Representative Kevin West

R

District 54

Hi, I'm Kevin West and I represent the people of Oklahoma's 54th District.


representative

Leadership

Oversight Committee Chair

60th Legislature

Assistant Majority Floor Leader

59th Legislature

News & Announcements

Feb 14, 2025
Recent Posts

‘Undeterred,’ Reps. seeking Hiett's disqualification appeal PSO rate increase; challenge storm bond audits before OK Supreme Court

OKLAHOMA CITY – Although on Monday, Feb. 10, the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed their appeal of an Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) order approving a $127 million rate increase for OG&E customers, saying it had been filed too early, Reps. Tom Gann, R-Inola, Kevin West, R-Moore, and Rick West, R-Heavener, quickly proved they were undeterred. On Thursday, Gann, who is also a PSO customer, filed an appeal of the OCC’s recent order approving a historic $120 million rate increase for PSO’s ratepayers. Once again, the petition argues Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett violated state ethics rules by participating in the case involving an attorney with direct knowledge of alleged criminal conduct by Hiett.  On Aug. 7, 2024, The Oklahoman reported that two female OCC employees alleged they witnessed or experienced alleged criminal conduct by Hiett – including drunk driving and sexual harassment – during and after a law firm reception at an Oklahoma City bar in June 2023. A November filing by then-Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony further revealed the women also told The Oklahoman Hiett had allegedly exposed himself. The filing also alleged one of the women may have received a "hush money" pay raise just weeks after the incident.  "Hiett has not denied any of the allegations against him, including drunk driving and indecent exposure," Gann told the Court in his petition.  Gann’s petition also argues that the OCC failed to provide a required audit of PSO’s $1.1 billion of ratepayer-backed bonds issued after the February 2021 Winter Storm. Extra charges to pay off those bonds are expected to appear on customers’ monthly bills for 20 years. “We are not deterred by the court’s dismissal of our initial OG&E appeal,” Rick West said. “We appealed early to try to keep OG&E’s new rate increase refundable, which would have been worth hundreds of millions of dollars to customers. Waiting to appeal the commission’s final order can only impact OG&E’s rates going forward, but otherwise, the court was clear that waiting will not hurt our case.”  “It seems our appeal already has had an impact,” Kevin West said. On Tuesday, the OCC posted an amended agenda for its Feb. 18 meeting, including discussion about the OG&E rate case and possible votes to reopen the record “to determine whether discovery, further hearing, and/or additional testimony is necessary to address the issues raised.” “Are they going to put one of their famous one-page ‘audits’ in the record before voting on the final order?" Kevin West asked. " Will Brian Bingman get involved in this disaster, or will Hiett violate state ethics rules and cast the deciding vote again? We’ll just have to see. At least they know people are paying attention.” Bingman took over longtime Commissioner Bob Anthony’s seat at the OCC in January. Anthony voted against the OG&E rate increase in November, and Bingman abstained from voting on the PSO rate increase at his first OCC meeting in January. The OCC and PSO have 20 days to respond to Gann’s new appeal petition at the Supreme Court. Read the pleadings in the new PSO rate case appeal at the Oklahoma Supreme Court here: https://www.oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=122861 Read the pleadings and orders in the original OG&E rate case appeal at the Oklahoma Supreme Court here: https://www.oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=122735

Dec 20, 2024
Recent Posts

Lawmakers Appeal OG&E rate increase; Ask OK Supreme Court to Rule on Hiett’s Failure to Disqualify and OCC’s One-Page Audits

OKLAHOMA CITY – Reps. Tom Gann, R-Inola; Kevin West, R-Moore; and Rick West, R-Heavener, issued the following statement today: "Less than two weeks ago, on December 9, the Oklahoma Supreme Court denied our petition seeking to prohibit Todd Hiett from hearing Oklahoma Corporation Commission cases involving the victims/witnesses of his alleged crimes. But we were encouraged by comments in the justices’ written opinions." Two days later, in response to comments from Justice Dana Kuehn, Gann sent the Oklahoma Ethics Commission a six-page supplement to his original Sept. 10 complaint filed against Commissioner Hiett. It documents with 250 pages of exhibits more than 15 additional occasions of Hiett allegedly violating State Ethics Rule 4.7 since the original complaint was filed. Ethics Rule 4.7 prohibits state officers from participating in matters in which their impartiality might reasonably be questioned. "Today, in response to comments from Justice Douglas L. Combs made on December 9, we have filed an appeal at the Oklahoma Supreme Court seeking to overturn the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s recent order granting Oklahoma Gas and Electric a $127 million rate increase. Hiett cast the deciding vote in that case, even though we believe state ethics rules say he should not have participated. OG&E employs attorneys who hosted a party on June 21, 2023, where Hiett is alleged to have committed multiple criminal acts, including drunk driving, sexual harassment and indecent exposure. "In this appeal, we also are challenging the OCC’s one-page audits of the utilities' 2021 Winter Storm bonds. Although all three of us voted against the securitization legislation in April 2021, we do not believe the law allows the Corporation Commission to invent its own definition of the word 'audit,' or meant for the utilities to audit themselves. The Oklahoma Accountancy Act provides auditing standards for a reason. "Our pursuit of justice and transparency and respect for the law and the Constitution on behalf of Oklahoma utility ratepayers continues." Follow the OG&E rate case appeal at the Oklahoma Supreme Court and read the pleadings here: https://www.oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=122735

Oct 31, 2024
Recent Posts

Rep. Kevin West: 'What a Waste of Time'

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahomans will fall back an hour Sunday morning, and they're scheduled still to spring forward an hour March 9, 2025. This is because of the Legislature's refusal to adopt meaningful legislation on daylight saving time, according to Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore. West has authored several bills that would send to a vote of the people a question on whether to adopt permanent standard time in Oklahoma, stopping the twice-yearly time change. The measures have not advanced through the legislative process. Instead, last session, the Legislature passed and the governor signed into law Senate Bill 1200. The measure specifies that should a federal law ever authorize states to observe daylight saving time year-round, Oklahoma shall adopt it as the year-round standard of time. "This is a terrible idea and a do-nothing law," West said. "We tried this in the past and had to petition the federal government to repeal it because of the problems caused by it remaining dark until after 8 a.m. in the winter." West said in 1974 the entire nation was mandated to go to daylight saving time. In the winter of 1974, several states, including Oklahoma, petitioned the federal government to end it after complaints of children going to school in the dark and employees starting the work day before the sun rose. The act ultimately was repealed in 1975. Federal law allows states to be on standard time year-round. Arizona, Hawaii and most U.S. territories currently do this. The law requires states that wish to adopt daylight saving time year-round to ask permission from the government to do so, but so far the federal government has not granted any of these requests. West also pointed out that the Sunshine Protection Act in Congress would require states to be on daylight saving time year-round. The act would allow states to not participate only if they take legislative action to do so. The act has not passed. States that choose not to opt out of daylight saving time are required to set their clocks forward an hour at 2 a.m. the second Sunday of March each year and back an hour at 2 a.m. the first Sunday of November. "I've heard from numerous constituents, parents and business owners over the course of my legislative service that there is a strong desire to stop the changing of the clocks," West said. "The only way to accomplish that is to switch to permanent standard time. I've proposed several measures that would accomplish this, but we must have the legislative boldness to put this question before Oklahomans." West has studied the issue in detail. In a previous legislative study, he invited experts to discuss the science of time change and the detriments of changing the clock twice yearly. The U.S. Congress first implemented daylight saving time through the Standard Time Act in 1918 during World War I as a way to "add" more daylight hours to conserve energy. The act also established five time zones across the U.S. The Uniform Time Act in 1966 mandated the country use daylight saving time but allowed states to opt out and to stay on standard time year-round. The thought behind daylight saving time is that by setting the clocks back an hour in November, more daylight time is gained in the early mornings. When an hour is added in March, more daylight is gained in the evenings. West said there are additional concerns such as health-related risks, increased auto accidents and work-related injuries that rise when daylight comes after people start their day. West said he's received an enormous amount of positive feedback from Oklahomans who support not having to change the clock twice yearly, specifically noting the time it takes to adjust to the change. West said he'll keep pushing for legislation to put the question before state voters.