OKLAHOMA CITY – Republican leaders in the Oklahoma House of Representatives approved 82 interim study requests submitted by members, House Speaker Charles McCall said.
McCall (R-Atoka) said the list also includes eight proposed joint studies with senators. Some studies of similar topics may be combined at a later date. House committees will now begin scheduling studies between August and November.
Held during the time the Legislature is out of session, interim studies allow legislative committees to look closer at issues, potentially for future legislation. The studies also may review the effectiveness of previous legislation, McCall said.
In addition to the studies conducted by the House, members of the Oklahoma Senate will complete 41 interim studies, covering such issues as an examination of the state’s Turnpike Authority, childcare regulation and possible changes in the state’s teacher certification and licensing system.
Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat (R-Oklahoma City) said a total of 60 requests were received by his office. He said the studies will be assigned to standing committees with jurisdiction over those policy areas.
House studies will be livestreamed on the House website. Handouts, presentations and documents utilized at hearings will be available online, as well.
House interim studies and the lawmaker who requested them include:
Reviewing the current procedures and design of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority
Requestor: Sterling
Committee: Transportation
Oklahoma rural development through industrial hemp (cannabis) production
Requestors: Smith, Fetgatter, Williams, Waldron, Fugate, Ranson, Allen, Pederson and Dossett
Committee: Alcohol, Tobacco and Controlled Substances
Uninsured Motorists
Requestor: Grego
Committee: Insurance
Effective Practices to Increase Test Scores in Elementary and Middle Schools
Requestors: Randleman
Committee: Common Education
Qualified Immunity
Requestor: Humphrey
Committee: Criminal Justice
Data Collection
Requestor: Humphrey
Committee: Criminal Justice
Community Supervision
Requestor: Humphrey
Committee: Criminal Justice
Examine sensible policy proposals to ensure Oklahomans have a level playing field at achieving homeownership in the competitive real-estate market
Requestor: Dollens
Committee: Business
The scope and impact of unsafe and unhealthy housing conditions across Oklahoma and potential solutions to address those conditions
Requestor: Dollens
Committee: Business
Review of Oklahoma Sunset Law
Requestors: Crosswhite-Hader, West
Committee: Administration
Modernizing the 1948 Unfair Sales Act’s mandatory minimum markup on gasoline and diesel
Requestor: Osburn
Committee: Rules
Open Meeting Act
Requestors: Pae, Fugate, Howard
Committee: Government Modernization
Community Schools
Requestor: West
Committee: Common Education
Adding agencies to Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement (OLERS) pension
Requestor: Humphrey
Committee: Banking
Sales tax exemption for 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organizations based in Oklahoma and within good standing with the Secretary of State
Requestor: Stark
Committee: Appropriations and Budget
School Security in Oklahoma
Requestors: Rosecrants, Pae
Committee: Common Education
Criminalized domestic violence survivors
Requestor: Hasenbeck
Committee: Judiciary-Criminal
Oklahoma workforce empowerment
Requestor: Bennett
Committee: Business
Underlying causes of homelessness
Requestors: Bennett, Pae
Committee: General Government
Impact of sex education in schools and the sexualization of minors
Requestors: Williams, Conley, Bullard, David
Committee: Common Education
Possession with intent to distribute reform
Requestor: Pae
Committee: Judiciary-Criminal
Retirement
Requestor: West
Committee: Banking
Mental health treatment facilities for juveniles in the juvenile detention settings
Requestor: Lawson
Committee: Criminal Justice
Oklahoma Teachers’ Retirement
Requestor: Hasenbeck
Committee: Banking
Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association
Requestor: Burns
Committee: Common Education
Nonprofit organizations
Requestor: Burns
Committee: General Government
Judicial safety and the confidentiality of personal information
Requestor: Stinson
Committee: Judiciary-Civil
Reduce and eliminate personal income tax
Requestor: Lepak
Committee: Appropriations and Budget
Review current statues regulating the towing industry and discuss funding solutions for the non-payment of towing services
Requestor Ford
Committee: Transportation
Review use of “environmental, social, and governance” scoring in Oklahoma, and whether statutes should be considered banning such practices
Requestor: Lepak
Committee: Government Modernization
Regulation and licensing of acupuncture and the practice of “Asian medicine”
Requestor: Lepak
Committee: Business
Parental rights in Oklahoma and how to improve the rights of parents and guardians in the state
Requestor: Williams, Conley
Committee: Judiciary-Civil
Public Infrastructure Districts
Requestor: O’Donnell, Haste
Committee: Business
Dental benefit plans, an analysis of covered and noncovered services and procedures, and patient and provider reimbursement methodologies
Requestor: Hasenbeck
Committee: Public Health
Review funding for Oklahoma court system focusing on district courts
Requestor: Williams, Thompson
Committee: Appropriations and Budget
Charter school quality
Requestor: Johns
Committee: Common Education
DUI-voluntary program for repeat offenders
Requestor: West
Committee: Public Safety
Oklahoma green cards for non-U.S. citizens
Requestors: Williams, Pae, Ford, Ross; Humphrey
Committee: States
Earned income tax credit for childless adults under the age of 25
Requestor: Lawson
Committee: Appropriations and Budget
Examine creating a State Employees Freedom to Volunteer Act
Requestor: Williams, Conley
Committee: General Government
Wrongful criminal convictions
Requestor: Munson
Committee: Judiciary-Criminal
Landscape of Oklahoma’s SNAP program
Requestor: Pae, Munson
Committee: Children, Youth and Family Services
Post-traumatic stress study
Requestor: McDugle
Committee: Public Health
Looking into the effects of four-day school weeks
Requestor: Sterling
Committee: Common Education
Quality of life for women in Oklahoma
Requestor: Roe, Garvin
Committee: Public Health
Fire protection study
Requestor: Sims
Committee: Public Safety
Examination of Narcan nasal spray and the opioid epidemic in Oklahoma
Requestor: Virgin
Committee: Alcohol, Tobacco and Controlled Substances
The nursing profession
Requestor: Sneed
Committee: Public Health
Insurance; health insurance premiums
Requestor: Sneed
Committee: Insurance
Insurance
Requestor: Sneed
Committee: Insurance
Appropriate routes and mechanisms to divert incarceration cost savings per SQ 781 to localities for local needs-based diversion and treatment programs
Requestor: Sterling
Committee: Appropriations and Budget
Public safety systems and technology for cannabis industry in Oklahoma
Requestor: Cornwell
Committee: Alcohol, Tobacco and Controlled Substances
Homeless students falling through the cracks
Requestor: Talley
Committee: General Government
Talent attraction in economic development
Requestor: Miller, Garvin
Committee: Business
Assess Oklahoma statutes and current policy in relation to emerging transportation technologies
Requestor: Miller
Committee: Technology
Review the current effectiveness and functionality of the Restricted Registry
Requestor: Miller
Committee: Children, Youth and Family Services
Challenges facing education of the blind and deaf in Oklahoma
Requestor: Waldron
Committee: Common Education
Diversion program enhancements
Requestor: Waldron
Committee: Criminal Justice
The role of education prep programs in promoting professional development and grow-your-own education programs in school districts
across Oklahoma
Requestor: Waldron
Committee: Common Education
Reducing alcohol/drug addiction
Requestor: Pae, Echols
Committee: Alcohol, Tobacco and Controlled Substances
Independent contractor classification
Requestor: Hill
Committee: Government Modernization
Workforce strategies to strengthen reentry for those returning home from incarceration
Requestor: Miller
Committee: Criminal Justice
In-depth evaluation and analysis on Oklahoma's nursing shortages in order to identify root causes and potential solutions
Requestor: Stark
Committee: Public Health
Continuation of Oklahoma’s economic diversification and the growing workforce gap Interim study from 2021
Requestor: Hill
Committee: Business
Continuation of the creation and support of innovation economy that is sustainable in Oklahoma from 2021 study
Requestor: Hill
Committee: Business
Why statewide, aggregated pretrial incarceration data is needed: How it can lead to better criminal justice policy, and what it will take to get it?
Requestor: Blancett, Hardin, Humphrey
Committee: Criminal Justice
Effectively address a major barrier to reading success in Oklahoma children
Requestor: Blancett
Committee: Common Education
Oklahoma sheriff compensation
Requestor: Pfeiffer
Committee: Public Safety
Rendering capacity
Requestor Pfeiffer
Committee: Agriculture
Evaluate the regulatory constraints and burdens on adoption agencies and Oklahoma families as a result of state statute or administrative rules
Requestor: Stearman, Stark
Committee: Children, Youth and Family Services
Investigating and evaluating the effectiveness of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission
Requestor: Stearman
Committee: Elections and Ethics
An in-depth look at adoption and foster care in Oklahoma
Requestor: Lowe, Hill, Boles
Committee: Children, Youth and Family Services
The financial impact on assisted living centers
Requestor: Caldwell
Committee: Health Services and Long-Term Care
Evaluating the process of awarding state government contracts and selecting subcontractors
Requestor: Stearman
Committee: General Government
Products made in Oklahoma and sold in Oklahoma
Requestor Smith
Committee: Business
Examination of post-incarceration transitional living facilities
Requestor: Turner
Committee: Criminal Justice
Examination of gendered language in Oklahoma legislation
Requestor: Turner
Committee: States
How to expand the Handle with Care Oklahoma program statewide
Requestor: Pittman
Committee: Children, Youth and Family Services
Mitigating the loss of college-educated talent from the state of Oklahoma
Requestor Lawson
Committee: Business
Life insurance coverage for babies to start at conception
Requestor: Pittman
Committee: Insurance
Expand insurance coverage for cosmetic procedures that are caused by a medical diagnosis
Requestor: Pittman
Committee: Insurance