Legislator says he opposed bill expanding attorney-client privilege for government

Rep. Earl Sears says he doesn't know how his vote against HB 1559 ended up being recorded as a vote for the bill, which would have expanded the attorney-client privilege for governments in Oklahoma.

"I do not support HB 1559 and voted No and saw it as a RED NO," the Bartlesville Republican told the FOI Oklahoma Blog. "How it got green I will never know.

"I support open government 100 percent," said Sears in an email. "The public has the right to know what we are doing at all times when we are doing the people's business."

Click here to read more about HB 1559.

The House rejected the bill by a 35-64 vote on May 17.

Sears said he didn't know his vote had been recorded as one of the 35 for HB 1559 until he was contacted by a constituent.

"I do not agree with Rep. [Fred] Jordan, the author of this bill," Sears told the constituent in an email. "As a public official I should not hide anything from the public.

"I am glad this bill is dead, and I wish my vote was recorded as No, but it's a Yes," he said. "All I can tell you is I don't support this bill in anyway."


Joey Senat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
OSU School of Media & Strategic Communications