OKLAHOMA CITY – Southwest Oklahoma House of Representative members were able to clear several bills from the floor by deadline day, Thursday, March 14, which required all bills to clear their chamber of origin or be considered dead for the session. The House did not experience a filibuster that day, as the Senate did.
Rep. Brad Boles (R-Marlow) Daylight Saving Time was one topic addressed by Rep. Boles in the multiple bills he either authored or co-sponsored that cleared the House floor and is headed to the Senate for consideration. Senate Bill 1200 would enable Oklahoma to adopt daylight saving time as the year-round time.
A partial list of other bills includes SB 1535, which pertains to the Oklahoma Low Carbon Energy Initiative and would modify the duties and membership of the board; SB 1514, which pertains to the Commissioners of the Land Office and would provide certain statutes of limitations be applied to the Office as it relates to oil and gas leases; House Bill 3071, which pertains to public finance and state revenues and addresses illegal presence in the state; political subdivisions; legal entities; support and sanctuary status; and HB 3190, which pertains to health insurance and ensuring transparency in Prior Authorization Act.
Rep. Trey Caldwell (R-Lawton) Multiple bills authored or co-sponsored by Rep. Caldwell are headed to the Senate.
The partial list includes HB 4991, which pertains to fire districts and agreements for fire protection services by municipalities and directing disputes to be arbitrated by the Fire Marshal’s Commission; HB 4092, which pertains to revenue and taxation in regards to banks, credit unions, deductions and agriculture loans; HB 4098, which pertains to dentists and dental hygienists and includes topics such as compact, commission membership, license and oversight; HB 3198, which pertains to public lands and the Commissioners of Land Office and would remove harmful woody species and provide for program funding; HB 4095, which pertains to the Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Act, which would provide definitions, notice and meeting request; and SB 1333, which pertains to workers’ compensation and transferring the Volunteer Firefighter Group Insurance Pool to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services; and HB 4097, which pertains to public utilities and rights of electric transmission owners.
Rep. Toni Hasenbeck (R-Elgin) Creating the Oklahoma Survivor’s Act, SB 1470, which would direct courts to consider certain mitigating factors in sentencing and establish procedures for resentencing under certain circumstances is one measure, is among many that Rep. Hasenbeck either authored or co-sponsored, and were able to clear the House floor before the house of origin deadline.
The partial list also includes HB 2673, which pertains to schools and modifying the minimum salary schedule for certified personnel and modifying allocation to certain districts; HB 3098, which pertains to crimes and punishments and addresses unlawful spread of infectious disease, specifying additional infectious diseases; SB 2008, which addresses the Rural Economic Action Plan and would require development of a plan to measure qualitative effects of certain projects; and HB 2320, which pertains to the Teachers’ Retirement System and addresses postretirement employment and retirement benefits; HB 3097, which pertains to crimes and punishments and would make commercial entities liable for publishing or distributing obscene material, including distribution through the internet and cell phones.
Rep. Gerrid Kendrix (R-Altus) A state-designated entity for a health information exchange, HB 3556, is one of multiple measures Rep. Kendrix either authored or co-sponsored that has passed off the House floor to the Senate.
The list includes several bills that address sunset dates for multiple entities, including the Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners, the State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision and the State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering, among others.
Other bills clearing the floor include HB 4063, which pertains to counties and county officers and would create the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Office Salary Assistance Grant Program Act and HB 2957, which pertains to the State Capitol Preservation Commission and would remove the commission from the Oklahoma Sunset Law.
Rep. Dick Lowe (R-Amber) Among multiple bills authored or co-sponsored by Rep. Lowe that passed the House floor are several proposed school measures.
The partial list includes HB 2673, which would modify the minimum salary schedule for certified personnel and modify allocation to certain districts; HB 2320, which pertains to the Teachers’ Retirement System and would address postretirement employment and retirement benefits; SB1478, which pertains to modifying the use of the School Security Revolving Fund; and SB 1257, which would remove limitations on school district general fund carryover and penalties for exceeding limitations; SB 1895, which pertains to alternative education and would direct the statewide system of alternative education to include designated charter schools and virtual charter schools; and SB 1521, which would modify the School Resource Officer Program to allow the employment of certain individuals. Rep. Marcus McEntire (R-Duncan) Three pharmacy-related bills either authored or co-sponsored by Rep.
McEntire passed the House floor by deadline and are heading to the Senate.
Included, among multiple measures passed off the floor, are HB 3376, which pertains to the Patient’s Right to Pharmacy Choice Act and SB 1670, which would modify audit processes and requirements and would also modify reimbursement rates. SB 232 would establish a certain pharmacy technician- to-pharmacist ratio. Also, on a partial list of bills advanced, is a measure related to birthing centers. SB 1739 would eliminate the need for a license and also modify criteria for coverage of certain benefits; HB 3428, pertains to tattoo and body piercing and addresses license requirements, rules, regulations and penalties; and SB 458, which pertains to the practice of nursing and would provide for independent prescriptive authority of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses who meet certain requirements. It would also modify various provisions of the Oklahoma Pharmacy Act and the Oklahoma Nursing Practice Act.
Rep. Daniel Pae (R-Lawton) On the list of measures either authored or co-sponsored by Rep. Pae that cleared the House floor and is headed to the Senate are a couple of bills that address artificial intelligence (AI). HB 3453 would establish the rights of Oklahomans when interacting with AI.
HB 3828 addresses AI in the state’s Office of Management and Enterprise Services and, among other provisions, would require OMES to conduct an inventory of all systems that employ AI and are in use by any state agency that uses OMES’s services. Any agency that does not use OMES’s services will be required to conduct their own inventory.
An unrelated bill, SB 1639, pertains to Kratom products and would modify and add labeling requirements. Also passed off the House floor and headed to the Senate is HB 3574, which pertains to the Kratom Consumer Protection Act and addresses restrictions on the preparation, distribution or sale of certain kratom products.
Rep. Rande Worthen (R-Lawton) A measure addressing the state’s death penalty is one of multiple bills either authored or co-sponsored by Rep. Worthen that cleared the House floor and is headed to the Senate. SB 1702 would require confidentiality of identity of certain persons or entities; provide exception to discovery of certain materials and provide for retroactive application of certain provisions.
On a partial list of other measures is HB 3000, which pertains to driving under the influence and addresses the Impaired Driving Prevention Advisory Committee. Topics noted are membership, driver license revocation, ignition interlock devices and the Board of Tests for Alcohol and Drug Influence.
SB 1711 pertains to court proceedings and would extend authorization for videoconferencing to certain appearances.