Stitt pushes for 6 of his executive nominations to be considered by the Oklahoma Senate

Gov. Kevin Stitt used his weekly news conference on Friday to push the Oklahoma Senate to approve a half-dozen of his executive nominations that have stalled, including those for two Cabinet secretaries and a major agency director, during the final week of the legislative session next week.

Before he took questions, Stitt spent the first 6½ minutes touting nominees, including Corey Finch, his pick as secretary of health and mental health; Heather Turner, whom he nominated as the director of the state Department of Commerce; and Deborah Shropshire, his choice to serve as secretary of human services.

He also pushed for hearings for Leigh Gaddis, who has served since 2014 on the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife commission, along with Oklahoma State Board of Education nominee Alex Gray and Audrey Katigan, whom Stitt renominated for a seat on the board of directors for the Oklahoma Department of Libraries.

Stitt said he has received emails, texts or communication “that says the Senate is not going to confirm our nominations. I hope that’s not the case. … Hopefully we can get all of these good Oklahomans that are coming and serving their state across the finish line.”

Stitt nominated Finch in February, and Finch, a medical doctor, has served since then while awaiting Senate approval. Finch followed Kevin Corbett, who was named to the post in 2020 but saw his confirmation stalled in the Senate. Stitt said the Senate “fired” Corbett by not confirming Corbett’s nomination, and he used similar language when referring to the potential for current nominees not to be confirmed.

“He’s doing a great job right now as secretary of health right now,” Stitt said, saying he’s “looking forward to a vote on the Senate floor to see why, who doesn’t think he’s good enough (or) a good fit.”

Shropshire, from Piedmont, was promoted from within the Oklahoma Department of Human Services to the top spot in the agency in January 2023 and is the first woman to lead it. The Senate confirmed her appointment to the DHS director’s role last May before Stitt nominated her for the Cabinet secretary’s role last July.

Turner served as the president of the Jenks Chamber of Commerce before receiving her appointment from Stitt, a Republican, earlier this month. The nominations of Shropshire, Turner, Gaddis and Finch have yet to be heard in a Senate committee, which is necessary before they could be heard on the Senate floor.

Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, said Thursday “there are some really big concerns” about Turner. Treat said the nomination had been assigned to the Senate Business and Commerce Committee. He said Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, is willing to carry Turner’s nomination, “but the committee itself has some really serious concerns.” No meeting of that committee currently is scheduled.

One senator has said she won't carry two of Stitt's nominations

A senator must carry each executive nomination through the confirmation process. State Sen. Carrie Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, said last month she would not carry the nominations of Katigan and Gray in the Senate and their nominations haven’t been heard in the Senate Education Committee as a result. Nominations must be approved by the full Senate to assume the executive position on anything more than a temporary basis.

When Hicks announced she would not carry the nominations for Gray and Katigan, she said, “As a champion for children, I take the responsibility of vetting appointments related to education incredibly seriously. After careful consideration, I will not be moving two nominees forward in the process, as I find them unqualified to fulfill the roles and duties required for each of these positions.

“As a former educator, it is my sincere desire that we put politics aside to ensure the safety and success of our children. I am committed to bipartisan solutions that will truly move Oklahoma forward.”

In mid-October, Stitt nominated Gray, who served in former President Donald Trump’s administration, for the open 5th Congressional District seat on the board, along with an at-large member, Zach Archer, who formerly served on the school board in the western Oklahoma town of Hammon. Archer now serves on the state board, but Gray has never taken the oath of office nor attended board meetings since being nominated, with no explanation provided for his absence.

Archer’s nomination is scheduled to be heard Tuesday in the Senate Education Committee, as will the nomination of state Education Secretary Nellie Tayloe Sanders and the nomination of former University of Oklahoma-Tulsa President Ken Levit to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

The Libraries Department's board also has seven members. Katigan, of The Village, serves as the current 5th Congressional District representative on that board, but her term expires on July 1.

Treat said Thursday he didn’t know yet when executive nominations that already have been approved in committee will make it to the Senate floor, “but I don’t anticipate any problems there.”

“Executive noms, we take seriously on the Senate side, of vetting and making sure that we get it right, so we’ve denied some in the past for well-justified reasons,” Treat said.

The final day of the legislative session is May 31.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt pushes Senate on executive nominations