After not knowing he was acting governor in the aftermath of a devastating storm that hit Tulsa last summer, Oklahoma’s Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat has filed a bill that would require the governor to notify his chain of command when they leave the state.
Treat has filed Senate Bill 1860, which would require the governor or acting governor to give at least 24 hours’ notice to the next in line of succession before they leave the state and thus cannot govern.
Treat was thrust into the role of acting governor on June 20, three days after the storm took power away from more than 160,000 Public Service Company customers, damaged more than 1,000 homes in Tulsa County and killed at least one Tulsan. He assumed the role without knowing because Gov. Kevin Stitt was in France for the Paris Air Show, and Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell was at a Republican lieutenant governor's conference.
Treat claims he was not told he was acting governor, and signed an emergency declaration that allowed the FEMA assessment process to begin within an hour of being notified.
"At least since I’ve been involved in the state government, it’s just been the tradition and the practice to be notified by the governor and the lieutenant governor on departure," he said at a news conference at Tulsa City Hall the day after he signed the bill. "We need to double down on that, because that has not been happening this past year."
Attorney General Gentner Drummond called for better communication in the governor’s line of succession during the storm response.
Mayor G.T. Bynum claimed he didn't hear from Stitt for five days after the storm hit Tulsa, which Stitt denied. Bynum has declined to comment on Treat's bill.
KWGS has reached out to the governor’s office for comment on the bill.
