The House Republican Caucus officially made Rep. T.W. Shannon, R-Lawton, their speaker-elect Thursday, November 8, during a meeting at the State Capitol.

Three legislators who served in 2011 will not be back for the 2012 session, and three new lawmakers will step in to take their place.

You’d have to be living under a rock to not know that Congressman Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, has announced he will not run for reelection in 2012. This news caught many of us by surprise. Boren is very popular, and it’s believed he could serve in Congress for as long as he wanted.

In previous years, the legislature has been known to work right up until the midnight deadline on Thursday night in an effort to pass as many bills as possible. And often, proposed legislation dies merely because it wasn’t heard in time. But this year was different.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “every vote counts.” But are you aware of any time that an election was decided by just one vote?

Today, I’m offering a Follow Friday list of politicians, reporters, policy groups, and other interesting people that will keep you in the loop with all the action at the Oklahoma State Capitol during the annual legislative session.

Jerrod Shouse, state director of NFIB/Oklahoma answers questions from OKC Biz magazine about his organization, their members, and the small business message they take to the state Capitol as they lobby state legislature.

Do you want to learn about current events, but you’ve grown weary by the liberal media elite??? Are you tired of all the rhetoric and spin from the right-wing bloggers??? Yesterday’s inaugural got me thinking: Why not a news article strictly from tweets?

The 2011 Oklahoma legislative session is right around the corner. State representatives and senators have already filed their bills for next year, and legislative committees begin meeting in about four or five weeks. So let’s take a look at some important numbers to know for this next session.

The American Bankers Association (ABA) has just named former Okla. Governor Frank Keating as their next president & CEO.