OKLAHOMA CITY - A Senate Resolution, SR 11, aimed at recognizing the critical national aviation security role of the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center and its Federal Aviation Administration Academy, was supported by southwest Oklahoma senators.
The resolution notes that the Aeronautical Center, which employs thousands, is a top10 employer in the Oklahoma City region and is the largest Department of Transportation facility outside of Washington, D.C.
In addition, the FAA Academy trains over 20,000 students each year. The resolution was adopted by the Senate on April 2.
President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) authored or co-sponsored 26 bills that saw legislative action last week. Those authored by Paxton (13 measures) include:
• Senate Bill 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.
• SB 632 pertains to business courts and aims to focus on complex commercial litigation. They would be established in the state’s most populous counties, which are Oklahoma and Tulsa counties. 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 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. SB 634 is co-sponsored by Sen. Spencer Kern (R-Duncan).
• 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. The proposed legislation is not retroactive and will not impact existing businesses.
• SB 641 seeks to amend the Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act by clarifying insurance claims provisions. The measure would also update language.
• 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 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.
• SB 652, which is a measure to enhance election consistency and voter turnout by rolling out a targeted election schedule. In part, the goal is to improve voter engagement by aligning elections with time frames when turnout has historically been stronger and minimizing the number of low turnout special elections.
• SB 676 aims to repeal outdated commissions and remove obsolete references in state statutes.
• SB 680, which relates to heated tobacco products, specifically seeks to modify the state’s tobacco tax laws and focuses on heated tobacco products. The definition of “cigarette” encompasses products that are intended to be heated rather than burned and will bring the newer tobacco products under tax regulations that are already in place.
Exemptions in the bill would apply to federally recognized Native American tribes with existing compacts, the U.S. government and veterans’ hospitals. This measure is co-sponsored by Rep. Trey Caldwell (R-Lawton).
• 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.
• 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.
Sen. Brent Howard (R-Altus) authored or co-sponsored 28 bills that saw legislative action last week. Those authored by Howard (12 measures) include: • SB 83, which pertains to prisons and reformatories, would specifically modify elements of exemption to certain accounts, including inmate trust funds. In part, the measure also seeks to update language and clarify provisions related to inmate wages, savings and financial management.
• 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.
• SB 536, which pertains to county election boards and would authorize certain actions by an assistant secretary under specified circumstances. It would amend state law that pertains to secretary and assistant secretary’s duties and clarify their roles and responsibilities.
For example, the bill would allow the assistant secretary to execute the secretary’s duties during absences due to illness, disqualification, recusal or other approved reasons and provides a formal process for the temporary replacement. SB 536 is co-sponsored by Rep. Gerrid Kendrix (R-Altus).
• SB 546, which would establish comprehensive data privacy protections for consumers and create a framework to define consumer rights and controller/processor responsibilities for handling personal data.
• 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 625, which pertains to the Oklahoma Discovery Code and would require disclosure of commercial litigation funding agreements upon request in discovery. This would also include an affidavit certifying whether funds originate from a foreign state or entity. In addition, the proposed bill would enhance transparency in civil litigation involving foreign-backed financing.
• SB 626, which would update the Oklahoma Security Breach Notification Act and strengthen requirements for how data breaches involving personal information are handled by organizations.
• 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 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 1020, which pertains to the Office of the State Treasurer and would amend state statutes to provide special exemptions related to property purchasing and leasing requirements.
• SB 1032 proposes new legal provisions to provide additional accountability for businesses licensed by the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission. It focuses on responsibilities of the licensees and employee conduct and outlines procedures in the event a violation notice is issued.
• SB 1065, which pertains to damages and would reinstate the cap on noneconomic damages that a prior Supreme Court held invalid. The goal of the bill is to ensure that runaway juries cannot impose unreasonable judgments against people who are economic drivers in Oklahoma.
A runaway jury is commonly known to be made up of jurors who disregard court instructions and the prosecutor and make their own decisions independently. According to uslegal.com, it is believed that juries can issue verdicts wildly above the true value of a case.
Two bills authored by Sen. Spencer Kern (R-Duncan) received second readings 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 from more than 10 per year to more than one per year.
• 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.