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Dick Pryor: This is Capitol Insider, your weekly look inside Oklahoma politics, policy and government. I m Dick Pryor with eCapitol news director, Shawn Ashley. One of the biggest tasks facing the next legislature when it begins its work in February will be redistricting. Joining us again for Part Two of our discussion on how Oklahoma will draw legislative and congressional district lines in 2021 are House Redistricting Committee Chair, Representative Ryan Martinez, Republican from Edmond and Senate Select Committee on Redistricting Chair, Senator Lonnie Paxton, Republican from Tuttle. Welcome, gentlemen.
Lonnie Paxton and Ryan Martinez: Thank you for having us.
TRANSCRIPT:
Dick Pryor: This is Capitol Insider, your weekly look inside Oklahoma politics, policy and government. I m Dick Pryor with eCapitol news director, Shawn Ashley. One of the biggest tasks facing the next legislature when it begins its work in February will be redistricting. Our guests are House Redistricting Committee Chair, Representative Ryan Martinez, Republican from Edmond and Senate Select Committee on Redistricting Chair, Senator Lonnie Paxton, Republican from Tuttle. Welcome, gentlemen.
Lonnie Paxton and Ryan Martinez: Thank you for having us.
Shawn Ashley: The state is not scheduled to receive data from the U.S. Census Bureau until as late as April, but work has already begun on redistricting. Representative Martinez, let s start with you. What has the House already been doing to prepare for redistricting?
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Dick Pryor: This is Capitol Insider, your weekly look inside Oklahoma politics, policy and government. I m Dick Pryor with eCapitol News Director Shawn Ashley. The first coronavirus vaccines have been shipped to states just in time for Christmas and a Christmas season like none we have ever seen. So, joining us to discuss public health and safety heading into the holidays is Dr. Lance Frye, interim commissioner of health for the State of Oklahoma. Dr. Frye, good to have you with us again.
Lance Frye, M.D. It s good to be here. Thank you for having me.
Dick Pryor: Thank you.
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Dick Pryor: This is Capitol Insider, your weekly look inside Oklahoma politics, policy and government. I m Dick Pryor with eCapitol news director Shawn Ashley. Shawn, with about three weeks left in the year, Governor Kevin Stitt is issuing a new executive order to address the high numbers of coronavirus cases in the state and also the resulting stress on hospitals. Now, key to this new order is limiting the size of public gatherings. What is the rationale behind this approach?
Shawn Ashley: Well, one thing Governor Stitt and Commissioner of Health Dr. Lance Frye pointed out is that Oklahoma s seven-day average of new cases has remained fairly steady since Thanksgiving. There s been no big spike like many had expected. And the governor pointed out that the Centers for Disease Control says bars and restaurants and other large public gatherings are the primary source of community spread. And that s what the new executive order targets while keeping in place the limitations