OKLAHOMA CITY Lawton native Daniel Pae received another accolade last week when he was named to the “Oklahoma Achievers Under 40 for 2025” list by a state media publication, noting that he has made an impact on the state.
Rep. Daniel Pae (R-Lawton) was elected to serve House District 62 in 2018. He currently serves as chair of the House Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Human Services, as well as vice chair of the House Children, Youth and Family Services Committee. In 2020, he was a co-vice chair of the House State and Federal Redistricting Committee following the decennial U.S. census.
“I’m incredibly honored to be recognized as one of Oklahoma’s Achievers Under 40,” Pae said in a legislative press release. “Public service has always been my passion, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve my hometown of Lawton and our great state. This recognition is a reflection of the many mentors, colleagues and community members who have supported me along the way.”
Pae is also executive director of the Greater Oklahoma City Asian Chamber of Commerce. He was appointed in February after serving on the board of directors since September 2023. The Lawton representative is a founder of the Legislative Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus. A few weeks ago, he was part of the legislative team that welcomed a delegation from Taiwan to the State Capitol.
In 2019, he was awarded the 2019 Rising Star Award by the International Leadership Foundation (ILF) for his professional achievements and dedication to the improvement of the Asian Pacific American Community.
Last year, Pae went from alumnus to vice chair in the Fiscal Affairs and Government Operations Committee for The Council of State Governments Southern Office (CSG South), which includes 15 Southern states.
He is a long-time appointee to CSG South’s Fiscal Affairs and Government Operations Committee and is a graduate of the Center for the Advancement of Leadership Skills (CALS) Class of 2019. According to a news release, Pae was also a 2022 Henry Toll Fellow and received CSG’s 20 Under 40 Leadership Award the same year.
In legislative news from the Capitol last week, Thursday, April 24, was the last day of this session to report House legislation from Senate committees. Both chambers face a May 8 “Opposite House Deadline” to complete third readings on proposed bills.
Pae saw three bills he authored placed on General Order in the Senate last week, which makes them eligible to be heard on the full floor. They are:
• House Bill 2011 reintroduces the Fighting Chance for Firefighters Act. The goal is to allow cancer centers in the state to cover the costs of occupational cancer screenings. After the screenings, further testing and procedures would be billed to the provider’s insurance coverage.
• HB 2012, which would extend the operations of state harm-reduction programs through July 1, 2027. The measure ensures harm-reduction services such as needle exchange programs and rapid sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing can continue their work. The programs, which must be registered with the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) but cannot use state funding, are currently set to expire in 2026, according to a press release.
Statistics show that the four harm-reduction programs currently registered with OSDH distributed 578,330 syringes and 25,125 naloxone kits between 2022 and 2024. Additionally, the programs reported 1,212 overdose reversals and referred 1,528 individuals for substance use education or STI/ HIV testing.
• HB 2017 intends to improve school board policies on bullying. The proposal would require the adoption of procedures for students, school employees, school volunteers, or parents or legal guardians to report acts of bullying. Additionally, the school board must hold public hearings before the adoption or modification of the bullying policy, according to a press release.
Responsibilities of each school district’s board of education are outlined in the 17-page bill, along with responsibilities of the State Board of Education. In part, the State Board of Education will be tasked with periodically monitoring school districts for compliance and providing sanctions for noncompliance with the terms of this proposed bill.
Rep. Brad Boles (R-Marlow) authored six bills that were placed on General Order last week. They are:
• HB 1369, which pertains to oil and gas and seeks to modify the requirements for operators to show financial ability to plug wells, close surface impoundments and remove equipment in the state.
The Category A surety (a financial statement proving net worth) would be phased out by Nov. 1 and introduces a tiered Category B surety system based on the number of wells an operator manages. Current operators in good standing will be able to retain the Category A surety.
Ensuring that oil and gas operators have sufficient financial resources to fulfill their operational and environmental responsibilities is the goal of the bill. In addition, the measure seeks to protect the state from potential cleanup costs if operators fail to manage their sites and wells.
• HB 1370 would extend and modify the Corporation Commission Plugging Fund by making several key changes to how gas and oil excise taxes are allocated. The bill would also extend the sunset date from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2031, to maintain the fund.
• HB 1372 seeks to modify the state’s gross production tax law and stipulates a 50% tax reduction for oil and gas recovery projects be provided, if wells are used from the Corporation Commission’s orphaned well list. The intent is to encourage the recovery and productive use of orphaned
wells.
• HB 1373 would establish critical statutory protections for landowners hosting industrial solar facilities. It would ensure that solar companies are held accountable for decommissioning activities. Currently, the state lacks regulations governing the removal of solar infrastructure if a company goes out of business or doesn’t decommission in a timely manner once production ends.
The measure also introduces new requirements for solar companies, such as requiring financial assurance to the landowner that must be at least equal to the estimated amount by which the cost or removing the solar power facilities from the property. It also specifies that the property be restored to as near as reasonably possible to the condition prior to the solar facility installation.
• HB 1427 proposes to modify existing state tax law in regards to clean burning motor vehicle fuel property tax credits. It would extend and adjust tax credits for investments in alternative fuel vehicle technologies.
• HB 1433 seeks to recreate the Special Investigative Unit Auditing Revolving Fund in the State Treasury. The measure was engrossed in the House and received its first reading in the Senate last week.
The fund will be a continuous, non-expiring account to be used by the State Auditor and Inspector to fund special investigative municipal audits. Revenue sources include legislative appropriations earmarked for investigative municipal audits and municipal gasoline tax allocations. It would also tap any leftover money from a previous version of the same fund. An emergency provision would allow the measure to take effect immediately once approved.
Rep. Trey Caldwell (R-Faxon) authored one bill that failed last week in the Senate Energy Committee and two other bills he authored were placed on General Order.
• HB 2751 pertained to wind energy and proposed to put in place a setback from wind turbines. It was intended to apply to counties that meet certain wind speed and population density requirements and failed the 10-member Energy Committee by a vote of four in favor and six against the measure.
The two bills Caldwell authored that were placed on General Order are:
• HB 2744, which is an act relating to appropriations and budget and seeks to reappropriate $20 million originally allocated by a previous legislative act to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce from the Progressing Rural Economic Prosperity Fund.
Specifically, the measure would redirect funds to implement an improvement project at a centrally located state fairground. The improvements would include projects related to electrical infrastructure and facilities associated with livestock events. An emergency tag is attached to the bill and would go into effect immediately after passage and approval from the governor.
• HB 2762, which pertains to international corporation agents and creating the International Corporation Agent Political Activity Oversight Act of 2025. The measure intends to establish new regulations for individuals representing international corporations in Oklahoma. The agent will be required to file a specific form with the Secretary of State and pay a $25 filing fee before being allowed to advocate or influence state laws or seek state funding for their associated corporation.
Rep. Toni Hasenbeck (R-Elgin) authored five bills that went on General Order last week. They are:
• HB 1096, which pertains to schools and would specifically create an Academic Performance Index (API). The State Board of Education will be tasked to develop the program that would include multiple indicators like test scores, graduation rates, college remediation rates, attendance rates, dropout rates, Advanced Placement participation and college entrance exam scores.
In addition, if the measure passes, the API will modify professional development programs for teachers and expand remediation course options to include Classical Learning Test (CLT) exam scores. With the goal of providing a more flexible and comprehensive approach to measuring student performance and supporting educational achievement, the measure will update eligibility requirements for state scholarship programs.
• HB 1273 pertains to domestic violence and seeks to modify laws by updating requirements for batterers’ intervention programs and treatment for offenders. In part, the measure seeks to have intervention programs certified by the attorney general.
• HB 1364, which would prohibit the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to develop revenge pornography. Revenge pornography is defined as when a person shares private sexual images without the consent of the depicted person and intends to humiliate that person.
• HB 1388 is an act pertaining to schools and would establish the Protecting Oklahoma’s Children on Social Media Act of 2025. The intent is to enhance online safety for minors.
• HB 2854 puts a moratorium on statutory geographic restrictions for two- and four-year colleges across the state. The measure will allow the Oklahoma State Regents to meet their constitutional obligation to help degree-seeking students enter critical workforce areas, according to a legislative press release.
Rep. Gerrid Kendrix (R-Altus) authored four bills pertaining to Oklahoma’s Sunset Law sent to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk last week and two bills he authored were put on General Order. The Sunset bills waiting for the governor’s signature are:
• HB 1031, which upon approval, will extend the sunset or expiration date for the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board (OERB) from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2026. The OERB is a state board with a broad mandate to support Oklahoma’s oil and natural gas industry through public education, developing energy resources, promoting efficient and environmentally sound production methods, addressing historical environmental issues in oilfields and supporting research and educational activities.
• HB 1032, which pertains to recreating the State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision and would continue until July 1, 2030.
• HB 1033, which pertains to recreating the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners and would continue until July 1, 2030.
• HB 1035, which pertains to recreating the Capitol-Medical Center Improvement and Zoning Commission and would continue until July 1, 2030.
The two bills put on General Order are:
• HB 2728, known as the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2025. This bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Boles and Caldwell and is a measure designed to enhance transparency and legislative oversight in the state’s administrative rulemaking process and is modeled after similar federal legislation.
The intent is to ensure that state agency regulations receive greater legislative review before taking effect. If signed into law, HB 2728 would require all proposed agency rules to be submitted with an economic impact statement. Additionally, any rule projected to cost at least $1 million over five years would require separate legislative approval before it could take effect.
The bill will also establish the Legislative Economic Analysis Unit (LEAU) within the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) to provide independent reviews of agencies’ economic impact statements.
• HB 2729, which pertains to amending the state’s administrative law by changing how courts review state agency interpretations of regulations and laws. The measure, if passed, would specifically eliminate judicial preference to agency interpretations. Courts, administrative law officers and hearing examiners would be required to conduct their own independent review when interpreting regulations, statutes or sub-regulatory documents. It seeks to limit agency power.
The bill has also been referred to as the “Doctrine of Chevron Deference,” which is a legal test that limits the courts’ ability to interpret unclear administrative rules. According to a legislative press release, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference in June 2024. The decision required courts to defer to an agency’s interpretation of administrative rules rather than independently reviewing the intent.
Rep. Dick Lowe (R-Amber) authored two bills that were placed on General Order last week.
• HB 1521 seeks to modify the state’s high school graduation requirements and require students to complete specific units in core subjects such as English, mathematics, science and social studies along with new provisions for personal financial literacy.
• HB 1088 pertains to schools and seeks to amend state statutes which relate to transfer students. The measure would modify school transfer laws by offering clearer guidelines for students wanting to transfer to an adjacent school district when their home district does not offer the needed grade level.
Rep. Rande Worthen (R-Lawton) authored one bill placed on General Order last week.
• HB 1693 pertains to criminal procedure and, in part, would change state statutes relating to death penalty procedures for the mentally incompetent. A mentally incompetent person is defined as someone who is not able to rationally understand why they are being put to death. The measure outlines the process an inmate’s attorney must follow if seeking a ruling of mentally incompetence.