House Media

OKLAHOMA CITY – Two new filings at the Oklahoma Supreme Court by Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, continue his fight against billions of dollars of utility bill increases approved by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) that the representative believes are unlawful. The June 30 and July 6 filings include a twelfth appeal and a request that the Court pause enforcement of a recent decision pending “further review at the federal level.” Gann has been joined in other filings by Reps. , Kevin West, R-Moore, and Rick West, R-Heavener. The newest appeal challenges a June 5, 2026, OCC ruling that denied the intervention of Gann and more than 300 customers trying to participate in the latest rate case for Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO). The utility is seeking a $600 million rate increase, or an additional $25 per month for the average residential customer. Gann is joined in this appeal by Michael Ritze, a former Republican state representative from Broken Arrow. The OCC, PSO and attorney general have 20 days to respond. Multiple settlement agreements have been announced since Gann’s appeal was filed, though none are unanimous, and the attorney general recently withdrew from one of them.  “For the OCC to proceed without jurisdiction is a waste of taxpayer dollars,” Gann wrote in a public comment recently filed in the PSO rate case. According to the motion, Gann “respectfully requests the Court suspend [its decision] until expiration of the time to file a petition for writ of certiorari or notice of final disposition by the United States Supreme Court,” or late September at the earliest. Many of the PSO customers trying to intervene in its rate case are members of the Stop the Inola Smelter citizens group opposed to existing customers being forced to subsidize electricity for the controversial proposed aluminum smelter. The rate case will determine terms and conditions for a new “large-load” rate class of PSO customers likely to include data centers, and possibly the smelter.  Gann and Kevin West appealed a similar OCC ruling that denied Gann’s intervention in the latest rate case for Oklahoma Natural Gas Company (ONG) on June 11. ONG is seeking a $29 million rate increase that, if approved, would mark the fourth rate hike the OCC has approved for ONG in the last four years, increasing customer bills by more than $128 million. In both rate cases, the OCC set a deadline to intervene, but the utilities’ customers were not even notified about the case until after that deadline had already passed. And when customers were notified, the appeals argue, they were only told how to give public comment, not that they have a right to participate as parties of record in the case, which permits seeing all the evidence, filing objections and cross-examining witnesses. “These cases were rigged from the start to keep utility customers out,” Kevin West said. “The federal courts have said utility customers have constitutional due process rights, including a right to timely and adequate notice about these cases. We are asking the Supreme Court to uphold customers’ rights and require the OCC to change its rules to respect them.” Unlike ONG’s rate case, which the OCC suspended pending the outcome of the Supreme Court appeal, the proceedings in PSO’s rate case have continued unabated without any discussion that the OCC may have lost jurisdiction of the case. With this latest appeal , Gann, West and West have now challenged some $500 million in rate increases, $3.2 billion in 2021 Winter Storm bonds, $11 billion in fuel charges, and $1.3 billion in new capacity preapprovals hitting the utility bills of millions of ONG, PSO and OG&E customers. Seven of those appeals are now fully briefed and under consideration by the Supreme Court. In an April 21, 2026, decision , the Court denied the first appeal of an earlier PSO rate case challenging $250 million in rate increases and $700 million of 2021 Winter Storm bonds. The Court’s opinion said Gann should have intervened in the rate case at the OCC first. On June 29, the Court declined to consider Gann’s motion to reconsider that decision. It had informed the Court that Gann and other PSO customers did not even receive notice of the rate case until after the deadline to intervene. As a result of its two rulings on procedural technicalities, the Supreme Court has not actually decided any of Gann, West and West’s legal issues. These include what they say are unlawful OCC utility “audits,” the failure to give customers timely notice of utility cases, and Commissioner Todd Hiett casting the deciding vote despite allegations of criminal conduct involving PSO’s attorneys. Gann said these required Hiett to disqualify himself from such cases under State Ethics Rules. “We are not giving up this fight,” Rick West said. “We will continue to stand up for the law and the Constitution where the OCC and attorney general have failed. It is just a question of where, how and when.” All filings in the utility case appeals are available on the Oklahoma Supreme Court website: PSO rate case ($250m rate increases; $700m bonds; decision 4/21/2026; rehearing denied 6/29/2026):     https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=122861 ONG, PSO & OG&E CY2023 fuel cases ($1.5 billion; all briefs filed):     https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=122991 OG&E rate case ($127m rate increase; $760m bonds; all briefs filed):     https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=123021 ONG rate case ($98m rate increases; $1.3 billion bonds; all briefs filed):     https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=123348 ONG 2024 fuel case ($390 million + $888m for 2021/2022; all briefs filed):     https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=123588 OG&E 2024 fuel case ($925 million + $1.9 billion for 2021/2022; first brief filed):     https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=123608 PSO 2024 fuel case ($600 million + $2.8 billion for 2021/2022; briefs this fall):     https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=123905 PSO Pre-Approval case ($1.255 billion; briefs this winter)    https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=124090 ONG Intervention Denial ($29 million rate increase)    https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=124164 PSO Intervention Denial ($600 million rate increase)     https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=124187

Marissa Murrow, a college student killed by a drunk driver, was the inspiration for legislation taking effect July 1. The measure requires event venue bartenders to undergo certain training. Murrow, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Central Oklahoma, was hit by a drunk driver in a head-on collision in October 2020. The driver had been overserved alcohol at a wedding venue. Her parents, Jeff and Kristy Murrow, worked with their lawmakers, Rep. Brian Hill, R-Mustang, and Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, to develop legislation requiring certain training to help bartenders identify inebriation in customers. Under House Bill 2369 , bartenders working at event venues must complete the training, which will be provided by entities approved by the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) Commission. "Marissa's story is a heartbreaking reminder that one irresponsible decision can change countless lives forever," Hill said. "Marissa's legacy is now one that will help prevent dangerous situations before someone gets behind the wheel. No family should have to endure the kind of heartbreak Jeff and Kristy Murrow have experienced, and I hope this law will spare other Oklahoma families from experiencing the same unimaginable loss." "This legislation closes a dangerous loophole in our state's liquor laws by ensuring individuals serving alcohol at event venues hold the exact same standard and responsibility as traditional bartenders," Paxton said. "As a volunteer firefighter for 35 years, too many times I have had the unfortunate experience of working tragic auto accidents caused by drunk drivers. By implementing mandatory, in-person training, we can help stop the over-service of alcohol before a driver ever gets onto our roads. It was a privilege to work alongside Jeff and Kristy Murrow to turn their unimaginable family tragedy into a protective shield for all Oklahomans." According to Victims of Impaired Drivers (VOID), an average of nine Oklahomans lose their lives each week to substance impaired driving. The Marissa Murrow Act went into effect July 1. The ABLE Commission is hosting free, in-person training sessions for new Event Bartender licensees. More information may be found at oklahoma.gov/able-commission .

Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, and Sen. Roland Pederson, R-Burlington, celebrated the official opening of Oklahoma's Taiwan Regional Trade Office, a move the lawmakers said marks a major milestone in the state's efforts to strengthen international trade. The office, housed within the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, officially opened during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Oklahoma State Capitol on Tuesday. Pae and Pederson, who authored SB209 , said the office will build on an already strong relationship between Oklahoma and Taiwan. "Taiwan has been a valued economic partner and friend for decades, and this office will help open new doors for investment, innovation and job creation," Pae said. "Oklahoma's economy continues to grow because we are willing to think globally and pursue partnerships that benefit our communities. I look forward to seeing the economic opportunities that grow from this office in the coming years." "Oklahoma's longstanding sister-state relationship with Taiwan has been a valuable partnership for many years, and today's opening of the Taiwan Regional Trade Office builds on that strong foundation," Pederson said. "By expanding trade and encouraging investment, this office will help create new opportunities for Oklahoma businesses and communities. I was proud to author the legislation establishing this office, and I'm grateful to Rep. Pae for his partnership in helping turn that vision into a reality for the benefit of Oklahoma and Southeast Asia." SB209, approved by the Legislature in 2025, became law without the governor's signature and took effect in August.