Senate's fourth special session runs 11 minutes, then adjourns

Precisely at noon Wednesday, the Oklahoma Senate opened the fourth special session of the 59th Oklahoma Legislature.

Eleven minutes later, the Senate adjourned to the call of the chair.

Wednesday's brief session was the latest move in a long-running game of political chess between the 48-member Senate and Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt over political appointments, policy and the state's budget. Last December, following an earlier special session in the fall and another in 2022, the governor called a third special session to address tax cuts.

And, as in the first two, little was accomplished.

This spring, during budget negotiations, Stitt and House Speaker Charles McCall hammered Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat about the need for a cut to the personal income tax, asking repeatedly if Treat would bring a tax cut bill up for a vote in the Senate.

Treat repeated the same answer he'd given for months: No.

More: Gov. Stitt's pushback against the Senate is personal, leader Greg Treat says

Since then the rhetoric and the tension have continued. Stitt's latest move, his fourth special session called in two years, comes just two days before the governor is required to act — by either signing or vetoing — the state's FY 2025 budget. On Monday, Stitt nominated the 75-year-old Mike Holder to the Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents. At the same time, the governor called the Senate into special session strictly to consider his selection. Stitt said he would “look forward to the Senate promptly confirming him."

Holder was nominated to the board after the Senate rejected the governor's previous nominee for the post, Norman businesswoman Susan Bergen. She was turned down by a 32-13 vote, even after the Senate Education Committee voted 12-0 to confirm her nomination. Eight committee members who’d approved Bergen voted against her confirmation on the Senate floor.

During a news briefing following Wednesday's session, Treat said he warned the governor that a special session was premature. "He didn't take my counsel, so we're here today," Treat said. "I think the governor on Sunday was of the impression that we would just come in and rubber stamp whoever he appointed."

Treat said several groups, including agriculture organizations and Oklahoma State University alumni, have raised questions about whether Holder was qualified to serve on the A&M board.

"We've got to investigate that, like anything we look at to vet," he said. "There is some pretty specific statutory language dealing with the OSU board, or as it's referred to legally, the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges. (There is language) about employment income derived there, and there also [is] a requirement for a majority of the board members to derive a majority of their income from agriculture."

Because of those concerns, Treat said, the Senate was still investigating Holder.

He said the Senate would take its time to "be diligent" and would schedule meetings soon. "We got the paperwork Monday afternoon, so we're trying to figure out more information," Treat said. "We've been told that he may have recently purchased some type of ag activity down in Texas, but we don't know if that fits the requirement or not."

In his executive order calling the Senate into session, Stitt said the order was solely for the Senate to advise and consent to the nomination of James Michael Holder as a member of the Board of Regents of the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical colleges. Holder would suceed Rick Davis, whose term has expired.

Treat said he didn't think the situation surrounding the nomination constituted one needed quick, one-day action.

"I'm not aware of an emergency at the OSU board that would require us to act swiftly," he said. "Mr. Davis, who is currently serving in that role, and his term has expired, though a couple of AG opinions ― one in the early '80s and one in the late '90s and then statutory and constitutional language, it's clear that he is legally allowed to serve until someone is confirmed by the Senate."

Treat said he was unaware of any pressing issue, but had his suspicions about why the governor wanted quick action.

"I'm not aware of why we're in this sense of urgency but I have my suspicions that it may have to do with bills still on the governor's desk until Friday and some angst on the board about leadership at OSU, but that's all conjecture on my part," he said.

No date has been announced for the next step in the Holder confirmation process.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Senate convenes, then quickly adjourns special session on Holder nomination