Your Vote Counts: Oklahoma's energy debate, security concerns, and Clinton's return to OKC

Today on Your Vote Counts, Scott Mitchell, Oklahoma Senator Rosino, and former Oklahoma State Representative Jason Dunnington have gathered to discuss the governor's energy agenda, deadline week, Signalgate, and former President Clinton's role in the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing response.

Energy

The governor's energy agenda is facing several challenges, including ambiguous messaging in energy bills.

"The governor has this energy abundance idea and everything, but the legislation's not matching up," Mitchell said. "A lot of stuff that looks like it's a little bit anti-energy, and then some stuff that's trying to be pro-energy."

Behind-the-meter legislation is one of the few energy bills that passed unanimously out of the House as well as the Senate.

"That is one that I really think can get some traction," Sen. Rosino said. "It's good for economic development, and what it does is relieve the pressure on the grid."

Deadline week

The deadline to report Senate legislation from Senate committees was March 27, but there are misconceptions surrounding the deadline's terms.

"If I had a dollar for every time I've heard somebody in the media say this bill's dead for this session, here's the deal. It's never dead," Mitchell said.

The legislative process allows bills to resurface through several means, including the by Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget, leadership bills, and conference committees.

"A bill is never truly dead until we adjourn sine die," Sen. Rosino said, regarding the indefinite period or date to resume review of the legislation.

Dunnington says that out of 3,600 bills, the legislature has lowered that count to less than 600.

Signalgate

The panel moved on to discuss the security concerns over Pete Hegseth's recent scandal involving the addition of a journalist from The Atlantic to sensitive ongoing war operations.

"When I had a top secret clearance, OPSEC was always in the forefront," Sen. Rosino said. "Signal to me is not a platform where we should be putting anything out there."

Mitchell reminded the panelists of the controversy surrounding Hilary Clinton's email servers, where several of the individuals involved in Signalgate claimed what she had done was terrible, and that she had acted recklessly.

"We’ve reached this weird spot in politics where people aren’t allowed to make mistakes," Dunnington said. "We can’t learn from our mistakes if we can’t admit them."

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Oklahoma City Bombing memorial

Former President Bill Clinton will return to Oklahoma City for the 30th anniversary of the bombing, marking another moment of reflection for the community.

"I was not a big fan of President Clinton at the time," Sen. Rosino said. "But any city should be proud when a former president decides to come for a momentous occasion."

While Clinton is confirmed to attend, there is no indication that President Trump will also be present for the anniversary event. The 30th anniversary serves as an important reminder of the impact of the Oklahoma City bombing and the need to continue honoring the victims.

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