Ok Farming

Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed a bill that sought to resolve some confusion on who can serve in the governor’s cabinet, sparking a response from the Oklahoma attorney general. | MORE | Gov. Kevin Stitt, cabinet members file lawsuit over AG Gentner Drummond’s recent opinionStitt and members of his cabinet sued Attorney General Gentner Drummond last week over a recent opinion from Drummond that said one of the governor’s cabinet members, Tim Gatz, couldn’t hold dual roles. Gatz was the secretary of transportation, executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the executive director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.After the opinion, Senate Bill 1196 was created. It laid out who would be exempt from the dual-role restriction. The bill specifically mentioned the secretary of agriculture position. It sought to ensure current Agriculture Secretary Blayne Arthur could continue to serve in Stitt’s cabinet while also being the Department of Agriculture commissioner and a member of the Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents. In his veto, Stitt called the bill “duplicative and unnecessary.” While he said the bill was well-meaning, it was not needed because the law is already clear. “The Governor can choose his cabinet from among the agency directors,” said Stitt in a statement. “Without question, she will continue to operate as my Secretary of Agriculture and as the Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture.”Drummond’s opinion said no one is allowed to hold more than one public office at the same time. That opinion forced Gatz to resign as Stitt’s transportation secretary and as the OTA executive director. The lawsuit by the governor and his cabinet members claim Drummond got the law wrong. “The AG’s opinion has created extreme confusion,” Stitt said during a Friday news conference. “Not just for me and the way we operate state government, but the future governor. They need to know exactly how to set up the government.”Drummond released a statement Tuesday night, saying he applauds the legislature for trying to fix the issue. “The Governor could have approved these exemptions and allowed his appointees to continue serving without any uncertainty regarding their proper status. However, his veto makes clear that he is more interested in pursuing needless litigation than working with policymakers to solve the problem,” Drummond said in the statement. The lawsuit from Stitt and his cabinet is currently in district court. The Oklahoma legislature can override Stitt’s veto with a two-thirds majority. Top Headlines Guinea pig saved from hoarding situation vying to be the next Cadbury ‘bunny’ Oklahomans say cost to renew vehicle registration is a barrier to drivers Developer says he has secured financing to build country’s tallest skyscraper in OKC Oklahomans could see SpaceX Crew-7 making re-entry early Tuesday morning Suspect shot during attempted break-in at northwest OKC apartment; police searching for 2 others