OKLAHOMA CITY – The chamber’s biannual Organizational Day was held last week and Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) was formally seated as the new Senate leader after a full vote. He was confirmed by a vote of 39-8, along party lines.
“It is the absolute honor of a lifetime to be voted on by my peers to hold this prestigious title,” Paxton said in a press release. “I humbly thank the members of the Senate who voted for me today and have entrusted me with this distinction.
“I will do everything in my power to ensure the integrity and honor of the Senate is upheld and will always do what is right for the citizens of the state of Oklahoma. Together, we have proven that when the Oklahoma Senate works with purpose, determination and unity, we can deliver results that positively impact the lives of Oklahomans. Oklahoma’s best days are ahead of us.”
Organizational Day was held Tuesday, Jan. 7, and the next day Paxton toured structurally deficient bridges with leaders in the Tulsa community. He posted on Facebook last Thursday that is how he chose to spend his first official day as Pro Tem.
“Some of these are one-way bridges that were built in 1912. Road, bridge and infrastructure improvement must continue to be a priority for the legislature. Safe roads and bridges save lives, plain and simple,” he wrote.
New southwest Oklahoma Senator Kendal Sacchieri (R-Blanchard) prefiled seven bills last week. They include:
• Senate Bill 84, which pertains to firearms and recommends modifying provisions related to storage of a firearm on certain property. It addresses the legality of possessing firearms or weapons on any public or private school property, including buses and other vehicles used by any school for transportation of students or teachers. The measure also details what would be considered legal exceptions.
• SB 97, which pertains to state government and prohibiting state agencies from contracting with lobbyists or hiring legislative liaisons for certain purposes.
• SB 430, which pertains to the environment and prohibits intentional injection, release or dispersion of chemicals, chemical compounds, substances or apparatus within the borders of Oklahoma into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather or the intensity of sunlight. The measure also proposes to repeal the Oklahoma Weather Modification Act (OWMA).
The OWMA is Title 14A in the Oklahoma Statutes. It was passed by the state Legislature in May 1999 and was enacted 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.
Most viewed Senate prefiled bills According to legislative statistics, the top five most monitored senate prefiled bills include:
• SB 277, which addresses paid leave and would create the Oklahoma State Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act. It specifies the eligibility and duration of benefits and qualifications.
• SB 151, which pertains to cities and towns and creates the Oklahoma Neighborhood Revitalization Act.
• SB 400, which pertains to cities and towns and allows municipalities to declare certain buildings as unoccupied.
• SB 166, which pertains to municipalities and would remove prohibition of municipal registration of real property.
• SB 3, which pertains to the Department of Environmental Quality and would establish a moratorium on permitting and land application of sludge and biosolid material.