Statement in support of SB 1027

The Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley, Archbishop of Oklahoma City, and the Most Rev. David A. Konderla, Bishop of Tulsa, have issued the following statement in support of SB 1027:


Tuesday (March 18), the Oklahoma Senate passed an important measure, SB 1027, which promises to add critical safeguards to Oklahoma’s initiative petition process, to protect against abuse, and to ensure accountability to Oklahoma voters.

The Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley, Archbishop of Oklahoma City, and the Most Rev. David A. Konderla, Bishop of Tulsa, issued the following statement in support of the measure:

“We commend members of the Oklahoma Senate for giving overwhelming approval to Senate Bill 1027. We have witnessed in numerous states in recent elections the abuse of the initiative petition process by heavily funded, out-of-state groups — and in many cases from outside the U.S. — which have effectively bought amendments to several state constitutions.
Notably, many of these campaigns have exploited the most vulnerable among us in efforts to expand abortion, marijuana and other policies that fail to respect human dignity.

"The right of Oklahoma voters to amend our state’s laws and constitution should be safeguarded from manipulation by outside groups. We applaud Sen. David Bullard, Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton and Speaker Kyle Hilbert for advancing SB 1027, and we implore members of the House to expedite the measure without delay.”