Articles written by Trevor Brown
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Lawmakers again stifle debate on applying open records law to themselves
Bills that would apply Oklahoma's Open Records and Meetings Law to the state Legislature haven't gotten so much as a committee hearing in recent years. Lawmakers’ emails to lobbyists, calendars, call logs and other records that could give the...
Claiming out-of-state influences, Oklahoma looks to clamp down on state question law
Several Oklahoma lawmakers are looking to add hurdles for citizen-led groups to pass the type of state questions that legalized medical marijuana, expanded Medicaid and won voter support despite...
As some Oklahoma churches push vaccines, others sow misinformation, doubt
EDMOND — Paul Blair says he doesn’t have a stance on whether his congregation should receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The 58-year-old cancer survivor is convinced he doesn’t need the shot. And he tells members of Fairview Baptist Church that it’s...
Redistricting: Weighing the impact of splitting Oklahoma's largest Hispanic community
Driving south from downtown Oklahoma City, it is hard to miss the sudden culture shift. Spanish-language signs and billboards line many streets, such as Southwest 29th Street, where the number of... Full story
Redistricting proposals that could overhaul Oklahoma politics
Oklahoma's only competitive congressional district over the past decade could return to firm Republican control - or it could be changed to give Democrats the best chance they've seen in years. State... Full story
As lawmakers prepare for redistricting special session, what you need to know
Lawmakers will be returning to the State Capitol this fall for a special session to carry out the once-a-decade task of redrawing legislative and congressional boundaries. Gov. Kevin Stitt announced last week that he is calling lawmakers into a...
Oklahoma doctors, tired but not deterred, push to get patients vaccinated
Dr. Douglas Drevets recalls feeling a burst of optimism when the year began. The state’s long and deadly battle against Covid-19 seemed to have turned a corner as Oklahoma emerged as one of the top states in vaccinating eligible populations. But...
Oklahoma is getting $2 billion. How should it be spent?
Oklahoma is about to go on a multi-billion dollar spending spree – but there’s a catch, actually several. Oklahoma, like other states, has already doled out hundreds of millions of federal dollars on Covid-19 response efforts through Coronavirus...
Hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans can now get free health care. Do they know that?
Dr. Daniel Joyce has been giving out a different type of news to patients at Lawton’s Hearts That Care Clinic. Joyce, who runs the non-profit free clinic, has been talking to them to see if they’ll be eligible for free health coverage under the... Full story
As GOP majority grows, fewer Democratic-led bills make it through Oklahoma's legislature
Armed with its largest supermajority in the state’s history, Republican lawmakers found increased legislative success this year as the number of successful bills written by Democrats fell. An Oklahoma Watch review found that of the nearly 600...
Examining the impact: How Oklahoma's new laws will affect you
Oklahoma lawmakers closed this year’s legislative session after spending four months debating and voting on bills that will have lasting impacts. Here’s a look at how different segments of Oklahoma’s population will feel the impact of some... Full story
Oklahoma's legislature fast-tracks multi-billion budget bill, again
It didn’t take long for arguably the most important bill of the 2021 session to work its way through the often-times tedious and laborious legislative process. A week and three hours after Gov. Kevin Stitt and Republican leaders announced the... Full story
In remembering OKC bombing victims, experts see lessons for grieving Covid losses
Robin Gurwitch knows all too well about loss. Gurwitch was working as a psychologist and program director at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center on April 19, 1995. After the bombing at Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, she was among th...
Takeaways from Oklahoma's new legislative redistricting plan
Oklahoma’s legislative districts are set to look much different for many voters next election season. Republican House and Senate leaders unveiled their proposed legislative redistricting plans this week, setting up potential floor votes on the...
Congress gives Oklahoma cash infusion for expanding Medicaid
Last year’s vote to expand Oklahoma’s Medicaid program will provide the state with a half-billion-dollar windfall thanks to the recently passed federal stimulus bill. Oklahoma Health Care Authority officials confirmed this week that the state...
Lawmakers: Gov. Stitt's managed care plan complicates Medicaid expansion funding plan
More than half a year after voters approved a state question that will require Oklahoma to offer health coverage to more than 200,000 low-income adults, state officials are still unsure how they’ll pay it. The passage of State Question 802 last Jun...
Halfway point: 11 days that define Gov. Kevin Stitt's first two years
Gov. Kevin Stitt finds himself in much different times than when he took office just over two years ago. As the Covid-19 pandemic has loomed large over much of Stitt's first term, unemployment is...
Despite fear in Oklahoma, Biden likely won't be 'banning' fracking
President Donald Trump offered a warning to Oklahoma and other energy-rich states during the final months of his unsuccessful re-election bid. The president cautioned that if Joe Biden won, the new...
The impact of Oklahoma's latest red wave
Americans across the country woke up Wednesday to an undecided presidential election that could take days, or even weeks, to be decided. The contest between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden hangs in the balance as crucial...
Oklahoma runoff takeaways: Stephanie Bice wins, incumbents fall
The lineup for November’s general election is set. Tuesday’s runoff election finalized Oklahoma’s high-profile congressional fifth district race. Meanwhile, several incumbent Republicans lost key seats in the Legislature and elsewhere,...
Voter registration lags in Oklahoma amid COVID-19
Oklahoma, one of 10 states that doesn’t offer online voter registration, has seen a sharp decline in new voter sign-ups this year as COVID-19 has created new challenges for in-person get-out-the-vote efforts. State election board numbers requested...
The Supreme Court affirmed Native American rights in Oklahoma. Here's what that could mean
In a historic U.S. Supreme Court decision, justices ruled Thursday that much of eastern Oklahoma has been, contrary to the state's long-standing belief, part of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation...
After years of legislative inaction, voters say yes to Medicaid expansion
After years of debate and aborted legislative proposals, voters have done what Oklahoma lawmakers have long resisted. With a razor-thin 50.5% of the vote, Oklahomans approved a state question Tuesday...
Few hearings, fewer votes: Police oversight bills see little attention in Oklahoma's Legislature
Months before the Memorial Day death of George Floyd and the weeks of nationwide protests that followed, Oklahoma's Legislature had a chance to take up issues that today dominate the headlines....
20 years after it became a crime, racial profiling charges remain scarce
As protests over racial policing practices continue to rage across Oklahoma and the nation, a milestone in Oklahoma's racial history will quietly pass later this week. Friday, June 5, will mark the 20...
