Though Oklahoma legislators filed 2,815 bills and joint resolutions for the 2019 legislative session just a few hundred of those were sent to Governor Kevin Stitt.
And, after everything was said and done, Stitt signed 516 new laws and vetoed 16 measures.
The rest just didn’t make it.
Well, sort of.
Just like the zombies from a George Romero movie, nothing ever truly dies in the Oklahoma Legislature.
Ideas that don’t get to the governor – or sometimes even those which have been previously vetoed - during one legislative session are often dusted off, polished and refiled during a later session.
And some bills – known as woolyboogers – end up as amendments to an entirely different piece of legislation.
This happens frequently, because Oklahoma politics is often filled with drama and, often, it takes more than one legislative session to get other lawmakers to commit to what another member considers a good idea.
Lawmakers also have other ways of addressing difficult issues.
Each year, the House Speaker’s office authorizes groups of lawmakers to meet during the legislative interim. These meetings, called interim studies, usually focus on a single issue.
The meetings are formal and staffed by legislative analysts, attorneys and others. And while some committees are created only to study a single issue, other interim studies are conducted by standing committees.
This year, House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Ada, has set a June 21 deadline for interim study request.
A memo, distributed by McCall’s office on May 28, outlines the procedure and notes that McCall’s office will announce studies on Friday, July 19.
“Each request will be considered on the basis of its merits as well as on the committee and staff workloads. Please note that in the interest of efficiency similar requests may be combined,” the speaker’s memo said.
The second session of the 57th Oklahoma Legislature will convene in February 2020.