Pro Tem Treat responds to OSDH court settlement on birth certificates

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, issued the following statement Thursday in response to a Oklahoma State Department of Health court settlement on birth certificates:

“The authority to institute policy changes of this magnitude rightly belongs within the legislative branch, the branch of government closest to the people. Executive branch agencies should not attempt to legislate or make substantive policy changes like this through rulemaking or court settlement. This is an egregious example of executive overreach that should be corrected as soon as possible.”