Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive order that prevents state agencies from hiring lobbyists. This will be in effect until he leaves office.
“When taking office, I uncovered that several state agencies were collectively spending more than $1 million annually on contract lobbyists to advocate for their own special interests to the Legislature and the executive branch,” Stitt said in a released statement. “The agencies’ practice of hiring contract lobbyists skirts transparency laws and empowers agencies to ignore voters’ mandates.”
The Oklahoma Lottery was one of the agencies that had hired lobbyists. In recent years, the lottery had successfully increased the price points they were allowed to sell and removed a profit mandate. The lottery’s instant ticket sales have been one of the fastest growing in the United States, generating significantly more revenue for the good causes it supports.
