Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, issued the following statement opposing overreaching federal mandates announced by President Joe Biden:
“The Oklahoma Legislature acted aggressively this session to stop unconstitutional federal overreach like President Biden proposed today. We saw this coming and are already prepared to block it in Oklahoma. This type of unilateral overreach is precisely why House Bill 1236 and the additional litigation funds for the attorney general were such big priorities this session.
“I applaud the attorney general for utilizing the tools the Legislature provided to defend Oklahoma’s rights as a state. President Biden is about to see the U.S. Constitution still matters in Oklahoma. This isn’t the only unconstitutional Biden administration action Oklahoma needs to challenge. Our country is a republic of states, not a monarchy, and the president does not have the constitutional authority to issue these type of edicts.”
HB 1236 established an intrabranch process for legal challenges of federal rules, executive orders or Congressional actions harmful to the rights of Oklahomans and the state of Oklahoma. It passed the Legislature and was signed into law in May, with an immediate effective date. The bill was principally authored by McCall and Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, and coauthored by nearly all 82 members of the House Republican Caucus.