New state audit, Survivors' Act veto, tribal compacts and more

·44 min·4 clips

State auditor Cindy Byrd accuses Oklahoma of becoming a no-bid state after finding up to $100 million in questionable pandemic spending.

The episode begins with a state audit report targeting the Office of Management and Enterprise Services and former director Shelley Zumwalt, with Auditor Cindy Byrd accusing Oklahoma of becoming a no-bid state and finding up to $100 million in questionable costs. Attorney General Gentner Drummond has started an investigation and called for Zumwalt's resignation. The audit details conflicts of interest involving Zumwalt's husband's company, which received millions in state contracts. Next, the episode covers Governor Kevin Stitt's veto of Senate Bill 1470, the Oklahoma Survivors' Act, which would allow judges to consider domestic abuse evidence in sentencing. The Senate overrode the veto, and the House may follow, with the District Attorneys Association opposing the bill. The discussion then shifts to a Texas-style immigration bill passed by the Senate, which Governor Stitt is considering signing, amid protests and political debates over federal inaction. The episode also addresses executive nominations, with Senator Carri Hicks refusing to carry nominations for Alex Gray to the State Board of Education and Audrey Cadigan to the Department of Libraries, citing unqualified candidates. Finally, tribal compact negotiations are discussed, focusing on the Cherokee Nation's pushback against Governor Stitt's proposed terms for car tag compacts, with issues related to turnpike revenue and public safety information sharing. The episode concludes with promotional content and credits.

As heard by us

A focused Oklahoma discussion of immigration, voter pressure, and the blurred edge of state and federal authority.

Immigration moves the episode into the tension between federal duty and state political pressure. Republican consultant Neva Hill argues that the Biden administration has not secured the border and that the effects now reach every state.

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Why you'd press play

Press play when Oklahoma politics turns an immigration fight into a campaign-doorstep question.

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