Petition Reforms Clearly Constitutional

By Jonathan Small, OCPA

Opinion: A case pending before the Oklahoma Supreme Court asks a simple question. Is it legal to require that initiative-petition efforts gather signatures from across Oklahoma? The answer is easy: Yes.

Senate Bill 1027, by state Sen. David Bullard and House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, made several reforms to Oklahoma’s initiative-petition process, but the most notable required the collection of signatures equal to no more than 11.5 percent of the votes cast in any county during the most recent statewide general election (when seeking to change state law) or 20.8 percent (when seeking to amend the Oklahoma Constitution, which requires more signatures to advance to the ballot).

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Retired Hardware: A Data-Security Priority

By Staff Report

This Cybersecurity Awareness month, SK tes, a leading provider of secure IT asset disposition (ITAD) and lifecycle services, is calling on organizations to take a closer look at one of the most overlooked cybersecurity threats: end-of-life IT equipment.

While companies invest heavily in firewalls, endpoint protection, and threat detection, many fail to recognize the hidden risks lurking in their retired hardware. From hard drives to mobile phones, switches and routers, outdated devices often retain sensitive data that can be exploited if not properly managed.

“Managing retired IT equipment isn’t just a logistical task, it’s a cybersecurity imperative,” says Tom Hoof, Group IT Director, “There are many examples of routers resold with corporate credentials still intact, and storage drives containing medical records end up in in second-hand markets. These are evidence of poor or missing processes and systemic risks.”

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Literacy Crisis is a Bureaucracy Problem

By Dr. Rebecca Pellam, Academic Consultant and Literacy Researcher

Debunking the Partisan Myth of the “Southern Surge”

This Sunday morning, as I sipped my coffee and scrolled through the latest headlines, I stumbled across yet another piece framing the “Southern Surge”—the remarkable literacy gains in states like Mississippi and Louisiana—as a red-state triumph over blue-state failures.

As a conservative educator with a passion for teaching kids to read, I’d love to cheer for a partisan win. But let’s be honest: this red-versus-blue narrative is a lazy oversimplification that muddies the real story. It lets Oklahoma off the hook for a literacy crisis that’s left 73% of our third-graders non-proficient in reading (Oklahoma State Department of Education [OSDE], 2023a; National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2022).

This isn’t about politics. It’s about an entrenched bureaucracy that’s squandered $150–250 million over the past decade on outdated, ineffective programs, leaving our kids to struggle while other states soar. Let’s celebrate the Southern Surge’s success by crediting its true drivers—explicit, systematic instruction over politics—and demand Oklahoma learn from it.

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College Student Invite for Internships

By Staff Report

U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) welcomes Oklahoma college students to apply for his Spring 2026 internship program. The deadline to apply for a Spring 2026 internship is October 31st, 2025.

“The Mullin intern program is a great way for college students to learn about the legislative process and give back to the Sooner State,” said Senator Mullin. “Our interns gain firsthand experience helping constituents, researching legislation, giving tours of the U.S. Capitol, attending committee hearings, and more. We receive many applications for a limited number of spots, so I encourage interested college students to submit their applications right away.”

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