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Oklahoma lawmakers announce budget deal

OKLAHOMA CITY – Against the backdrop of the Blue Room, Governor Mary Fallin announced the 2014 budget Thursday afternoon.

“This is a smart and strategic budget that addresses tax priorities,” Gov. Fallin said. “It also allows us to address strategic issues that affect Oklahomans.”

Fallin said the deal provides for targeted spending increases throughout the state including $91 million for education, $33 million for higher education, $40 million for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority and $1.2 million to support DHS initiatives reducing infant mortality.

All of that will be part of the Sooner state’s $7.2 billion budget.

“It is a fiscally conservative budget, too, because it does hold the line on spending for most state agencies,” Gov. Fallin said.

One thing that doesn’t change, though, is pay for the roughly 34,000 state employees in Oklahoma.

Okla. Speaker of the House, T.W.Shannon talks policy, change

OKLAHOMA CITY — Several controversial bills passed at the statehouse this week.

Oklahoma Speaker of the House, T.W. Shannon talks with NewsChannel 4′s Kent Ogle about about Workers Comp, Repairing the Capitol building and reducing the State Income Tax.

Court rules Hobby Lobby must pay for “morning after pill”


Information from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty

A federal court said Monday Hobby Lobby will have to “violate its faith” and provide “morning after” pills and the “week after pills” in their insurance plan. 

If they do not, they will face fines up to $1.3 million per day. 

The court didn’t question the Green family’s beliefs but ruled that those religious beliefs were only “indirectly” burdened by the mandate’s requirement that they provide free coverage for specific, abortion-inducing drugs in Hobby Lobby’s self-funded insurance plan.

“It is by God’s grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured,” David Green said, Hobby Lobby founder and CEO. “Therefore we seek to honor God by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles.”

Sheriff’s election recount stopped early by challenger

OKLAHOMA CITY – A recount in the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s race was stopped Wednesday afternoon at the Oklahoma County Election Board after Sheriff John Whetsel’s challenger, Republican Darrell Sorrels, realized he would not win.

Last week, Whetsel called the recount “harassment” and “total lunacy.”

It was supposed to take weeks to recount 253,191 votes for the Sheriff’s office.

Wednesday morning, Sorrels, who lost that race in a landslide, was inside the Election Board watching the slow hand count.

On Election Tuesday, he received only 35 percent of the vote against Whetsel, the Democratic incumbent.

“I chose to have a recount for accountability,” Sorrels said.

Sorrels had concerns over the way ballot results were coming in election night.

He said early returns on several media outlets showed him up 10 percentage points.

Voters approve overhaul of DHS authority

OKLAHOMA CITY — Big changes are in store for Oklahoma’s biggest and most vilified agency.

Tuesday night voters passed six state questions, including SQ 765.

That ballot issue forever reforms the way the DHS does business.

Despite some voter confusion, the DHS still exists, but who is in charge of overseeing the agency has changed and not everyone thinks the change is a such a good idea.

“To me it was the wrong decision,” Rep. Richard Morrissette said.

Essentially, voters eliminated the DHS commission and handed all decision-making authority to the DHS director, who in turn answers directly to the governor.

“Now we’ll have one director making decisions like a dictator over the largest agency in state government,” Morrissette said.

Voter frustration reaches all-time high

OKLAHOMA CITY — In Oklahoma, Election Day brought exceptionally long lines in some areas of the state.

Voters in all corners of Oklahoma County found themselves frustrated because of the wait and the way many were asked to cast their vote.

Oklahoma City resident Scott Lesser was asked to use a provisional ballot when he got to his westside polling place.

“Someone else signed their name on my line,” Lesser said. “It wasn’t my name. It wasn’t my signature. It didn’t match the one that was on my license.” 

Lesser was one of 1,752 Oklahoma County residents who filed a provisional ballot Tuesday, a 40-percent increase over the last Presidential Election in 2008.

Congressman Lankford wins re-election

U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma’s 5th District won re-election to a second term in office Tuesday night.

Lankford will continue to represent Oklahoma voters from Oklahoma County, Pottawatomie County and Seminole County.

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NewsChannel 4′s Kent Ogle talks with Congressman Lankford about the victory and his plans for the next congressional term.

Lankford flies back to Washington D.C. this week to begin work in the next session on Monday.

Here’s more information about Congressman James Lankford.