Good Guy, Good Governor, Oklahoma Legend!

The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) and its CEO Joe Dorman released the following statement on the passing of Gov. George Nigh at the age of 98: “The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy mourns the passing of one of our greatest patrons and an Oklahoma statesman without compare, The Honorable George Nigh. Governor Nigh was a staunch supporter of OICA and the Kid Governor program. His memory will guide us in the years ahead and our deepest sympathies go to his family and the entire state. “Goodbye to my friend, mentor, and a true public servant, the modern-day Will Rogers of Oklahoma. My life was certainly better for you being a part of it.” 

Justice Yvonne Kauger receives the Kate Barnard Lifetime Achievement Award in Child Advocacy from Joe Dorman, CEO of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, at the organization’s annual Heroes Ball, held Saturday, July 26, at OKANA Resort in Oklahoma City. On Saturday, July 26, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) held our annual Heroes Ball Gala at OKANA Water Park and Resort. The event drew nearly 500 people who support our mission of raising awareness, taking action, and supporting policy for the health, safety, and well-being of Oklahoma's children. We were honored to have former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating and First Lady Cathy Keating, along with Chickasaw Nation Industries Chief Executive Officer Jonna Kirschner serve as our event co-chairs. Those in attendance included state and locally elected officials, along with representation from federal officeholders. We were pleased to have Miss Oklahoma City Katelynn Woods, and the 2025 Rush Springs Watermelon Queen Kylee Heston join us for the event. And the Watermelon Queen asked me to invite everyone to our hometown on August 9 for our annual Watermelon Festival. The Kiowa Blackleggings Warrior Honor Guard kicked off the event with a flag procession and Reverend Alvin Deere provided the blessing. Our masters of ceremonies, Laura and Justin Rudicel kept the event lively and at pace. Sandmann Auction Service helped us achieve our goal for fundraising for the evening, but you can help us hit the overall mark by checking out the post-event auction at our website, https://oica.org . Our keynote speaker was the current Kid Governor® of Oklahoma, Emma Stephens. Emma delivered a terrific speech, and we were honored to have her and Lawson Ream, the current Kid Secretary of State, be there to volunteer for the evening. I was pleased that my mother, Jan Dorman, was able to attend. No matter how old I might turn, it still means the world to me to have my mom be able to be a part of my life. Let that be a lesson to all parents out there that encouragement for your children will help build them as stronger leaders in their own right as they age. Our honorees, including Justice Yvonne Kauger (retired), the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, Sandra Sand, and Kim Garrett-Funk, were all truly deserving of the recognition of the hard work they put forth for children. We also want to send condolences to the Funk Family with the passing of an Oklahoma legend, Bob Funk, Sr. His work through Express Employment Professionals is how most people know his name, but he was a true champion for programs such as 4-H, FFA, the Oklahoma Youth Expo, and so much more. Our two Anne Roberts People's Choice Award winners, Sarah Soell and M&R Doyle Holdings, were deserving choices selected by the record number of Oklahomans who voted. Sarah Soell is a passionate advocate for individuals with Down syndrome, especially children. As executive director of the Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma, she has expanded programs and partnerships that promote acceptance, inclusion, and lifelong success. M&R Doyle Holdings, Inc. is a premier community services organization focusing on children and the developmentally disabled. I want to thank the nearly three dozen volunteers who assisted with the activities and the program, and especially those who helped make the Sidekicks Ball portion a success, including the Rockin' RolyPolys band, Mad Science, and the cosplay superheroes who posed for photos and entertained the youth ages 6-12 who attended. You can see many of them every other Saturday at the New World Comics Super Hero School. We closed the evening with a video showing former Gov. George Nigh leading the OCU Orchestra in “Oklahoma,” our state song. Governor Nigh is dealing with some health issues, so please hold him in your thoughts and prayers. It was a tremendous celebration! My thanks to the OICA staff and interns, our Board of Directors, and everyone else who made Heroes Ball a success. We hope to see you next year on Saturday, July 25, for the 10th Annual Heroes Ball!

The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) Heroes Ball will be this Saturday, July 26, and we are excited about the honorees who have been selected this year. The 2025 awards, as chosen by our Board of Directors, will recognize the work of Justice Yvonne Kauger (retired), Kim Garrett-Funk of Palomar, the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, and Sandra Sand, paramedic and assistant director at Kirk’s Ambulance in Lawton. We also present People’s Choice Award in Child Advocacy for an individual and an organization. These two awards – named for Anne Roberts, OICA’s longest serving executive director – are up for public voting right now. You can learn more about each finalist and vote at https://oica.org/awards prior to Friday at 5 p.m. The nominees this year are: Organizational finalists are: M&R Doyle Holdings, Inc.; OK Appleseed Center for Law & Justice; Oklahoma Family Network; Pivot; Rainbow Youth Project; and Ray of Hope. Individual finalists: Sky Collins, Elizabeth Fisher, Darryl Savell, John Schneider, Sarah Soell, and Erika Wright. While we are certainly ready for these festivities, our advocacy work has not stopped. The state Senate announced their list of interim studies which will be held over the upcoming months. Thank you to those who submitted ideas to lawmakers, and to those who sent suggestions to lawmakers through OICA. Some of the studies we will be watching include: 25-001 was filed by Sen. Michael Bergstrom, R-Adair, and will look at ways to potentially eliminate the purchase of junk food, sodas, and energy drinks through SNAP, and look to limit use to healthy choices for family meals. 25-027 by Sen. JoAnna Dossett, D-Tulsa, will examine best practices in prenatal and infant healthcare, including a look at policies to assist pregnant mothers who are battling substance abuse disorders. 25-036 by Sen. Todd Gollihare, R-Kellyville, will hold a study reviewing the legal framework, prosecutorial practices, and real-world implications surrounding the various “failure to protect” laws, or enabling child abuse, including child sexual abuse, child abuse, and child neglect. 25-046 by Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, will look at potential policies for improving maternal and infant health outcomes through proven, cost-effective models of care, which would include looking at evidence-based models of care that improve health outcomes for pregnant women and infants. 25-064 and 25-066, both filed by Sen. Nikki Nice, D-Oklahoma City, will look at modernizing the Oklahoma Child Tax Credit and improving maternal health and reducing infant mortality rates, respectively. 25-067, also submitted by Senator Nice, will examine the root causes of student absenteeism in Oklahoma’s public schools and identify effective, fiscally responsible strategies for improving attendance. 25-072, submitted by Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, will conduct an analysis of money going into the school lunch program, and look for ways to localize food sources and to make school lunches more nutritious. 25-076 by Sen. Aaron Reinhardt, R-Jenks, will conduct a similar study that examines the benefits and costs of universal healthy meals for all students attending public schools in Oklahoma. 25-082 by Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, looks at the nutritional value in choices available under the SNAP program, similar to 25-001. The final study submitted, 25-090, was filed by Sen. Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, and will examine Oklahoma’s response to human trafficking and assess service gaps and funding inequities, along with exploring solutions to ensure victims receive comprehensive care. If you have an interest in a specific study, please reach out to the office of the lawmaker who submitted the study. You can find their contact information at oksenate.gov or call their Capitol number at (405) 524-0126. House studies are still under review, so we will keep you posted on any updates.

The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) was formed with the primary mission of ensuring the voices of Oklahomans are heard when it comes to developing better policies which benefit the children of our state. For almost 42 years, we have led efforts to better educate Oklahomans on how to effectively share their message with policymakers at all levels. We champion policies for the level allowed within our nonprofit status. Nationally, conversations are being held regarding the downsizing of emergency management services for Americans. Part of this is shifting the cost for efforts to local governments rather than the federal government. This will simply increase tax burdens on states, territories, and municipalities. Public broadcasting, among functions slated for cuts, plays a key role in providing alert systems. Visiting with Rachel Hubbard, the executive director of KOSU Radio, I learned that under the updated Oklahoma Emergency Communications Plan, almost all radio outlets, regardless of format or ownership, in rural areas depend on an Oklahoma public radio station to air these warnings and alerts during emergencies through an interconnected system. The authors of the Oklahoma Emergency Communications Plan and the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters years ago approached public radio in the state to take over this critical distribution role. This was because the federally funded Public Radio Satellite System is one of two FCC-required pathways into the state for national alerts and presidential warnings. Public radio stations in the state depend on these federally funded systems, including the required tests of the national alert and presidential warning systems. Interconnection funds also subsidize the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS), which is operated by National Public Radio on behalf of rural radio stations that cannot use the internet or microwave links to deliver programming to tower sites. This system, even subsidized, is already extremely expensive and the site is also vitally important for Oklahoma’s emergency warning system. If you are not aware, four pages within the “Project 2025” proposal for overhauling government call for dramatic changes to how the feds will reduce their part of emergency alerts, including the suggestion to privatize alert systems, placing the cost solely on those who could or would pay out of pocket to get warnings over the phone or radio. OICA has created an online petition for anyone to sign, which will soon be shared with members of the United State Congress, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and President Trump, calling for continued funding support for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This petition calls for officials to: Immediately reverse federal staffing cuts and restore full funding to the NWS and do a thorough, proper review of services provided and staffing needs available to provide support and proper research (which also seeks to protect the center in Norman). Preserve and protect the FEMA as a critical federal agency — not dismantle it. Invest in disaster science, communication tools, needed infrastructure too costly for rural and lower income areas, and emergency coordination for areas of need across the country, not cut them. Protect the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory and other essential facilities from any cuts. Work with state and local emergency management services to aid critical areas of need. Investigate what went wrong in Texas to ensure that it does not happen again. Anyone who shares OICA’s concern about the weather prediction cuts can go to https://tinyurl.com/NWSPetition to sign the petition. You should also contact your members of Congress directly. Together, we can ensure policymakers hear our concerns about averting future disasters and protect American lives from severe weather conditions.

Each summer, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) holds its annual Heroes Ball to celebrate champions for children. Among the awards presented are two chosen by the people: The Anne Roberts People’s Choice Awards for Child Advocacy. The award is named in honor of Anne Roberts, OICA’s longest serving CEO; it recognizes outstanding service to Oklahoma’s children by an individual and an organization, as nominated and voting on by the people. The process began with nominations, which were open to the public. Following the nomination period, the OICA Board of Directors narrows the list to a select few to put forward for an online public vote by Oklahomans. The finalists for this year’s Anne Roberts People’s Choice Awards for Child Advocacy in the Organization category are: M&R Doyle Holdings, Inc. Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice. Oklahoma Family Network. Pivot – A Turning Point for Youth. Rainbow Youth Project. Ray of Hope. In the Individual category, the finalists are: Sky Collins. Elizabeth Fisher. Darryl Savell. John Schneider. Sarah Soell. Erika Wright. Online voting is underway and is available through OICA’s website at https://oica.org or by going directly to https://qrco.de/ARPCVOTE25 . Those in attendance at OICA’s Heroes Ball on Saturday, July 26 will receive a final paper ballot to help finish off the voting. Winners will be announced at the Heroes Ball, held this year at OKANA Resort in Oklahoma City. “This award is fully in the hands of those interested in child advocacy in the state of Oklahoma,” said Joe Dorman, OICA’s CEO. “The list of previous winners reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of Oklahoma Child Advocates.” Previous winners of the Anne Roberts People’s Choice Organizational Award are: 2017 – Whiz Kids Oklahoma. 2018 – Peppers Ranch. 2019 – Oklahoma United Methodist Circle of Care. 2020 – Diabetes Solutions of Oklahoma. 2021 – SoonerStart. 2022 – Fostering Connections. 2023 – Sara’s Project. 2024 – The Anna’s House Foundation. Those individuals who have won the Anne Roberts People’s Choice Individual Award are: 2017 – Brenda Lene’. 2018 – Cody Inman. 2019 – Judy Payne. 2020 – Ryan Abernathy. 2021 – Melissa Ahlgrim. 2022 – Amber Cuyler. 2023 – Alethea Satterwhite. 2024 – Mary Beth Talley. Tickets to the Heroes Ball are going fast. They can be purchased at https://www.oica.org/events

Sign the petition at https://tinyurl.com/NWSPetition

We at the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) extend our deepest condolences to families tragically impacted by the recent flooding in Texas. Flooding along the Guadalupe River early Friday caught residents, summer campers, and tourists off-guard. Monday, the death toll rose to 81 across six counties. In Kerr County, officials reported 68 deaths — 40 adults and 28 children. Camp Mystic said it was grieving the loss of 27 campers and counselors. The catastrophic flooding struck with a surge of 20-26 feet on the Guadalupe River near Kerrville, causing widespread damage. President Donald Trump has signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County, which is west of Austin. People have asked how something like this could happen. A flood watch was issued at 1:18 p.m. on July 3, and then on July 4, a flash flood warning was issued at 1:14 a.m. The river was above flood stage between 3 and 4 a.m., and a flash flood emergency was issued at 4:03 a.m. in Hunt, Texas, then 5:34 a.m. in Kerrville. As this happened early in the morning, unless someone was prepared with a weather radio or had a mobile phone with service, they would not know of the severity of the weather. Kerr County had considered installing severe weather sirens and a flood monitoring system in 2017, but that was shelved due to costs. Most cellphone alerts came from the National Weather Service’s Austin/San Antonio station. But some alerts about life-threatening flooding didn’t come until the predawn hours, and this is located in areas where cellular reception was spotty. The holes in this warning system and others around the nation, as Oklahomans impacted recently by tornados can attest, are not new and highlight the challenge of urgently communicating weather risks across rural America. Added to this danger, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) just one week ago announced sweeping cuts to its programs, including the National Weather Service which is crucial for weather forecasting and severe weather alerts. These cuts include the potential closure of the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman and the elimination of nearly 300 jobs across various weather laboratories around the nation. The proposed cuts are part of an effort to support Trump Administration budget priorities, but meteorologists warn that these reductions could lead to a decline in forecasting quality and potentially cost lives. Project 2025, the policy blueprint suggested by the conservative Heritage Foundation, includes about four pages on NOAA and the National Weather Service. The document describes NOAA as a primary component “of the climate change alarm industry” and said it “should be broken up and downsized.” The document further cites “commercialization of weather technologies should be prioritized to ensure that taxpayer dollars are invested in the most cost-efficient technologies for high quality research and weather data.” Investing in commercial partners will increase competition, Project 2025 said. As someone who has lived in “Tornado Alley” in Oklahoma for most of my life, I cannot imagine what impact this could have on our safety. I understand cuts to help balance the budget, along with elimination of “waste, fraud and abuse” as is the rhetoric used for many of these overarching slashes in budgets without proper governmental budgeting review. I certainly do not recommend a “fee for service” weather alert system as this is simply passing the cost along to taxpayers to fund these alerts for those who can afford a subscription. Please contact our federal delegation of lawmakers to encourage them to continue federal funding for state-of-the-art emergency weather alert systems through NOAA and NWS. You can see federal lawmakers’ contact information at https://tinyurl.com/OKCongDel .

Over the past month, I have highlighted portions of the federal “Big Beautiful Bill” as passed by the U.S House of Representatives. Currently, the bill is under consideration by the U.S. Senate, but significant changes have been made, both by lawmakers and by the Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough. Over the past few days, significant amendments have been suggested in response to provisions the Parliamentarian ruled out of order. Many have discussed what this role entails and how a person hired by the legislative body can do this. The Parliamentarian of the U.S. Senate is the official advisor to the senators on the interpretation of Standing Rules of the Senate and parliamentary procedure. This person helps determine if provisions are allowable within certain pieces of legislation. For example, a multipart “Byrd Rule” test – named for former West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd – is used to examine budget reconciliation legislation to determine whether the provisions are primarily budgetary in nature. Reciliation bills, which are used to pass budgetary measures with a simple majority instead of the standard 60 votes. This process has existed since the 1980s and, under the rule, each of the bill’s provisions must comply with three guidelines: 1) It must primarily be a change to spending or revenue. Provisions with no or minimal budgetary impact, or those that are mostly there for policy reasons, are supposed to be struck. 2) May not increase the deficit outside of the budget window. In this case, provisions cannot add to deficits past 2034. 3) May not make changes to Social Security. The Parliamentarian ruled that Sect. 71120 of the bill covering health care provider taxes, among other provisions, violates the Byrd Rule. This section deals with the cap on health care provider taxes in both states that expanded Medicaid (including Oklahoma) and those that did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. This is projected to save hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 10 years in federal funds but will force states to shoulder more of the cost for Medicaid coverage. An amendment allocates $25 billion incrementally for rural hospitals over the first five years that the provider taxes would be lowered. Several provisions have generated strong pushback from several Senate Republicans, including Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Tillis warned deep cuts to federal Medicaid spending could cause dozens of rural hospitals in his state, and here in Oklahoma, to close. A few of the other areas of the budget bill challenged include a private school scholarships and a tax credit, removing taxes and regulations on silencers and certain guns, requiring states pay a portion of food aid costs in the SNAP program, vehicle emissions rule removal, increasing required contributions to the federal retirement system for those who do not give up some civil service protections, requiring workers and former workers to pay filing fees when they make complaints, and reducing Defense Department spending if plans are not submitted on time. As you can see, much of this has nothing to do with spending and should be run in separate bills. In fact, Oklahoma’s Constitution requires legislation must comply with a single subject, and it is overdue that the federal government also implements something similar to avoid multiple issues being packed into one bill. The Senate bill in its version prior to amendments this week could add $3.5 to $4.2 trillion to the debt through Fiscal Year (FY) 2034, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. It could go even higher, causing $500 billion to $1.5 trillion more in borrowing than under the bill when it passed the House of Representatives. We are awaiting further amendments to see what impact changes might have on the legislation. If you have concerns, please contact our federal delegation at https://tinyurl.com/OKCongDel .

Each year, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) examines the voting records of members of the Oklahoma Legislature to determine how child-friendly each lawmaker’s record is. From that nonpartisan evaluation of the voting records of all 101 state representatives and 48 state senators, Oklahomans can see which lawmakers put children first during their deliberations for the 2025 session of the Oklahoma Legislature. There were some vacancies during the session, so those seats were not scored, as well as former Rep. Jason Lowe, D-Oklahoma City, who resigned when elected as an Oklahoma County commissioner. One lawmaker, Rep. Preston Stinson, R-Edmond, was awarded points for votes missed during his recovery period from a medical condition. “Our desire with the ‘Children’s Legislative Report Card’ is to cut through the haze of rhetoric that tends to permeate lawmakers’ achievements and provide Oklahomans with an unbiased view of how their representatives and senators voted on issues critical to our state’s children,” said Joe Dorman, OICA’s CEO. “The goal of the ‘Children’s Legislative Report Card’ is simple: to ensure Oklahomans have clear information on which lawmakers place a priority on children's issues during this year’s session of the Oklahoma Legislature.” This year’s scores ran from a high of 110 points for House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, and House Speaker Pro Tempore Anthony Moore, R-Clinton. They and four members of the state Senate and two representatives scored 105 to earn “valedictorian” honors. Those were: Sen. Christi Gillespie, R-Broken Arrow; Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa; Sen. Aaron Reinhardt, R-Jenks; Rep. Danny Sterling, R-Tecumseh; and Rep. Preston Stinson, R-Edmond. Of the 148 lawmakers scored, 20 had scores of 100 or better, and an additional 62 representatives and senators had scores of 80 or better. The average score of all lawmakers was 79, and only 25 lawmakers had scores of below 60. Lawmakers received five bonus points given for authoring a positive child-related policy. A total of 73 lawmakers got the five point bill author extra credit. Additional points were also provided to the Senate and House presiding officers, minority leaders, majority floor leaders, and appropriations chairs and vice-chairs. Lawmakers of the year were selected for their overall work on key issues in the First Session of the 60th Legislature, and not necessarily their grade. The 2025 OICA Lawmakers of the Year are Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City; Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa; Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City; House Speaker Pro Tempore Anthony Moore, R-Clinton; Rep. Nick Archer, R-Elk City; and Rep. Suzanne Schreiber, D-Tulsa. “This was a very positive session for Oklahoma’s children, with both a high average score for lawmakers and far more than half the Legislature scoring 80 or above,” Dorman said. “This shows that advocacy works, and that our lawmakers are responsive to the caring Oklahomans who make their voices heard to their elected officials.” The full scorecard, with lawmakers’ ranks, can be found at https://www.oica.org/advocacy-resources . Also available is a color-coded chart showing lawmakers’ votes on the bills that were scored, giving voters a chance to see how the scores were developed. “Congratulations to the several lawmakers who had positive scores on children’s issues,” Dorman said. “We tried to make this similar to the report card given to students and schools, so that voters have a clear view of what is happening at their State Capitol.” Dorman concluded by noting that even though the 2025 session just adjourned, OICA is already working with lawmakers for next year’s session of the Oklahoma Legislature, requesting interim studies on critical children’s issues. OICA is collecting ides for interims study requests. Dorman said if anyone has a child-related issue they would like for us to recommend lawmakers study, they can fill out an online form at https://tinyurl.com/IntStudy25 . “The work of advocates never ends,” he said. “We look forward to continuing our positive relationships with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and from all areas of the state to improve the lives of our state’s children. Working together, we will continue to make progress for our state’s most valuable resource, our children. To learn more about how you can help, go to oica.org to be a part of the effort.”