#Gov. Kevin Stitt

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

The COVID pandemic provided a real-time experiment of a strengthened social safety net, in which several anti-poverty programs were bolstered and benefits increased. One such program, called Pandemic EBT, provided a voucher for families to purchase groceries while children were unable to attend school in person, helping them to obtain the nutrition they would otherwise get through free school meals and lifting millions of children out of hunger.

In late 2022, Congress approved a similar, permanent program on a bipartisan basis. Called SUN Bucks, or Summer EBT, the program begins this month and provides families with $40 per child per month in grocery benefits over the summer, or $120 in total, when they don’t have access to free lunches at school.

Thirty-seven states, five territories, and the District of Columbia will participate in the program. But 13 states, all led by Republican governors, have opted out of the program, depriving millions of low-income kids. Several of these states have also declined to expand Medicaid, increasing the burden on households too poor to afford health care or basic groceries.

SUN Bucks isn’t as generous as its pandemic-era iteration, but the Department of Agriculture nonetheless estimates that the program will reach more than 20 million children. “We always see summer as one of the hungriest times of year,” said Kelsey Boone, the senior child nutrition policy analyst at the Food Research and Action Center. “We see summer EBT as kind of filling that gap in the summer nutrition programs that only reach a fraction of the children that participate in reduced-price school meals during the school year.”

The baker’s dozen of red states that opted out are Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, Mississippi, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Their governors have cited an array of reasons, including logistical difficulties, but much of the opposition appears patently ideological.

“An EBT card does nothing to promote nutrition at a time when childhood obesity has become an epidemic,” said Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds in December, referring to the debit-like card that food stamp recipients use to purchase groceries. A Florida state official told WFSU News that “we anticipate that our state’s full approach to serving children will continue to be successful this year without any additional federal programs that inherently always come with some federal strings attached.”

A spokesperson for Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves insisted that Summer EBT amounted to “attempts to expand the welfare state,” adding that if “Democrats in Washington had their way, Americans would still be locked down, subjected to Covid vaccine and mask mandates, and welfare rolls would’ve exploded.” (Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, who initially said his state would not participate because he did not “believe in welfare,” reversed course in February after speaking to low-income children.)

Some governors cited the cost of Summer EBT as prohibitive; a spokesperson for South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem said in January that “federal money often comes with strings attached, and more of it is often not a good thing.” The federal government will cover the cost of the program, but states must provide the funds for half of the operational costs. Others argued that it is redundant, pointing to state summer meal programs. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt rejected the $60 million in federal funding, saying he was “satisfied that kids won’t be going hungry in the summertime.” (He told KJRH News in January, “We gave over $20 million over the last couple of years to different food banks.”)

But Chris Bernard, the president and CEO of Hunger Free Oklahoma, noted that only 6% of eligible children in the state participate in summer meal programs. Moreover, he argued, the existing summer food programs administered by the state are insufficient on their own. “These programs are meant to complement each other, not be exclusive,” Bernard said.

Even though Stitt opted out of Summer EBT, several Native tribes in the state will be participating and will provide the benefits to Native and non-Native children living in tribal territories. As much of the state is composed of tribal lands, this means that a large portion of Oklahoma’s population of low-income children will be served. However, this will also result in piecemeal application of the benefits across the state. Children living in Oklahoma’s second-largest city, Tulsa, will be eligible to receive the benefits through the Muscogee Nation, but families in the state’s largest metropolitan area, Oklahoma City, will not be able to obtain Summer EBT.

“You could be in a school district that’s bordering one of these other territories but not in it, and you’re going to miss out. But even your sibling could attend the other school district, and they’ll get the benefit,” Bernard said. “It makes for confusion. It makes for an unnecessary absence of resources for families.”

Neighboring Texas, the second-largest state in the country, with 3.8 million children eligible for the program, also opted out of Summer EBT; however, the reasoning seemed more logistical than political. Texas’s Health and Human Services Commission argued that it was given insufficient time by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to get the program up and running. Moreover, the state is currently busy unenrolling people from Medicaid after the federal government removed its pandemic-era requirements for continuous coverage.

As a result, the charitable sector may bear much of the brunt of keeping low-income families fed over the summer. For example, the Houston Food Bank operates a summer meal program at around 200 sites in the Houston area, but it’s expensive to administer and reaches a relatively low percentage of children who need it.

“For years, we’ve argued that, yes, we’re happy to do this, but we do not think this is the best solution. The best solution is for those families just to be able to buy the food they need less expensively at supermarkets,” said Brian Greene, the organization’s president and CEO. He added that food banks are “not meeting the need to begin with,” so having to help even more families with children will further strain the charitable sector—not to mention low-income Texans themselves.

“We’ll keep doing as best we can, and it won’t be enough by a large margin. But it’s the families who are going to be taking the hit,” Greene said.

Still, even if a state doesn’t opt into Summer EBT this year, it does not preclude them from doing so in 2025. Stitt has not ruled out participating in the future, and states like Texas that dealt with administrative burdens may find those issues resolved in time for next year.

Something similar occurred with the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, the cost of which is largely borne by the federal government. Many Democratic-led states adopted the expansion in 2014, while many red states refused it, even as research demonstrated the expansion’s health and fiscal benefits. Since 2019, six more Republican-led states have joined the club. Seven of the remaining 10 holdouts have also rejected SUN Bucks.

[cannabisbusinessexecutive]

Oklahoma’s next big election will ask voters to legalize recreational marijuana

Oklahoma’s next big election will ask voters to legalize recreational marijuana

As the decades-long push to legalize marijuana state-by-state nears the halfway point, Oklahoma could provide an interesting case study when voters decide whether to legalize adult cannabis use in March. Twenty-one states have now legalized recreational marijuana use, including Missouri and Maryland, where voters this month approved ballot questions. But voters in Arkansas, North Dakota and South…

[batboyblog]

The governor was firm: Nebraska would reject the new federal money for summer meals. The state already fed a small number of children when schools closed. He would not sign on to a program to provide all families that received free or cut-rate school meals with cards to buy groceries during the summer.

“I don’t believe in welfare,” the governor, Jim Pillen, a Republican, said in December.

A group of low-income youths, in a face-to-face meeting, urged him to reconsider. One told him she had eaten less when schools were out. Another criticized the meals at the existing feeding sites and held a crustless prepackaged sandwich to argue that electronic benefit cards from the new federal program would offer better food and more choice.

“Sometimes money isn’t the solution,” the governor replied.

.......

The new $2.5 billion program, known as Summer EBT, passed Congress with bipartisan support, and every Democratic governor will distribute the grocery cards this summer. But Republican governors are split, with 14 in, 13 out and no consensus on what constitutes conservative principle.

One red-state governor (Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas) hailed the cards as an answer to a disturbing problem. Another (Kim Reynolds of Iowa) warned that they might increase obesity. Some Republicans dismissed the program as obsolete pandemic aid. Some balked at the modest state matching costs. Others hinted they might join after taking more time to prepare.

The program will provide families about $40 a month for every child who receives free or reduced-price meals at school —$120 for the summer. The red-state refusals will keep aid from about 10 million children, about a third of those potentially eligible nationwide.

......

As with Medicaid, poor states are especially resistant, though the federal government bears most of the cost. Of the 10 states with the highest levels of children’s food insecurity, five rejected Summer EBT: Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas.

Like the school lunch program, it serves families up to 185 percent of the poverty line, meaning a family of three would qualify with an income of about $45,500 or less.

......

Some Republicans, in rejecting the aid, found critics in their own ranks. After Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina dismissed Summer EBT as a duplicative “entitlement,” State Senator Katrina Shealy, a fellow Republican, wrote a column with a Democratic colleague warning that “hunger does not stop during summer break.”

In an interview, Ms. Shealy said the state should not reject $65 million “just because Biden is president,” and perhaps just partly tongue-in-cheek wrapped her plea in Trumpian bunting: “Everyone wants to say, ‘America First’ — well, let’s feed our children first.”

Oklahoma initially said it rejected the program because federal officials had not finalized the rules. But responding to critics, Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, sharpened his attack, calling Summer EBT a duplicative “Biden administration program” that would “cause more bureaucracy for families.”

Tribal governments, which have influence over large parts of the state, stepped in. Already feuding with Mr. Stitt, they promised to distribute cards to all eligible families on their land, regardless of tribal status, while bearing the $3 million administrative cost. The five participating tribes will cover nearly 40 percent of Oklahoma’s eligible children, most of them not Native American.

“I remain dumbfounded that the governor of Oklahoma would turn down federal tax dollars to help feed low-income children,” said Chuck Hoskin Jr., the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation.

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some of the most stunning highlights of this story.

All I got to say is, let's feed the children? every single Democratic Governor took the money to feed the kids, every governor who rejected it, every single one, is a Republican. If you don't vote for Democrats you are STEALING food out of kids mouths.

[hotvampireadjacent]

God

[naamahdarling]

Victory! Appeals Court Overturns Ruling Upholding Oklahoma’s Discriminatory Birth Certificate Policy

🏳️‍🌈Happy Pride!!!🏳️‍🌈

🏳️‍⚧️FUCK YOU KEVIN STITT!!!🏳️‍⚧️

We are here to stay, you fucking moral coward.

We even know one of the people who filed the suit!

The court explained the Constitution requires that “there must be some rational connection between the Policy and a legitimate interest. There is no rational connection here—the Policy is in search of a purpose.”

IOW, "Can you show us a legitimate reason withholding this right is beneficial to literally any actual cause that materially affects actual people and not just their feefees? No? Bye."

Now we just need to make sure OSDH starts complying again and issuing amended certificates, and maybe we can get a little more goddamn respect up in here. Boyfriend can get his birth certificate changed!

I'm so proud of the plaintiffs! Rowan is so important to our local peer support community. I don't think I know the other two but they deserve a big hand as well.

Reblog this so people see that A) good things still happen to trans people in the worst places, and B) why not familiarize yourselves with what legal stuff like this is being done in your area, and see how you can support the cause? It matters so much!

[bnyrbt]

The leader of the Choctaw Nation is joining an outpouring of support for the family of a 16-year-old student whose death is being investigated in Oklahoma.

Nex Benedict passed away on February 8, following a physical altercation at a high school the day prior. Chief Gary Batton confirmed that the young student’s mother is enrolled with the Choctaw Nation.

“The loss of a child is always difficult for a community and a family to accept,” Batton said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Although Nex does not appear to be affiliated with our tribe, their mother, Sue Benedict, is a registered member,” Batton continued. “Nex’s death weighs heavily on the hearts of the Choctaw people. We pray Nex’s family and their loved ones will find comfort,” Batton concluded.

Nex’s death has directed widespread attention to Oklahoma, where Republican officials have increasingly adopted policies hindering the rights and freedoms of Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ people. Sue Benedict has embraced her child’s gender identity and has vowed to donate funds to other youth experiencing some of the same struggles.

Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ advocates incorrectly identified Nex as being a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, whose reservation borders that of the Choctaw Nation. Cherokee Chief Hoskin Jr. expressed support for the Benedict family on Tuesday.

“As Chief, the health and welfare of all children within the Cherokee Nation Reservation is of concern,” Hoskin said in a statement.

Nex attended Owasso High School in Owasso, located on the Cherokee Reservation. Local authorities are investigating the death and have said they will forward the results of the investigation to prosecutors in Tulsa County for potential action.

Hoskin has offered the support of the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service as the investigation continues. The Owasso Police Department indicated in a statement on Tuesday that interviews would be taking place “over the course of the next two weeks.”

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), a Republican who happens to be a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, has not spoken publicly about the death. He has repeatedly derided efforts to address diversity, equity and inclusion as discriminatory.

But a senior official with President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has weighed in. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre offered a message of support from the administration in a post on social media.

“Every young person deserves to feel safe and supported at school,” Jean-Pierre wrote on her official government account. “Our hearts are with Nex Benedict’s family, their friends, and their entire school community in the wake of this horrific tragedy.”

“For many LGBTQI+ students across the country, this may feel personal and deeply painful,” Jean-Pierre continued. “There is always someone you can talk to if you’re going through a hard time. Dial 988 and press 3 to reach a counselor dedicated to serving LGBTQI+ young people.

According to the 2023 LGBTQ+ Youth Report, a project of Human Rights Campaign and the University of Connecticut, more than half of transgender and gender-expansive youth feel unsafe at school. In particular, nearly a third said they feel unsafe in school restrooms.

“All students, including trans and gender-expansive students like Nex, have the right to feel safe and protected while attending school,” Tori Cooper, the campaign director of Community Engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative at the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement on Wednesday. “That Nex was only 16 years old compounds this tragic injustice and they should have lived to see a fulfilling and authentic life.”

The 2023 study was based on a survey of nearly 3,000 LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-18 nationwide, according to the organization. Some 0.6 percent of respondents identified themselves as American Indian or Alaska Native.

According to Owasso Public Schools, a “physical altercation” took place in a bathroom at the high school on February 7. The Owasso police responded to a local hospital on the same day of the incident.

Police then said they were informed that a “juvenile” was taken back to a hospital on February 8, the same day as Nex’s passing.

[gusty-wind]

WINNING IS EVERYTHING.

[jesseleelazyblog]

Unethical Executions in April

Micheal Smith is being executed in Alabama despite having an intellectual disability that would disqualify him from the death penalty in any other state. The only reason he is still being executed is because of a few confusing technicalities in Oklahoma law.

Petitions Here:

Letter Writing Campaigns for oklahoma residents here:

Missouri is slated to execute Brian Dorsey despite his claims of ineffective counsel and the fact that he is picture of remorse and rehabilitation: he turned himself over to the police and pled guilty, has had a flawless prison record, currently resides in the honor ward while working as a prison barber (a highly coveted job only given to trust worthy inmates), and has about 60 prison staff members advocating for the commutation of his sentence.

Petitions Here:

Letter Writing Campaigns and other actions for Missouri Residents here:

https://www.archstl.org/missouri-bishops-others-request-clemency-for-brian-dorsey-first-inmate-to-be-executed-this-year-9478

[krispyweiss]

Toby Keith Dies at 62

Country singer Toby Keith has died at 62.

Keith, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2022, died Feb. 5 with his family around him, per a statement.

“He fought his fight with grace and courage,” said the statement, which asked for privacy.

“Damn, RIP, Toby,” Luke Combs said. “Can’t believe it.”

Keith released 19 studio albums starting with his 1993 self-titled debut and running through 2021’s Peso in My Pocket.

“Too many rides in my old man’s car listening to Toby Keith,” Zach Bryan wrote on social media. “Really hard thing to hear. Rest in peace, friend, we love you.”

Among Keith’s 20 No. 1s are “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” “As Good as I Once Was,” “My List” and “Beer for My Horses,” a joint with Willie Nelson, for whom Keith wrote “Never Smoke Weed With Willie Again.”

“Toby Keith helped make Oklahoma the coolest place in the nation,” Okla. Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement. “His legacy will forever be in the hearts of Oklahomans and fans around the world.”

Country singer William Michael Morgan called Keith’s death “heartbreaking” in a post on social media.

“Thanks, Toby, for being a badass and someone a singer like me could look up to,” he said. “RIP, Big Dawg.”

2/6/24

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Oklahoma voters rejected a state question Tuesday to allow for the recreational use of marijuana, following a late blitz of opposition from faith leaders, law enforcement and prosecutors.

Oklahoma would have become the 22nd state to legalize adult use of cannabis and join conservative states like Montana and Missouri that have approved similar proposals in recent years. Many conservative states have also rejected the idea, including Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota last year.

Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt and many of the state’s GOP legislators, including nearly every Republican senator, opposed the idea. Former Republican Gov. Frank Keating, an ex-FBI agent, and Terri White, the former head of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, led the “no” campaign.

“We’re pleased the voters have spoken,” said Pat McFerron, a Republican political strategist who ran the opposition campaign. “We think this sends a clear signal that voters are not happy with the recreational nature of our medicinal system. We also think it shows voters recognize the criminal aspects, as well as the need for addressing mental health needs of the state.”

Oklahoma voters already approved medical marijuana in 2018 by 14 percentage points and the state has one of the most liberal programs in the country, with more than 2,800 licensed dispensaries and roughly 10% of the state’s adult population having a medical license to buy and consume cannabis.

On Tuesday’s legalization question, the “no” side was outspent more than 20-to-1, with supporters of the initiative spending more than $4.9 million, compared to about $219,000 against, last-minute campaign finance reports show.

State Question 820, the result of a signature gathering drive last year, was the only item on the statewide ballot, and early results showed heavy opposition in rural areas.

“Oklahoma is a law and order state,” Stitt said in a statement after Tuesday’s vote. “I remain committed to protecting Oklahomans and my administration will continue to hold bad actors accountable and crack down on illegal marijuana operations in our state.”

The proposal, if passed, would have allowed anyone over the age of 21 to purchase and possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana, plus concentrates and marijuana-infused products. Recreational sales would have been subjected to a 15% excise tax on top of the standard sales tax. The excise tax would be used to help fund local municipalities, the court system, public schools, substance abuse treatment and the state’s general revenue fund.

The prospect of having more Oklahomans smoking anything, including marijuana, didn’t sit well with Mark Grossman, an attorney who voted against the proposal Tuesday at the Crown Heights Christian Church in Oklahoma City.

“I was a no vote because I’m against smoking,” Grossman said. “Tobacco smoking was a huge problem for my family.”

The low barriers for entry into Oklahoma’s medical marijuana industry has led to a flood of growers, processors and dispensary operators competing for a limited number of customers. Supporters had hoped the state’s marijuana industry would be buoyed by a rush of out-of-state customers, particularly from Texas, which has close to 8 million people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area just a little more than an hour drive from the Oklahoma border.

Michelle Tilley, campaign director for Yes on 820, said despite Tuesday’s result, full marijuana legalization was inevitable. She noted that almost 400,000 Oklahomans already use marijuana legally and “many thousands more” use it illegally.

“A two-tiered system, where one group of Oklahomans is free to use this product and the other is treated like criminals does not make logical sense,” she said in a statement.

[cannabisbusinessexecutive]

Gov. Kevin Stitt sets special election for recreational marijuana state question in Oklahoma

Gov. Kevin Stitt sets special election for recreational marijuana state question in Oklahoma

Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday set a special election for a state question that seeks to legalize recreational marijuana. State Question 820 will be on the March 7 ballot. Last month, the Oklahoma Supreme Court declined to put it on the Nov. 8 ballot after a legal request from supporters that the vote be scheduled at the same time as the general elections. Political observers had said putting SQ…

[shefanispeculator]

My stylist lives in Sherman. He said they were building a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino at Lake Texoma.

Oklahoma and Texas fans of Hard Rock Hotel will be gaining a new destination to visit in 2026, as the company announced plans to develop a hotel and residences on Lake Texoma.

Construction on the project, which is expected to create over 9,000 jobs in the area, is set to begin in March, according to a news release. The Hard Rock Hotel and Residences will be located at the Pointe Vista development, which is a 2,700-acre resort community with over 19 miles of shoreline, a golf course, enclosed waterpark, family entertainment center, an amphitheater, casino and more.

Here's what we know so far.

What to know about the Lake Texoma Hard Rock Hotel

The hotel will feature 189 rooms with 25 suites and 168 residence rentals.

There will also be an 18,000-square-foot conference center and event lawn, 11-acre water area with white sand beaches featuring islands and cabanas, Rock Spa, Body Rock Fitness, Hard Rock Roxity Kids Club, rooftop bar, fine dining, all-day dining and a Rock Shop featuring Hard Rock's merchandise.

Lake Texoma, the country's 14th-largest reservoir, attracts nearly seven million visitors every year, hosting multiple fishing and golf tournaments, the release said.

"It's my pleasure to welcome the development of the Hard Rock Hotel and Residences at Lake Texoma. This will provide even more opportunity for guests to visit this beautiful area and create huge economic opportunity for this community," said Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt.

The hotel will be the second Hard Rock location in Oklahoma, after the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa, located in Catoosa.

[dosesofcommonsense]

NEW — There are now 25 states standing in solidarity with the great state of Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott against the lawless Joe Biden:

Wyoming - Gov. Mark Gordon

Iowa - Gov. Kim Reynolds

Arkansas - Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Montana - Gov. Greg Gianforte

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

Idaho - Gov. Brad Little

North Dakota - Gov. Doug Burgum

Nebraska - Gov. Jim Pillen

West Virginia - Gov. Jim Justice

Alabama - Gov. Kay Ivey

Tennessee - Gov. Bill Lee

Louisiana - Gov. Jeff Landry

Georgia Gov. - Brian Kemp

Utah - Gov. Spencer Cox

Virginia - Gov. Glenn Youngkin

South Dakota - Gov. Kristi Noem

Oklahoma - Gov. Kevin Stitt

Alaska - Gov. Mike Dunleavy

Indiana - Gov. Eric Holcomb

Nevada - Gov. Joe Lombardo

New Hampshire - Gov. Chris Sununu

Mississippi - Gov. Tate Reeves

Missouri - Gov. Mike Parson

Ohio - Gov. Mike DeWine

South Carolina - Gov. Henry McMaster

Please encourage these men and women and tell them THANK YOU.

Remember, they can't arrest us all!

https://thefederalist.com/2024/01/25/here-are-all-the-states-standing-with-texas-against-bidens-border-assault/

[beardedmrbean]

The soybean could be joining the strawberry and watermelon as state symbols.

The Senate on Wednesday sent Gov. Kevin Stitt House Bill 2248 that would designate the soybean as the state’s legume.

The measure passed by a vote of 37-7.

Sen. Chuck Hall, R-Perry, said the measure was requested by teachers and students in Morrison Public Schools.

He and the House author, Rep. Ty Burns, R-Pawnee, used the measure to teach students how a bill becomes law.

Oklahoma already has a long list of symbols. The strawberry is the state fruit, the watermelon is the state vegetable and recently, the ribeye was listed as the state steak.