Tom Gann proposes Oklahoma House transparency reforms

Oklahoma State Rep. Tom Gann of Inola, one of the most principled members of the Republican caucus, has issued a set of reforms designed to increase transparency and the power of individual members of the House (each of whom was elected to represent an equal-sized constituency) and to decrease the centralized control of an imperial speakership and the lobbyists who control him.

To understand the unhealthy dynamics in the Oklahoma House of Representatives that developed principally under the imperial speakership of Charles McCall, I encourage you to read the Oklahoma State Capital, a Substack by former State Rep. Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie), who served in the House for a term-limited 12 years, from 2006 to 2018. During that time, his optimism about the initially reform-minded Republican majority gave way to despair about a toxic culture driven by lobbyists, laziness, and centralized control. One of Murphey's most recent pieces deals with the impact of the new Speaker's new committee structure and how it may undermine grassroots-driven efforts at stemming "the government-subsidized invasion of the fiberglass-shedding, forever-chemical dropping, eagle-killing, sunset-destroying, headache-inducing, light-polluting, unable-to-be-disposed-of, likely-non-economically-viable-sans-subsidization, massive wind turbine invasions." A month earlier, Murphey wrote about the process of assimilating freshman House members, many of whom had run against the system and defeated better-funded, PAC-backed opponents.

Here is Gann's press release from today December 30, 2024:

Gann Proposes Sweeping Reforms to Restore Transparency to House of Representatives

OKLAHOMA CITY - In a far-reaching, and transformative effort to modernize the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, has sponsored a reform package - House Resolution 1001 - designed to distribute power, promote transparency and reinvigorate the legislative process. His reforms aim to end the culture of opacity and concentration of authority that he says has hindered the chamber's effectiveness for far too long.

"The time has come to ensure the House of Representatives becomes an institution of laws, not of one man," Gann said. "For years, our legislative process has stagnated, with decisions made behind closed doors and power centralized into the hands of one individual, the House speaker, who is elected by a single House district and not the people of Oklahoma as a whole. In recent years, at best, the House has simply marked time, failing to embrace new transparency measures. At worst, it has regressed, relying on secretive processes controlled by a single person."

"No one individual should hold the power to appoint committee members, designate chairs, assign legislation, block legislation approved by committees, control the multi-million-dollar House budget, withhold resources from other members, or introduce legislation outside the normal guidelines that apply to everyone else. This reform fundamentally changes that dynamic, redistributing authority to ensure fairness, transparency and member-driven governance."

Gann's proposal is a comprehensive effort to decentralize authority, empower individual members, and ensure legislative operations are conducted openly and accountably. Key highlights include delegating certain speaker powers, creating new transparency safeguards and improving member-driven processes.

The package's proposed reforms include:

• Delegating Speaker's Powers
• Many of the speaker's powers would be delegated to a newly proposed Governance Committee, which would operate transparently making its decisions by recorded vote and would be reflective of the composition of the House membership.
• Floor consideration powers would be transferred to a floor leader elected by the House and limited to a single term.
• Member-Driven Process

The proposal would establish an actual open general appropriations process through which the general appropriations document is built and debated in open committee by all House members, is advanced early in the session, and removed from the current, behind-closed-doors process.

Members would be empowered to designate two priority bills annually. These bills must be heard in committee and, if passed, must also be considered on the House floor. This ensures the voice of all Oklahomans is heard and a vote is taken on these proposals.

Members could enter motions without needing prior approval from the floor leader.
The proposal would restore the authority of the House to consider issues, even those bottled up in committee, if the will of the committee is out of sync with the will of the full House.

House Transparency Committee

The proposal would establish a five-member Transparency Committee composed of the newest members of the House. This would ensure the newest House members are aware of the need for new transparencies and openness while providing the committee and the House with the services of those who are least likely to have been impacted by the current culture of opaqueness.

The committee would be charged with auditing compliance with House rules, recommending transparency improvements, and promoting best practices to make the Oklahoma House the most transparent legislative body in the nation.

Restoring Legislative Order

The proposal would eliminate the ability of powerful House members to create new bills out of thin air and/or to bypass committees prior to House consideration of substantive legislation.

It would restore the requirement for titles and enacting clauses to remain intact on House-approved bills.

"This package represents a seismic shift in how the House operates," Gann said. "It would distribute power among the members, foster a culture of transparency, remove the influence of special-interest money and the few politicians who seek to broker their closed-door power to channel that money, and ensure the legislative process reflects the will of the people rather than the control of one person."

Gann emphasized the importance of the House Transparency Committee, calling it "the most important contribution even the newest members of the House could make--ensuring that transparency is a permanent and evolving feature of this institution. We are setting a new standard for openness, accountability, and member-driven governance that will serve as a model for other states to follow."

Gann is calling on House leaders to bring the proposal to the floor, for a recorded vote, during the upcoming legislative session.

"Oklahoma deserves a legislature that is transparent, effective and accountable to the people it serves," Gann said. "This proposal delivers just that."

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