Paul Monies

After several scandals and turnover in agency leadership, some Oklahoma lawmakers are rethinking their efforts to give the governor direct appointment power over the largest state agencies.

The deployments drew criticism from Democrats because border security historically is a federal responsibility and National Guard soldiers and airmen called up for that role had fewer enforcement powers than U.S. Border Patrol agents.

Lawmakers created the agency more than a decade ago to streamline IT purchases and increase efficiency in state spending on common administrative services. But that promise has only partially been fulfilled, the legislative report found.

The state is spending almost $4 million with a contractor to set up and administer a new private school tax credit program. That’s four times what the Oklahoma Tax Commission estimated in the spring when lawmakers were finalizing the policy.

That meeting could have been an email.

Millions in broadband funding could be further delayed after some companies and board members raised concerns about duplicating efforts in areas of Oklahoma already served by internet service providers.

A decades-long quirk in mapmaking and state boundaries is inching toward a solution after Oklahoma’s Red River Boundary Commission met for the first time in years.

A last-minute disagreement between the Oklahoma House and Senate over a pandemic relief bill to fund domestic violence programs is the only piece of unfinished business from a two-day special session that allocated almost $2 billion to water infrastructure, broadband and mental health needs.

By the end of the week, Oklahoma lawmakers are expected to allocate nearly all of the state’s $1.87 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds when they come back for a special session.

Oklahoma lawmakers called themselves into a special session on Wednesday to give them additional powers over the direction of $1.87 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds under the American Rescue Plan Act.