OKLAHOMA CITY - With a March 27 deadline looming on the Senate calendar requiring any bills moving forward to have received a third reading in the chamber of origin, President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) saw four bills he authored referred for engrossment last week.
Passed off of the Senate floor and ready to crossover and be heard in the House are: Senate Bill (SB) 640, which seeks to expand the setback requirement for medical marijuana facilities. The measure, if approved, will increase the required distance between medical marijuana dispensaries from school entrances and places of worship from 1,000 feet to 3,000 feet.
“Our priority must always be the health and well-being of Oklahoma’s children,” Paxton said in a press release. “Too often, dispensaries use bright signs, gimmicky branding and other marketing ploys designed to grab attention. The last thing we need is for our kids to walk past these storefronts on their way to school or while at church, normalizing the presence of marijuana at a young age.
“Oklahoma voters approved medical marijuana, but they did not approve exposing children to its marketing. This is a commonsense step to align our policies with the intent of voters - keeping access for patients while minimizing exposure for minors.”
The proposed legislation is not retroactive and will not impact existing businesses.
SB 642 pertains to worker’s compensation and would expand rights and remedies granted to certain persons. In addition it would authorize an agreement between contractors and subcontractors to provide certain insurance coverage.
SB 646 pertains to judicial and federal official security and privacy and would create the Oklahoma Federal Official and Judicial security and Privacy Act of 2025.
SB 1027, which seeks to amend state statutes pertaining to initiative and referendum measures by increasing the requirements for petition circulation, collecting signatures and language put on the ballot.
In addition, two bills Paxton authored received a first hearing in the House last week. They are: SB 676, which seeks to repeal outdated commissions and remove obsolete references in state statutes. Paxton said in a press release that many of the commissions haven’t met in years or are duplicative.
SB 684 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.
Sen. Brent Howard (R-Altus) authored or co-sponsored two bills that were heard in the opposite chamber last week. They are: SB 1032 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.
HB 1564 seeks to create the Oklahoma Expedited Actions Act. The intent is to streamline the civil litigation process for court cases seeking monetary damages of $250,000 or less. If approved, limitations would be placed on discovery and trial procedures.
Sen. Spencer Kern (R-Duncan) authored one bill that received a first reading in the House last week. SB 722, which pertains to agriculture and would specifically, in part, prohibit electronic monitoring of certain animals.
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.
Sen. Kendal Sacchieri (R-Blanchard) co-sponsored two bills that received a first hearing in the Senate last week. They are: HB 1409, which pertains to the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act. 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.
HB 2151, which relates to education and seeks to create the Federal Education Guidance Disclosure Act. Specifically it would require the State Department of Education to publish guidance documents on a designated internet website sent from the U.S. Department of Education within five days upon receipt. There are some exceptions and requirements.
A guidance document is broadly defined as a federal agency statement of general applicability that refers to a policy or interpretation. It can include memorandums, notices, directives, bulletins, letters or no-action letters. The measure would exclude formal rules created through standard notice-and-comment procedures.
The intent is to make federal education guidance documents more accessible to the public.