OKLAHOMA CITY – As Rep. Dick Lowe (R-Amber) crafted legislative bills for the new session, it’s obvious that his attention was centered on education and schools, including students and teachers.
It actually shouldn’t be a surprise that the House Education Chairman’s career experience includes working as an agriculture education instructor. Lowe is also a former employee of Canadian Valley Technology Center at the Chickasha campus and he was elected to the Legislature in 2020.
Among various bills he has proposed, a total of 20 are related to schools and education. Lowe authored 15 of the measures and signed on to co-sponsor another five. Last week, several of those bills began the process of advancing through committees. In part, they include: House Bill 1305, which would require student athletes with name, image and likeness (NIL) contracts to take financial literacy workshops and would also require colleges and universities to offer financial literacy workshops throughout the year to students with NIL contracts, according to a legislative press release.
If the measure becomes law, athletes would be required to attend at least five hours of workshops within the first two semesters of participating in NIL activities. Each workshop would include information concerning foundational knowledge of budgeting, taxes, contracts, credit and debt management, savings, investments and entrepreneurship.
“NIL opportunities can be life-changing for student athletes, but they also come with serious financial responsibilities,” Lowe said. “House Bill 1305 ensures that these athletes are well-prepared to manage their earnings wisely, helping them avoid costly mistakes and set themselves up for long-term financial success.”
In addition, the bill would also allow colleges to provide free contract review, tax preparation and other financial services to student athletes. Although colleges and universities could offer a financial course for credit and contract with third parties to provide the workshops, the bill would prohibit promotional referral programs or soliciting.
The measure also proposes that students who fail to complete the requirements would forfeit their eligibility to participate in NIL activities.
HB1305 passed the House Postsecondary Committee 7-1 and may now be heard in the House Education Oversight Committee.
HB 1087 would give teachers in the later portion of their careers the opportunity to earn more money. This proposed measure would extend the teacher salary schedule through 35 years of service. It currently caps out at year 25.
“We know we have a statewide teacher shortage, and we have thousands of great teachers in the classroom we would like to continue to teach past 25 years of service. But currently, there is no financial incentive to do so,” Lowe said in a press release.
“This legislation extends our teacher salary schedule through year 35 with built in step raises so teachers who stay will be financially compensated for their continued service.”
As an example, a teacher could start his or her career at the age of 22 and reach 25 years of service as early as 47 years old. This legislation would encourage career teachers to stay in the classroom at a time where experienced teachers are needed more than ever.
HB 1087 unanimously passed from the House Appropriations Education Subcommittee and will next be considered by the full Appropriations and Budget Committee.
Topics of other bills Lowe has authored or co-sponsored include HB 1276, cell phones; Senate Bill 706, school funding; HB 1523, student mental health; HB 1088, transfer students; and several proposed measures related to the Education Reform Act of 2025.
Freshman Rep. Stacy Jo Adams (R-Duncan) signed on to co-sponsor SB 97 authored by Sen. Kendal Sacchieri (R-Blanchard). The measure prohibiting state agencies from contracting with lobbyists or hiring legislative liaisons for certain purposes is now on general order and can be heard on the full Senate floor.
Adams is connected to three other bills that saw committee action last week.
One of those is HB 1168, which would establish new legal provisions regarding abortion-inducing drugs. It primarily focuses on creating criminal penalties for trafficking these specified drugs to someone planning an unlawful abortion. Exclusions in the bill include pharmacists, drug manufacturers or distributors acting in their professional capacity. It also does not prohibit the use of preventive contraceptives when used according to the manufacturer instructions.
The measure passed the Criminal Judiciary Committee on a vote of 4-1.
Rep. Brad Boles (R-Marlow) has authored or co-sponsored nine bills that were heard in various committees last week.
Two measures he created are: HB 1376, which pertains to the Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence.
The measure’s intent is to modify the composition and governance of the OAME, which is a private non-profit organization focused on supporting small and medium-sized manufacturing firms. If signed into law, the Board of Directors would expand from five to nine representatives. It passed the Government Oversight Committee by a vote of 12-0.
HB 1373, which would create the Commercial Solar Facility Decommissioning Act and establish comprehensive regulations for solar power facilities. Specific decommissioning requirements are stated in the bill, including the complete removal of solar infrastructure, such as solar energy devices, transformers, underground cables and associated equipment. This will ensure that the land is restored as closely as possible to its original condition. Last week, the measure received a policy recommendation to the Energy and Natural Resources Oversight Committee.
In addition, Boles is a co-sponsor on SB 130, which would direct the Corporation Commission to conduct a nuclear energy generation feasibility study. The bill’s language specifically states that the study must thoroughly evaluate multiple aspects of nuclear energy, including economic and environmental impacts, workforce utilization, design characteristics, safety criteria, site selection and potential for small modular nuclear reactors.
The measure further states that the study must explore benefits such as job creation, tax base implications and potential military base energy resilience. The study would be supported by a $375,000 appropriation from the General Revenue Fund. Last week, the bill was referred to the Appropriations Committee.
Seven bills authored by Rep. Trey Caldwell (R-Lawton) are scheduled for hearings on Feb. 18 in various committees.
The House Utilities Committee will hear four of the bills, which are: HB 2747, which is related to public utilities and introduces several significant changes to public utilities regulations. Upon passage it would modify rules for electric utilities, with a main emphasis on transmission facilities, generating facilities and rate recovery mechanisms.
In part, the measure would allow previously established electric transmission owners the right to construct, own and maintain certain transmission facilities, with specific provisions for different voltage levels. It would also prohibit retail electric suppliers from offering ratepayer-funded incentives to encourage switching from natural gas to electricity.
HB 2751, which pertains to electric transmission facilities and would grant the Oklahoma Corporation Commission authority to ensure the development of new electric transmission facilities that provide reliable service at the lowest reasonable cost to retail electric consumers. The measure does not take away the existing requirements for transmission developers to obtain a Certificate of Authority and developers will still be responsible for maintaining existing facilities. The proposal is directed at members of the Southwest Power Pool.
Electric cooperatives that are not members of the SPP are exempt from the proposed requirements and can build local transmission facilities without following the specified bidding and evaluation process.
HB 2756, which also pertains to electric transmission facilities and would establish a comprehensive framework for regulating electric transmission facilities in the state.
This would be accomplished by creating a new Certificate of Authority process through the Corporation Commission. HB 2752, which pertains to eminent domain and would amend the state’s eminent domain law by placing new restrictions on how electric and gas utilities can use eminent domain powers.
The measure, in part, would specifically prohibit the use of eminent domain for siting or building renewable energy facilities such as wind turbines, solar facilities, battery storage and hydrogen gas facilities on private property.
The Appropriations and Budget Committee will hear three of Caldwell’s bills, which are: HB 2753, which pertains to the Oklahoma Rural Jobs Act and would provide for expansion of the state’s tax credit program for investments in rural businesses.
The program currently allows up to $15 million in state tax credits per calendar year and the measure would allow eligible rural funds to access up to $200 million in additional state tax credits.
HB 2745, which pertains to revenue and taxation and would specifically modify the state’s banking privilege tax laws. Financial institutions with main offices in the state would be eligible for a new deduction. The measure proposes, in part, that in the 2025 tax year, banks and lending institutions can deduct net interest income from three specific types of loans. They are qualified agricultural real estate loans, agricultural operating loans and single-family residence loans in rural areas.
HB 2742, which pertains to cigarettes and the administration of cigarette excise taxes. The measure would modify the state’s cigarette and tobacco product tax regulations by updating several key definitions and tax exemption allowances.
Existing tax exemptions for sales to veterans’ hospitals, U.S. government entities and federally recognized Native American tribes will stay the same. A new category would be added of partially tax-exempt heated tobacco products, which is different from traditional cigarettes that are burned.
Three bills authored by Rep. Toni Hasenbeck (R-Elgin) will be heard in the Criminal Judiciary Committee on Feb. 18. They are: HB 1364, which pertains to crimes and punishments and seeks to amend state law on obscenity and sexual imagery.
In part, the measure would broaden legal definitions and protections related to distributing private sexual images without consent. A new legal category called “artificially generated sexual depictions” defines digitally manipulated images that show a person in sexually explicit situations that are not real.
HB 1346, which pertains to child pornography and amends several sections of state law. Among other changes, this measure changes the term “child pornography” to “child sexual abuse material.” In part, the proposed bill also expands the purpose of the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit to include investigating additional sex-related offenses.
HB 1273, which 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.
Rep. Gerrid Kendrix (R-Altus) has multiple bills related to the state’s sunset laws for specific boards and commissions in committees.
Rep. Daniel Pae (R-Lawton) has nine bills he has either authored or co-sponsored scheduled for hearings this week, ranging from Feb.
17-19. Topics include the Fighting Chance for Firefighters Act, an income tax credit for the Aerospace industry, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, crimes and punishments for bullying in the schools, a legal services revolving fund, healthcare and allowing sick leave usage to extend to maternity leave for certain school employees.
In addition, a bill Pae is co-sponsoring, SB 340, pertains to railroads and would require physical copies of certain items to be placed on board. Specifically, the items are a cargo manifest, an Emergency Response Guidebook and identification cards showing each train crew member’s qualifications.
Rep. Rande Worthen (R-Lawton) has five bills he either authored or co-sponsored scheduled for hearings on Feb. 18 in various committees. They are: HB 1685 pertains to the attorney general and private attorney contracts.
HB 1708, which pertains to the bails bondsman profession and, in part, would add a new category of “charitable cash bondsman.” This is described in the bill as a person who deposits cash money as security for a bond in a judicial proceeding without charging or receiving any money for their services.
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.
Two bills, HB 1362 and HB 1689, both pertain to crimes and punishments and making certain acts unlawful.
HB 1362 specifically pertains to new criminal penalties for persons who are illegally in the United States and are arrested for violating a criminal law in Oklahoma.
HB 1689 specifically pertains to amending a state statute regarding larceny of lost property and adding new provisions about shopping cart theft. Violating the shopping cart measure would be handled as a misdemeanor and would be punishable by up to one year in county jail, a fine up to $1,000 or both.
Results of all committee meetings this week were not available by press time.