'm going to vote my district, and I'm going to vote my values, and we don't want that in the state of Oklahoma."

https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/senator-calls-lgbtq-people-filth-says-most-dont-want-them-here/article_c8979398-d260-11ee-9823-973bf20c3730.html

https://nypost.com/2024/02/25/us-news/oklahoma-lawmaker-refers-to-lgbtq-people-as-filth/

Woods is exactly the kind of filth we should be getting rid of in this state!

Thinking people with any intellectual capability don't want his kind in the state of Oklahoma.



Still waiting for toxicology...no doubt they will drag that out as long as possible so people start to forget about it.  Wikipedia has a page now and this is some of the comments about the event;

"The officer indicated it was possible the incident might be seen as "mutual" and Nex might also face charges if Sue pursued charges against the three girls, and Sue declined at that time. The officer also said if Nex appeared to be injured beyond "scrapes" and "bruises", the officer could be contacted if seeking charges was reconsidered.  Nex was discharged later that day, and reportedly went to sleep with a sore head.

The following day, on February 8, as they were preparing to travel with their mother for an appointment, Nex collapsed in the family's living room. Sue Benedict called 911, saying that Nex's eyes had rolled back and they were struggling to breathe.  Nex had stopped breathing by the time EMTs arrived.  Nex was declared dead at the hospital that evening."


Nothing like trying to bully a native woman into not pursuing this event any further.  Very familiar.  

That could be drugs maybe.... but having a kid who hit his head hard and got a hematoma, 2 major brain surgeries - as in cut out a 4"x4" hole in the skull, and still almost died, the symptoms this kid had are pretty much identical.   Wonder if the autopsy will include brain scans to look for hematomas?  

[patric]

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — House Bill 3098, authored by Senator Jessica Garvin and Representative Toni Hasenbeck, could criminalize common STIs and turn thousands of Oklahomans into felons.

Because of the broad language, rather than encouraging Oklahomans to get tested, treated, and reduce the spread of STIs, House Bill 3098 could make the problem worse.
HPV is one of the infections HB 3098 would criminalize. According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, 85% of Oklahomans will have an HPV infection in their lifetime.

This bill passed through the House with 78 votes in favor and only 14 against.

https://ktul.com/news/local/house-bill-criminalizing-common-stis-could-turn-thousands-of-oklahomans-into-felons-legislature-lawmakers-senate-testing-3098-state-department-of-health-hpv-infection