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Oklahoma
Posted: May 30, 2025 9:59 AMUpdated: May 30, 2025 10:00 AM
CAPITOL CALL Powered by Phillps 66 5-30-25
Tom Davis
State Senator Julie Daniels was out guest on CAPITOL CALL Powerered by Phillips 66 on KWON Friday morning. We'd received texts eariler from Representative John B. Kane and Representative Judd Strom stating they'd been called to the House floor that morning. They're not going to make it by phone, though.
It was a late night for lawmakers in Oklahoma City Thursday night. Daniels said, "I left the building a little bit after 1am. The day began with a caucus meeting at 8:15am. There were three caucus meetings yesterday. We kept one vote open on the floor for four hours." Daniels added, "It ended up yesterday, sadly, as the governor vetoed an incredible number of bills this year. He has increased the number of vetoes each year, and each year we may override a few. But yesterday, I believe, between the House and the Senate, we took up something like 36 veto overrides, and maybe we overrode all but about two of those."
The Senator said that the lateness of the hour after the four hours of vote was kept open, lawmakers had to take a hard decision last night to remove the mental health commissioner.
According to Daniels, " She's probably a very nice lady. I've only met her a couple of times. As I said on the floor, if she had come into an agency that was running smoothly, that had all of its ducks in a row, with a mental health background she would have been able to take on something successful and make it even more successful. But she came into a real problem, which the director before her, I believe, had been trying to solve, but before that we had a decade or more of problems that we were unaware of."
Daniels continued, "After 18 months it was apparent that she was just in over her head and she was beginning to come out and attack the legislature. You know, when you say to somebody, I think I need $37 million because we can't make payroll after June and we don't know why we don't have $37 million. But then you attack the legislature who is responsible for appropriating your budget, not a good look, you know, not a good look."
Daniels said that they passed this resolution last night, and the House and the Senate were very much on board with each other over this, and the governor knew. The governor was not surprised by this. In fact, yesterday morning the pro tem was with him.
Daniels said, "The Governor knew this was coming. But he got angry yesterday about us trying to override the vetoes. So late last night he put out a statement, and in it he mentioned the wife of the senator who carried the resolution. His wife is a part-time employee at the Department of Mental Health, not involved in some of the administrative departments." She added, "When somebody attacks your family, then it's like we're all together. I couldn't believe the number of members late last night who wanted to stand up and talk about what this job does to you and your family and how families have to be left out of this. It became rather emotional, but we did. We did remove her. It did need to be done."
Daniels closed by saying that she is very fortunate to represent Senate District 29. She said, "We are blessed to live in the great state of Oklahoma, and I'm proud to be a part of that legislature and humbled to have been able to serve. And I know I speak for Representatives Kane and Strom as well. So have a great day, Bartlesville."
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