Let's Pod This

Good news, Fixers - we have a winner to our 2018 Oklahoma Legislature Predict-o-Rama! And so, we take a quick look at what happened to the proposed legislation that was a part of the game and discuss what to expect from #LetsPodThis during the legislative offseason.

We finally - FINALLY - have an end to the 56th legislature...or do we? Regardless, we recap what happened during the last week of session, including three of the most contentious bills heard all session.

Intrepid local reporter Grant Hermes joins as special co-host to discuss the 2019 state budget. Grant also shares what he discovered when he called all state agencies to ask how much money they need to truly be "fully funded" and what that would actually look like.

We discuss the record number of people filing to run for office, what may happen regarding a tax on wind energy production, and give our best guesses about what will happen over the last few weeks of session.

As the walkout winds down, we wonder "What's Next?" for education advocates and the legislature. We discuss those questions and the record number of people who have filed to run for office.

The Oklahoma legislature raised taxes for the first time since 1990, but has already repealed some of the increases. We discuss how that all went down and what it means for the future, as well as the remaining potential for a teacher walk out.

For the first time since 1990, the OK House of Representatives passed a revenue package by achieving the required 75% majority of votes. The package funds a pay raise for teachers and public employees, but not everyone is happy, and the future of the bill is not certain.

We discuss the HIV education bill and compare the various plans to increase education funding. We also chat with Oklahoma state Senator Greg McCortney about social media usage, education funding, partisanship, and his advice on how voters can engage with the legislature.

With a teacher walk-out looming on the horizon, we visited with several teachers to get their thoughts and feelings on the subject. Scott and guest co-host John Rorke also discuss the weekly run-down of OK Capitol news, including the announcement that Oklahoma will resume executions, this time using...nitrogen gas?

Special sends draws to an end, giving way to the 2018 regular session bills, which include some good ones, bad ones, and downright odd ones. We also begin a discussion on post-partisanship in this highly partisan era.