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OKLAHOMA CITY – Reps. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton; Emily Gise, R-Oklahoma City; Danny Sterling, R-Tecumseh; and Dell Kerbs, R-Shawnee, released the following joint statement after the resignation of Office of Juvenile Affairs Director Tim Tardibono amid recent concerns at the Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center: “We acknowledge Tim Tardibono’s decision to step down as director of the Office of Juvenile Affairs. This change gives the agency a chance to restore stability and refocus on its core mission of helping Oklahoma’s youth succeed. “New leadership is a positive step but we know that leadership changes alone don’t fix long-term problems. The challenges at COJC, including staff injuries, low morale and daily operational strain, need real, lasting attention. “We’re calling on the interim director and the OJA Board to move quickly and transparently to strengthen the agency. That means ensuring safe staffing levels, rebuilding morale, supporting trauma-informed care and keeping the focus on rehabilitation and youth development. “We welcome Sharon ‘Shel’ Millington as interim director and look forward to working with OJA leadership, state officials and community partners to bring forward meaningful reforms next session. “The work ahead is significant but we share the same goal: to protect staff, support youth and restore public confidence in Oklahoma’s juvenile justice system.”

OKLAHOMA CITY – House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, comments on the removal of Rep. Ajay Pittman, D-Oklahoma City, effective immediately: “I have taken the minority caucus’ recommendation and have removed Rep. Pittman from all committee assignments, in addition to her previous removal from the State Tribal Relations Committee. These are serious findings from the Ethics Commission, in addition to an ongoing criminal investigation, so I feel this additional step is warranted.”

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma lawmakers gathered last week to review an interim study led by Rep. Eric Roberts, R-Oklahoma City, titled Deconfliction: Coordination Between Agencies to Ensure Safety for Police . The study examines how law enforcement agencies coordinate operations to prevent dangerous overlaps. between law enforcement officers from different agencies who are working on a case but from different crimes. “I appreciate the opportunity to host this important discussion and bring law enforcement leaders together,” Roberts said. “When our agencies work in sync, it protects officers in the field, strengthens investigations, and ensures taxpayer dollars are used efficiently. Our goal is to keep our communities safe and support the men and women who serve them.” The interim study opened with Detective Van Keuren of the Oklahoma City Police Department, who recounted a 2024 human trafficking investigation in Mustang. Officers from different agencies unknowingly encountered each other during separate undercover operations. The incident, which could have turned deadly, was resolved without injury and led to greater coordination through the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs’ deconfliction system. “This situation shows just how quickly things can go wrong, even when everyone’s following protocol,” Van Keuren said. “We were seconds away from a tragedy simply because two agencies were operating separate investigations without realizing it. Deconfliction systems exist to prevent that, and this incident reinforced how vital it is that every law enforcement agency use the same system and report their operations accurately.” Officials highlighted the critical role of deconfliction, which coordinates operations across agencies to prevent overlap and enhance officer safety. Established in 1996 and integrated into the Texoma High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) system in 1999, the system now covers thousands of officers and hundreds of agencies statewide. In 2025 alone, nearly 16,000 deconflictions were conducted in Oklahoma. “Deconfliction is more than a tool, it’s a lifeline for officer safety and investigative integrity,” said Donnie Anderson with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. “By coordinating operations, sharing intelligence and preventing overlap, it keeps officers safe and ensures that law enforcement efforts are effective across local, state and federal levels.” Keith Brown, Director of HIDTA emphasized that accountability begins with agency leadership rather than individual officers, and that proper law enforcement leadership training, paired with administrative oversight, ensures deconfliction is used effectively. “Deconfliction failures are rare, but when they happen, they can be costly and dangerous,” Brown said. “The goal is always to protect officers, preserve investigative integrity and ensure taxpayer resources are used effectively. It starts with agency leadership and then their teams following suit.” Captain Jeremy Yurton, commander of Oklahoma’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, highlighted the system’s role in coordinating investigations of internet crimes against children. OSBI triages cyber tips to local, state and federal agencies, ensuring multiple agencies do not duplicate efforts and investigations remain coordinated. “Deconfliction is an essential investigative tool for Internet Crimes Against Children,” Yurton said. “It allows officers to see if multiple tips point to the same suspect, address or device, ensuring we don’t duplicate efforts and can act efficiently to protect children.” Representatives from CLEET stressed that all agencies must comply with deconfliction procedures. While larger agencies generally follow the system, smaller agencies or those refusing to participate pose risks for operational conflicts. CLEET emphasized that accountability measures, including hearings and potential revocation of law enforcement credentials, address intentional noncompliance. “Deconfliction is a mandatory process for law enforcement in Oklahoma, and if an agency or officer intentionally refuses to follow it, there must be accountability,” a CLEET representative said. Officials confirmed that deconfliction training is already incorporated into existing law enforcement education programs, including the Sheriffs Academy, Chiefs Academy, and the two-week investigative academy. They emphasized that the training is straightforward and accessible, but strong leadership and administrative oversight remain essential to ensure consistent use of deconfliction procedures across all agencies statewide. The interim study was requested after House Bill 1862 did not advance through the committee process. The bill, which sought to strengthen coordination between law enforcement agencies during undercover operations, was requested by Oklahoma City Police Captain Kylie Turner. “I look forward to continuing this conversation during the upcoming session,” Roberts said. “There’s broad agreement that deconfliction saves lives and improves coordination. I’m committed to working with law enforcement and my colleagues to make sure Oklahoma has the tools and policies in place to keep our officers and communities safe.” HB1862 remains eligible for consideration in the upcoming 2026 Second Regular Session.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Two historic measures reforming Oklahoma's fines and fees systems will take effect Nov. 1, offering more Oklahomans leaving incarceration a better chance to get on their feet. House Bill 1460 and House Bill 1462 , authored by Rep. Tammy West, eliminate several fines and fees while securing victim restitution payments. "For too long, court fines and fees have worked against rehabilitation," West said. "When someone leaves incarceration, they owe thousands of dollars of debt before they've even found a job or housing. That's not a fair second chance. These reforms are about giving people who’ve paid their debt to society a fair shot at rebuilding their lives. By eliminating unnecessary fees and ensuring victims are prioritized, the road to restitution and rehabilitation is smoother for everyone. This will make our justice system more efficient, more compassionate and more focused on true second chances." Tiffany Shaw, an employment navigator with JusticeLink LLC and who was formerly incarcerated, is one who will benefit from the new laws.  “It took me over 15 years to pay off my court fines and fees, and because of House bill 1460 and House Bill1462 and other reforms like it, I can finally breathe again," Shaw said. "Each payment brought a little more freedom, and now, as I work to finish my restitution by the end of this year, I walk with my head held high. This bill gives people like me a real second chance to rebuild and move forward with dignity.” HB1460 eliminates six fees across Oklahoma’s justice system, as well as strengthens the court fee waiver process. HB1462 directs court clerks to certify restitution has been paid to victims before accepting payment toward other fines and fees. The bills were proposed following an interim study, held last fall, to learn more about the scope of fees that may be charged to Oklahomans throughout the criminal justice process. Many fees have collections rates as low as 25% and cost the state more to attempt collection than they bring in, often leaving departments with an unreliable revenue source. Offenders who can't keep pace with their fines and fees may face license suspension, re-arrest or even more jail time, adding further financial burdens. Gov. Kevin Stitt highlighted reduced fines and fees as one of his legislative priorities during his 2025 State of the State address. "We know that high fees keep people trapped in this cycle and contribute to higher recidivism," Stitt said during his Feb. 3 State of the State address . "That doesn’t make sense. I want to change that structure and make sure that a second chance is actually a second chance and get rid of fines, fees and court costs for good." After HB1460 takes effect on Nov. 1, there will still be around over 80 fees that may still be applied to criminal cases. 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Rob Hall, R-Tulsa, hosted an interim study before the House Common Education Committee examining Oklahoma’s third-grade reading proficiency requirements and strategies to improve literacy outcomes for young students. “Literacy is the most important skill a child will ever learn in school,” Hall said. “It’s the foundation upon which all further education is built. If our students can’t read well by third grade, they’ll struggle in every other subject that follows.” The study featured Dr. Mary Dahlgren, founder of Tools for Reading, who discussed how the Science of Reading equips teachers to better support early learners, and Casey Taylor, senior policy director for literacy at ExcelinEd, who shared how Mississippi’s Literacy-Based Promotion Act led to major gains in reading proficiency. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Lindel Fields also attended the study and shared remarks on making literacy a central focus of his new administration. “It’s no secret that Oklahoma isn’t doing great on the literacy front,” Hall said. “But that doesn’t have to be our future. States like Mississippi have shown that massive literacy gains are achievable in just a few years. Widespread illiteracy is a policy choice, and it’s one we can choose to change.” Hall said the discussion will help guide future policy efforts centered on early intervention, teacher training and accountability. He plans to continue working with legislators, education leaders and parents in the upcoming session to strengthen reading programs and ensure more Oklahoma students are reading on grade level.

OKLAHOMA CITY – A study examining a statewide emergency communications system was held before the House Appropriations & Budget Public Safety Subcommittee last week. Rep. Ross Ford, R-Broken Arrow, who chairs the committee and is a former longtime police officer, led the discussion. "Those of us in law enforcement have been hearing since the 1980s that we are just around the corner from getting a statewide radio system," Ford said. "Here, it's now 40 some years later, and we are no closer to getting a statewide radio system than we were in 1981." Ford's hope is to find ways to fund a system that would reach all parts of the state. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene, said he wanted to ensure the rural county perspective was represented in the study. "As great as having a statewide system sounds, we obviously have a lot of areas of this state that can't even talk to each other, let alone statewide," he said.  Dobrinski represents five rural counties and said with the exception of a few larger cities, most emergency operators are frustrated and scared because they can't talk to each other during wildfires, severe weather events or other emergencies. He asked Justin Carnagey, 911 director for the Texas County 911 Trust Authority in the center of the Oklahoma Panhandle, to discuss how he has been able to access funding to upgrade their radio system to better communicate in the county and with surrounding areas. Carnagey said they secured American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and other grant funding as well as a dedicated county tax to purchase new radios, a new tower and additional systems to support the county's fire, law enforcement and emergency services.  They recently helped Cimarron County get a grant for one channel on a new radio system. That has been a gamechanger for first responders in that county that had no radio communication and very limited cellphone coverage. Pricing is the biggest hurdle for rural counties, Carnagey said. He also said any statewide system that's deployed will have to accommodate interoperability between rural and metro areas as well as state agencies.  "When we talk about governance of this system, it's key that we have representation from everybody involved," he said. His county trust worked with ODOT, the Department of Public Safety and even Homeland Security to save money on the system they now have, he said.  Ford said if this can be done in the Panhandle, surely this can be duplicated throughout the state, especially in the more rural areas. He invited Mark Ketchum, director of communications for Wagoner County and a former communications engineer for the City of Broken Arrow, to speak about the system he helped build in Broken Arrow and surrounding communities. Ketchum said he worked to build partnerships between multiple agencies from law enforcement, fire, emergency management services (EMS), public schools, hospitals, military and others to bring them into the same network. That was back when technology was proprietary. Now, P25 radios work together, regardless of vendors, with the proper programming. "I did this to show people in Oklahoma that you can communicate across systems," Ketchum said. "You can build partnerships, but infrastructure is the key. In a crisis situation, you have to be able to talk to each other." Bobby Howard, Acting Public Safety Commissioner with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, gave a perspective from tribal nations. He spoke about partnering with Okfuskee County, building infrastructure and bringing various departments into their network at no cost other than the purchase of radios. This was to assist all law enforcement officers and other first responders who were responding jointly to emergency calls. "You have to have people that want to work together," Howard said. There are some counties and departments that don't want to talk with the tribe until they have a problem. Then they want to patch in to talk to his S.W.A.T., drone or other special teams within the nation. "I think a statewide system would force their hand to talk," Howard said.  Taylor Henderson, assistant director of operations with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), spoke of the department's work with various government and non-governmental organizations, beginning in 2022, to create an interoperable statewide radio strategic plan that would cover as much as 93% of the state. He said one challenge is many of the systems are approaching their use expectancy limits. Many of the towers were built in the 1960s and need to be completely replaced.  "We're just trying to keep it together with bailing wire and Band-Aids," Henderson said.  The price estimated in 2022 for creating and maintaining a system that would include 190 towers, was about $600 million over the lifetime of the buildout. With inflation, it would likely cost as much as 60% more now. Ford said he will request additional funding from the Legislature to help ODOT replace deficient radio towers throughout the state. He also suggested pursuing reciprocity agreements with surrounding states to use their radio towers when possible. ODOT does allow other entities to share their towers. They also make use of microwave and fiber optics. Lauren Kirkland, vice president of Motorola Solutions, spoke of how the company has a dedicated Oklahoma emergency response team that has equipped many state first responders with radios and technology  "Interoperability is the backbone of public safety communications," she said. "It allows emergency responders from different agencies, jurisdictions and disciplines to effectively communicate and coordinate during incidents whether it's a natural disaster like a tornado, a public health emergency or large-scale security events. Interoperability communications save lives." Mike Miller, an owner of Eastern Communication LTD with headquarters in New York City, Iowa and Washington state, suggested his company – an integrator of technologies and not a manufacturer – might be able to help the state plan for better interoperability between manufacturers of different systems. He said interoperability for emergency communication systems is possible, just like cellphone coverage between various carriers can be seamless. But states have to get beyond the first step of just buying radios. Infrastructure and continual upgrade plans to support the technology that connects all radios and systems, regardless of the manufacturer, also have to be factored. States need to pan 50% of cost for equipment and 50% to maintain the system. He mentioned hacking by hostile nations into water treatment plants and power systems has happened because of outdated equipment or the failure to patch with software updates.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee, today praised efforts by the Oklahoma Liquefied Petroleum Gas Administration (OLPGA) for completing the development and implementation of the new food truck permitting process outlined in House Bill 2459 . The bill, which goes into effect Nov. 1, requires all mobile food preparation vehicles utilizing, handling, or transporting liquefied petroleum gas (propane) or any liquefied petroleum gas system, equipment, container, apparatus or appliance to obtain and maintain a permit from, and be inspected annually by the OLPGA. "My goal with this new law was to centralize the permitting process for food trucks instead of them having to get permits from multiple municipalities while maintaining they are properly equipped with fire suppression methods to keep workers and the public safe," Fetgatter said. "I'm extremely grateful to the Oklahoma LP Gas Administration for their quick work to ensure there are limited disruptions to these operators in getting the proper permits to comply with this new law. Great work by all." To be compliant with the new law, operators will need to submit a food truck permit application and attestation to the OLPGA by Oct. 31 this year. They will have until Nov. 1, 2026, to get the physical inspection completed. Both will need to be renewed annually. Applications received after the deadline will still be accepted, but operators may be temporarily disrupted in certain cities until the application is approved and the permit issued. The OLPGA said it worked with lawmakers, stakeholders and food truck operators to complete the new permitting process. The goal was supporting business continuity and minimizing disruption to food truck operations while ensuring compliance with new statutory public safety requirements. To implement the requirements of the new law, the administration wrote emergency rules that have been reviewed and endorsed by its Rules Committee. Legal counsel for the group has confirmed that formal approval from the Board was not required to publish and implement the new process. The Legislature will later be tasked with approving the rules to make them permanent, but they can stand as they are for now. The full process, permit and attestation forms, and additional resources can be found online at https://oklahoma.gov/lpgas/food-trucks.html . In addition, all mobile food preparation vehicles generating grease-laden vapors must obtain inspections from the State Fire Marshal and be licensed by the State Department of Health. Political subdivision regulations also must be followed. 

Reps. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, and Emily Gise, R-Oklahoma City, today provided an update on the potential distribution of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November. Federal officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have notified states that, without congressional action to approve additional funding, SNAP benefits could be delayed or reduced beginning November 1st. Pae and Gise, who lead the House Human Services Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee, said they have been in constant contact with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS), who is working closely with federal partners to ensure Oklahomans who rely on SNAP are informed and supported. As of May 2025, Oklahoma has 696,842 active SNAP participants. "We understand how critical SNAP benefits are for Oklahoma families, seniors and children," Pae said. "No family should have to worry about putting food on the table because of uncertainty in Washington. The House is committed to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure Oklahoma families have the support they need." Gise added, "So many Oklahoma families are already doing everything they can to stretch each dollar, and the threat of losing access to food assistance is deeply unsettling. While we continue to push for solutions at the state and federal level, we also know the strength of our communities lies in how we show up for one another. If you’re in a position to give or volunteer, reach out to your local food banks and community organizations. This is a time that calls for compassion and unity, not politics." On Tuesday, Pae and Gise co-hosted an interim study at the State Capitol examining the effectiveness and future of SNAP in Oklahoma, focusing on ways to reduce the state’s payment error rate and fraud. The study brought together state agencies, food security advocates and policy experts to discuss how to strengthen access to nutrition assistance and improve outcomes for families across the state. "It’s deeply frustrating that gridlock in Washington, driven by Senator Chuck Schumer and the majority of Senate Democrats’ unwillingness to act, is putting critical programs like SNAP at risk," said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow. "Oklahoma families shouldn’t have to pay the price for partisan inaction. The Oklahoma House remains focused on protecting our citizens and ensuring families, seniors and children have access to the support they need, regardless of what happens in D.C."  As more information becomes available, OKDHS will provide updates regarding the effects of the government shutdown on SNAP benefits at oklahoma.gov/okdhs/shutdown .

OKLAHOMA CITY - Rep. Rob Hall, R-Tulsa, announced he will host an interim study to explore implementing a policy that retains students in literacy-focused grade levels until they have mastered essential reading skills. The study will examine current retention and intervention practices across Oklahoma and consider ways to strengthen support for students in kindergarten through third grade. It will also look at successful literacy models in other states and how early interventions such as tutoring, reading specialists and parental engagement can help students meet literacy benchmarks before moving to higher grade levels. "The ability to read well is the foundation on which all future educational achievement is built," Hall said. "Research has consistently shown that if we don't ensure our youngest students are reading at an age-appropriate level by the time they leave third grade, we're setting them up for challenges throughout their entire education." "Education begins with strong literacy skills, and I’m glad we’re taking a closer look at how to strengthen that foundation," said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow. "I thank Rep. Hall for setting up this important study. I look forward to hearing the discussion and learning from the findings."  Lindel Fields, newly appointed state superintendent of public instruction, will be in attendance to contribute to the discussion. The House Common Education Committee will hear the interim study on Oct. 22 at 12 p.m. in Room 206 at the Oklahoma State Capitol.