Representative Tom Gann

R

District 8

Hi, I'm Tom Gann and I represent the people of Oklahoma's 8th District.


representative

News & Announcements

Dec 30, 2024
Recent Posts

Gann Proposes Sweeping Reforms to Restore Transparency to House of Representatives

OKLAHOMA CITY – In a far-reaching, and transformative effort to modernize the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, has sponsored a reform package – House Resolution 1001 – designed to distribute power, promote transparency and reinvigorate the legislative process. His reforms aim to end the culture of opacity and concentration of authority that he says has hindered the chamber's effectiveness for far too long. “The time has come to ensure the House of Representatives becomes an institution of laws, not of one man,” Gann said. “For years, our legislative process has stagnated, with decisions made behind closed doors and power centralized into the hands of one individual, the House speaker, who is elected by a single House district and not the people of Oklahoma as a whole. In recent years, at best, the House has simply marked time, failing to embrace new transparency measures. At worst, it has regressed, relying on secretive processes controlled by a single person.” “No one individual should hold the power to appoint committee members, designate chairs, assign legislation, block legislation approved by committees, control the multi-million-dollar House budget, withhold resources from other members, or introduce legislation outside the normal guidelines that apply to everyone else. This reform fundamentally changes that dynamic, redistributing authority to ensure fairness, transparency and member-driven governance.” Gann's proposal is a comprehensive effort to decentralize authority, empower individual members, and ensure legislative operations are conducted openly and accountably. Key highlights include delegating certain speaker powers, creating new transparency safeguards and improving member-driven processes. The package's proposed reforms include: 1.      Delegating Speaker’s Powers ?      Many of the speaker’s powers would be delegated to a newly proposed Governance Committee, which would operate transparently making its decisions by recorded vote and would be reflective of the composition of the House membership. ?      Floor consideration powers would be transferred to a floor leader elected by the House and limited to a single term. 2.      Member-Driven Process ?      The proposal would establish an actual open general appropriations process through which the general appropriations document is built and debated in open committee by all House members, is advanced early in the session, and removed from the current, behind-closed-doors process. ?      Members would be empowered to designate two priority bills annually. These bills must be heard in committee and, if passed, must also be considered on the House floor. This ensures the voice of all Oklahomans is heard and a vote is taken on these proposals. ?      Members could enter motions without needing prior approval from the floor leader. ?      The proposal would restore the authority of the House to consider issues, even those bottled up in committee, if the will of the committee is out of sync with the will of the full House. 3.      House Transparency Committee ?      The proposal would establish a five-member Transparency Committee composed of the newest members of the House. This would ensure the newest House members are aware of the need for new transparencies and openness while providing the committee and the House with the services of those who are least likely to have been impacted by the current culture of opaqueness. ?      The committee would be charged with auditing compliance with House rules, recommending transparency improvements, and promoting best practices to make the Oklahoma House the most transparent legislative body in the nation. 4.      Restoring Legislative Order ?      The proposal would eliminate the ability of powerful House members to create new bills out of thin air and/or to bypass committees prior to House consideration of substantive legislation. ?      It would restore the requirement for titles and enacting clauses to remain intact on House-approved bills. “This package represents a seismic shift in how the House operates,” Gann said. “It would distribute power among the members, foster a culture of transparency, remove the influence of special-interest money and the few politicians who seek to broker their closed-door power to channel that money, and ensure the legislative process reflects the will of the people rather than the control of one person.” Gann emphasized the importance of the House Transparency Committee, calling it “the most important contribution even the newest members of the House could make—ensuring that transparency is a permanent and evolving feature of this institution. We are setting a new standard for openness, accountability, and member-driven governance that will serve as a model for other states to follow.” Gann is calling on House leaders to bring the proposal to the floor, for a recorded vote, during the upcoming legislative session. “Oklahoma deserves a legislature that is transparent, effective and accountable to the people it serves," Gann said. "This proposal delivers just that.”

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

Nov 1, 2024
Recent Posts

Gann's State Agency Budget Transparency Law Takes Effect

OKLAHOMA CITY – A law requiring state agency directors to certify their agency's annual budget is filed with the state Department of Libraries within the time required under state law takes effect today. House Bill 3113, authored by Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, requires agency executive directors to certify their agency is in compliance with the Oklahoma State Government Open Documents Initiative when they submit their annual agency budgets to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services and the Legislature. "We found not all agencies were filing their budgets with the Department of Libraries and thereby giving the public online access, or they were woefully behind in doing so," Gann said. "If the agency head has to sign off on the process, it is more likely to not be overlooked." The amended law says the officer shall certify the agency is in complete compliance with the requirements of Title 62 Section 34.11.3, which requires an electronic copy to be online at documents.ok.gov, and Title 65 Section 3-114, which requires hard copies to be placed in the Department of Libraries if for any reason an electronic version cannot be filed. Gann stated requiring the certification of this process by the agency head will ensure state agencies budgets are filed for public view and access in a timely manner. The law already requires agencies to file budgets with the director of the state's Office of Management and Enterprise Services on or before the first day of June in each year, or as soon thereafter as possible. Copies of all agency budgets also shall be made available electronically to the staff of the Joint Legislative Committee on Budget and Program Oversight. The agency budget shall include a description of all funds available to the agency for expenditure and set out allotments requested by the agency by quarter and the entire fiscal year. The budget is to be accompanied by an organizational chart of the agency, a statement of agency mission and program objectives. The budget also shall delineate agency spending by such categories and with at least as much detail as is specified in the legislative appropriation and as prescribed by the director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.