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Our local delegation discussed a wide array of topics during the Bartlesville Regional Chamber of Commerce Eggs and Issues breakfast at the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Bartlesville on Friday morning.

Senator Julie Daniels, and Representatives Judd Strom and Wendi Stearman fielded questions during the event, especially when it came to election integrity. Sen. Daniels said there are good election laws in Oklahoma. She added that the State of Oklahoma purges voter rolls and that there are several election bills in the Senate this year that continue to tinker with things. But on a personal level, Sen. Daniels joked that she's never tried to vote twice.

Rep. Strom said Oklahoma has the best voting system that exists in the United States. He said that a bill has just passed Committee that could require every funeral home director in the State of Oklahoma to automatically submit the name of a deceased person in their funeral home so they could be removed from the voter roll. He said they're working to make an already great election system even better.

Rep. Stearman added that they'll do everything in their power to stop any bills that that will harm the integrity of elections in Oklahoma.

Then there were the questions about McGirt v Oklahoma. Sen. Daniels said it was decided that crime committed on Native American land by a Native American, or if a case occurs that involves a Native American victim in the Creek Nation, can only be tried in Federal Court. She said it was decided that the State of Oklahoma never had jurisdiction to prosecute these crimes because of 1885 Major Crimes Act.

Sen. Daniels said this has led to an overwhelming situation for District Attorney Offices within the Creek Nation that have had many people challenge their convictions. She said the State of Oklahoma anticipates that the other four civilized tribes that are also making similar arguments will be adopted into the McGirt decision in the months to come.

According to Sen. Daniels, this creates havoc in law enforcement and criminal justice in our part of the State. Sen. Daniels said it creates an even more troubling issue when it comes to taxation and regulation. She said Attorney General Mike Hunter has already issued a cease and desist letter to the Seminole Nation who tried to go in and tax all of the oil and gas operations in that part of the State that are the historic Seminole Nation lands.

In order to address the criminal justice side of the McGirt decision, Sen. Daniels said they need the federal government to tell the State of Oklahoma that it can make compacts with the five tribes so both parties can have concurrent jurisdiction. Sen. Daniels said two of the tribes are willing to do that while three of the tribes are not. She said there is nothing coming down from Washington yet that can help Oklahoma move forward in this process.