By Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY – Gov. Kevin Stitt’s veto of a bill that would provide Oklahomans more recourse in pursuing open records has drawn the ire of the state’s attorney general.
Stitt vetoed House Bill 2163 that would have formally created a Public Access Counselor Unit in Drummond’s office and a deadline-laden process to help those seeking public records. The measure would allow for a person to request a review from the access counselor, who will then determine if the denial violated state law and advise the public body.
The government body must then promptly and reasonably comply.
“Oklahomans have several effective tools to ensure transparency and accountability in government,” Stitt’s veto message said. “Public records laws and the courts provide a neutral, fair process to review and resolve disputes over access to information. This bill bypasses that process and concentrates too much power in one office.”
Attorney General Gentner Drummond criticized the veto, saying Stitt didn’t want him to have increased authority and the ability to hold the governor and his “failed political appointees” accountable for not following the law.
“As Attorney General, I serve the people of Oklahoma, not bureaucrats or politicians,” Drummond said. “My client is the state of Oklahoma, not powerful insiders or special-interest groups.”
He said the veto would not stop him from upholding the law and fulfilling his duty to Oklahomans.In 2023, Drummond announced he had hired former Republican State Senator Anthony Sykes as his public access counselor to help resolve disputes over open records.
Sykes has received 354 complaints and resolved 302, said Leslie Berger, a Drummond spokeswoman. His salary is $99,225, she said.
A request submitted in 2024 by Oklahoma Voice to Sykes for assistance in obtaining unredacted flight logs from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation has yet to receive a response.
A 2024 Oklahoma Voice investigation found that the names of people on trips Stitt and others took on a state plane were redacted and did not list a purpose for the trip, which experts said appeared contrary to state law.
Rep. John Pfeiffer, R-Orlando, the House author, said he is considering a veto override attempt.
He said he was frustrated by the veto, adding that he has spent years trying to get the measure passed.
“It seems that this is more of a political thing – an ongoing tiff between the attorney general and governor,” Pfeiffer said.
The two Republicans have been at odds over a number of issues. The measure passed the House by a vote of 80-9 and the Senate by a vote of 40-5.
A veto override would take three-fourths votes in both chambers because the bill has an emergency clause.
Measures without an emergency clause take two-thirds votes in both chambers.
