OKLAHOMA CITY Legislation authored by Sen. Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle), Senate Bill 676, to repeal outdated commissions and remove obsolete references in state statutes unanimously passed the full Senate last week with a 46-0 vote.
“This legislation is a step toward a leaner, more accountable government,” Paxton said in a press release.
“By eliminating commissions that no longer serve a functional purpose, we are ensuring taxpayer dollars are directed toward essential services rather than unnecessary administrative structures.
“Many of these commissions haven’t met in years or are duplicative and could be handled by the agency they report to. I remain committed to streamlining government operations and eliminating inefficiencies while ensuring necessary services are maintained. I appreciate my Senate colleagues for advancing this measure.”
The proposed repealed commissions under SB 676 include:
• Advisory Committee of the South-Central Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact.
According to the legislative press release, this 1953 multi-state compact is no longer necessary and redundant of duties undertaken by the Oklahoma State Fire Marshal’s Office and other agencies.
• The Oklahoma Suicide Prevention Council. The council’s sunset date was effective in 2020 and stopped meeting. Removing this council from statute does not impact how the state provides funding or resources for suicide prevention.
• The Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Advisory Council, Created in 2004, the EITA is duplicative of federal law and other state statutes that have been enacted since its inception. The council’s sunset date was July 1, 2020.
• The Oklahoma School for the Visual and Performing Arts, which is under the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha and no longer necessary in statute.
• The Permanent Legislative Liaison Committee, which is duplicative of the Oklahoma Capitol Improvement Authority, the Office of Management and Enterprise Services and other positions within the Legislature. No meetings or agendas are posted.
• The Staff Review Committee of the Senate. According to Paxton, this committee is unnecessary as internal policies have been implemented for annual staff reviews by division directors. The committee does not currently meet.
Paxton’s bill now heads to the House for further consideration.
In addition, he had six other bills show movement through the legislative process last week.
Three bills were placed on General Order and are now eligible to be heard by the full Senate. They are:
• SB 632, which relates to business courts and would establish specialized business court divisions in the state’s most populous counties, which are Oklahoma and Tulsa counties, to focus on complex commercial litigation. These courts would be presided over by judges appointed by the governor who have at least 10 years of experience in civil litigation or business law.
• SB 641 seeks to amend the Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act by clarifying insurance claims provisions. The measure would also update language.
• SB 650 addresses sanitary sewer systems. The measure relates to public utilities and would require the governing body to adopt a comprehensive plan for maintenance and operation of their sewer systems. If passed, the public utilities’ plan must include detailed mapping and recordkeeping, policies for sewer line inspections, cleaning, root control and procedures for responding to sewer overflows.
The plan would also be required to contain a “Fats, Oils and Grease” ordinance and requirements for new construction connections, along with notification policies for backflow prevention.
A funding availability model and a five-year capital improvement plan must also be provided.
In addition, the proposed bill would modify the Governmental Tort Claims Act by increasing damage award limits and adding specific provisions for municipal sewer overflow claims. It would also provide liability protections for utilities that are working to maintain their systems according to the new planning requirements. Utilities will have five years to implement their plans and will be considered in compliance if they are actively working towards full implementation. In part, the goal of the bill seeks to improve infrastructure maintenance, prevent sewer overflows and provide clear guidelines for utilities and potential damage claims.
In other legislation, Paxton’s SB 684 cleared the Senate floor and was referred for engrossment, enabling the measure to be heard in the state House of Representatives. It pertains to income tax credit and specifically relates to the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit Act for education expenses. It would modify tax years for certain annual credit limits to be enforced. The measure also outlines a procedure for enforcement of the annual limit.
In addition, the bill would require participating private schools to provide enrollment and tuition information to the Oklahoma Tax Commission and allow an audit of claimed expenses. The proposed legislation includes an emergency tag.
Two of Paxton’s bills received their first reading in the House last week. They are:
• SB 631, which pertains to public safety and is proposing to add the crime of discharging a firearm at or into a dwelling or building to the list of offenses requiring 85% of a convicted person’s sentence to be served before becoming eligible for parole.
“This legislation underscores our commitment to protecting Oklahomans by ensuring that those who recklessly endanger lives by shooting into homes or public buildings face stringent penalties,” Paxton said in a press release.
“By categorizing this offense among the crimes that impose serving a substantial portion of the sentence, we aim to deter such dangerous actions and enhance the safety of our communities.
The legislation is carefully tailored to ensure that only the criminal element will be prosecuted. If the shooting is accidental or unintentional, it will be at the discretion of a district attorney as to whether or not the shooting was willful or intentional.”
• SB 634, which pertains to adding certain members to the Impaired Driving Prevention Advisory Committee. Nineteen members are outlined in the bill text as eligible members of the committee, which meets up to four times per year. New members would include the State Commissioner of Health, the Director of the Department of Transportation, the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority and the Executive Director of the State Board of Pharmacy.
Sen. Brent Howard (R-Altus) authored four bills that were engrossed by the Senate and received their first reading in the House last week. They are:
• SB 607, which pertains to the Oklahoma Evidence Code and seeks to strengthen the legal framework related to domestic abuse cases. In part, statements made by victims of domestic abuse to a law enforcement officer within one week of the incident or on an application for a protective order within one week of the incident will be admissible in various legal proceedings.
• SB 978, which pertains to recordable instruments filed with county clerks and would modify state statutes for document margin specifications.
The measure would require the top margin of the first page of all documents to be at least two inches and other page margins can be set at one inch.
• SB 893, which would establish the Military Installation and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2025.
The intent is to restrict representatives from foreign adversary countries from owning or controlling designated types of property or infrastructure in the state.
• SB 453, which pertains to civil procedure and specifically seeks to reform the process of offers of judgment.
This measure will allow a defending party to propose settlement terms at least seven days before trial, with the opposing party having five days to accept. If rejected, the prevailing party may recover attorney fees, court costs and expert witness fees.
In addition, one bill authored by Howard, SB 1032, was referred for engrossment in the Senate last week.
The measure proposes new legal provisions to provide additional accountability for businesses licensed by the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) Commission.
It focuses on responsibilities of the licensees and employee conduct and outlines procedures in the event a violation notice is issued. Two engrossed bills either authored or co-sponsored by Sen.
Spencer Kern (R-Duncan) received their first reading in the House last week. They are:
• SB 111, which pertains to contractors and decreasing the number of sewage disposal system installations for certain certification. The bill seeks to reduce the number of individual sewage disposal system installations that require certification from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) from more than 10 per year to more than one per year.
• SB 634, which pertains to adding certain members to the Impaired Driving Prevention Advisory Committee. The measure is co-sponsored by Paxton. Nineteen members are outlined in the bill text as eligible members of the committee, which meets up to four times per year. New members would include the State Commissioner of Health, the Director of the Department of Transportation, the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority and the Executive Director of the State Board of Pharmacy.
A House bill co-sponsored by Kern, HB 2892, received its first reading in the Senate last week. The measure seeks to modify two existing state statutes to expand the investigative powers of the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth’s Executive Director.
In addition, SB 722, which pertains to agriculture and would specifically, in part, prohibit electronic monitoring of certain animals was engrossed by the Senate last week and is ready to be heard in the House.
The proposal would add language to current statutes that restricts the use of official animal identification methods from tracking or monitoring livestock electronically. It would maintain the existing goals of the Animal Identification Program, which includes disease preparedness and protecting herd health.
A bill authored by Sen. Kendal Sacchieri (R-Blanchard) aimed at repealing the Oklahoma Weather Modification Act (OWMA) was referred to the Senate Energy Committee last week for consideration. SB 430 specifically pertains to the environment and seeks to stop the intentional injection, release or distribution of chemicals, substances or apparatus into Oklahoma’s atmosphere with the purpose of trying to manipulate weather, temperature or the intensity of sunlight.
The OWMA is Title 14A in the Oklahoma Statutes. It was passed by the state Legislature in May 1999 and became effective on June 10, 1999. The measure also created an OWMA Advisory Board. It specified that the executive director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board would be the Chair of the OWMA Board. Staff and legal assistance for the Board is provided by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.
The law allows, contingent upon the availability of funds, the division to contract with individuals or entities experienced with cloud seeding operations in order to increase beneficial rainfall when needed and to attempt to suppress hail in order to prevent property and crop damages.
In addition, a bill co-sponsored by Sacchieri, House Bill 1409, pertaining to the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act passed the House 87-0 and is now ready to be heard in the Senate. The measure seeks to modify rules pertaining to email distribution systems for public meeting notices. It doesn’t change any existing requirements; however, it would require individuals to confirm their desire to remain on the email distribution list of public bodies.
Without confirmation, the individual could be removed from the list.