February 18, 2022
House and Senate committees were in full swing this week as lawmakers work toward the March 3 deadline when measures must be reported from committees of their house of origin or be considered dead for this session. Please see deadline calendar below for deadlines.
January GRF collections up 29% over monthly estimate
General Revenue Fund collections in January totaled $886.1 million, which is $199.2 million, or 29.0%, above the monthly estimate. This is $288.5 million, or 48.3%, above collections in January 2021. Total GRF collections through the first seven months of fiscal year 2022 are $4.6 billion, which is $808.8 million, or 21.1%, above the estimate, and $702.1 million, or 17.8%, above prior year collections for the same period.
 
“Collections continue to be strong with income tax, sales tax and gross production tax. Oil prices are at a seven-year high, a major factor in the above-estimate performance,” said Oklahoma’s Chief Operating Officer and OMES Executive Director Steven Harpe. “In addition, year-to-date corporate income taxes now exceed the five-year average of these deposits to the General Revenue Fund.”
 
After meeting the five-year average, 25% of the excess corporate income tax collections are deposited to the Constitutional Reserve Fund (Rainy Day Fund). The first deposit of this fiscal year is $10.2 million.  
 
Senate Republicans nominate Treat for third term as president pro tempore 
Senate Republicans again have selected Sen. Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, as their nominee to serve in the Senate’s top leadership post.
 
First elected president pro tempore in 2018, Treat was elected by acclamation as Republicans’ pro tempore designee for the 2023 and 2024 sessions. After completing that term, Treat will have served six years as president pro tempore, matching Brian Bingman as the longest-serving Republican pro tempore.
 
“Without the love and support of my wife, Maressa, and our three children, I would not be able to serve in the Legislature. I am blessed and thankful for their sacrifices that allow me to serve the Senate and our state,” Treat said.
 
“To my Republican colleagues: Thank you for allowing me to continue to serve as your leader. I am humbled by your trust and support and will continue to work hard to lead the Senate with courage, authenticity, and transparency. Senate Republicans have successfully pushed for transformative policies that are good for our people and our state. I will continue to lead our chamber to promote ideas and policies that will take Oklahoma to the next level.”
 
The 59th Legislature will convene in January for organizational day, at which time the Senate will officially vote to select the president pro tempore.
Stitt names new State Board of Education member 
Gov. Kevin Stitt named Sarah Lepak on Monday as the newest member of the State Board of Education, filling a vacancy left by long-time board member Bill Flanagan.
 
“I am pleased to nominate Sarah Lepak to serve on the State Board of Education,” Stitt said in a press release. “I am confident that she will put the needs of students first and strive to make Oklahoma Top Ten in education.”
 
Lepak is the Senior Environmental Project Manager at QuikTrip Corp. in Tulsa. She is from Claremore and holds a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Oklahoma, a law degree from the University of Kansas and recently completed a master leadership program from Harvard Business Publishing.
 
“I’m honored to be nominated and look forward to serving on the Board,” Lepak said. “I am happy to give of my time and experience to help ensure Oklahoma kids are well-prepared for the future.” 
 
As reported by The Oklahoman in 2019, Lepak previously worked five years as an attorney for Gateway Mortgage Group, which was founded by Stitt, who served as the company’s CEO while Lepak worked for the mortgage group.
 
The Oklahoman previously reported on Lepak when she was one of applicants for a seat on the Oklahoma Supreme Court. At the time, she was the only non-judge who applied for the position.
 
Both Lepak’s mother and father are involved in state government. Her mother, Linda Lepak, was a member of the Judicial Nominating Commission when Lepak applied for the Oklahoma Supreme Court opening and recused herself from all matters relating to her daughter’s nomination.
 
Lepak’s father is Rep. Mark Lepak, R-Claremore.
 
Lepak will be one of five board members without a background in education, either as an educator or as an administrator.
 
But the board member who previously held Lepak’s seat also did not have a background in education. Flanagan’s major contribution to the State Board of Education, both under Gov. Mary Fallin and Stitt, was his vast experience in public finance. 
 
Other members often turned to Flanagan as the expert on finances, especially his understanding of how government entities financially function. Flanagan is a retired CPA and still serves as the mayor of Claremore.
 
Lepak’s nomination must be approved by the Senate.
Nondoc.com: Teacher pay and ’empowerment’ accounts: Lawmakers debate education priorities
Oklahoma lawmakers filed approximately 338 education-related bills for the 2022 session, but the leaders of the Legislature’s education committees have said they are most focused on the ones aimed at promoting workforce development and keeping teachers in the classroom.
 
“From an education perspective, where my focus really is going to be this year is on the workforce and making sure we work together,” said Senate Education Committee Chairman Adam Pugh (R-Edmond). “I can tell you right now, we need teachers, we need nurses, we need engineers. I’m hearing from businesses all over the state, and really all over the country. We know we have workforce shortages in those different critical skill sets, so let’s figure out how we produce those people and get them interested and exposed while being innovative doing that.”
 
Senate Education Committee Vice Chairman Dewayne Pemberton (R-Muskogee) emphasized the importance of getting more teachers into the pipeline.
 
“Basically, (my priority is) any bill that’s going to find a way for us to get qualified teachers in classrooms, keep qualified teachers and be able to fund the ones that we have there,” Pemberton said. “We’re trying to get (bills) where the mission is to make sure we’re funding the schools, keeping our best teachers in the classroom, keeping class sizes down and (keeping) curriculum strong.”
 
House Common Education Committee Chairwoman Rhonda Baker (R-Yukon) echoed Pemberton’s education priorities and said the House will be looking for straightforward, helpful legislation.
 
“The House’s stance is that we’re here to support education, support our teachers, but not have a lot of frivolous bills be heard,” Baker said. “There has been so much fervor, it seems, regarding education. We did some real big pieces of legislation last year with open transfer, funding formula change and (the) Opportunity Scholarship Fund. We’re anxious to see some data on how open transfer has been working.”
 
Legislators want details in Stitt’s teacher pay plan
 
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt delivers his State of the State address Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in the Oklahoma House of Representatives chamber. (Kayla Sullivan / Oklahoma House)
Pemberton said school finances will be an important factor his committee will consider when looking at legislation. He said he wants to eliminate bills that have unfunded mandates or put funding responsibilities on school districts without giving them additional money.
 
Among the proposals that feature funding questions is an education priority outlined by Gov. Kevin Stitt during his State of the State address Feb. 7. Stitt he proposed “matching funds so that our best teachers can make six figure salaries and stay in the classroom.”
 
Pemberton called the line in Stitt’s speech “another pie in the sky.”
 
“I think our teachers need to be paid six figures,” Pemberton said. “But there’s no bill, and he’s talking about keeping the budget flat and cutting taxes. How do you do that? The math doesn’t work. It’s basically election-year hype.”
 
Baker said her education priorities include increasing teacher pay, but she said she has yet to have a conversation with Stitt about where he got his figures.
 
“My understanding is if the state is able to make a match with the district, that match could be pretty substantial,” Baker said. “If you have a teacher right now that’s making $50,000 and the state is to put in $20,000 and the district matches an additional $20,000, that’s an additional $40,000. But I think that some of that would not be typical. I think that would be a rare occasion.”
 
Baker has offered two bills of her own for raising teacher salaries. HB 4387 would authorize the creation of “new levels of teacher certificates” based on factors such as teacher observation and student performance. HB 4388 would authorize Oklahoma Lottery Commission deposits into the Education Lottery Trust Fund above $60 million to be used for higher teacher pay among those new “advanced, lead and master” certificates.
 
Baker said she hopes the plan could incentivize experienced teachers to stay in the classroom instead of making a leap to administration.
 
“The state will provide funds from the Lottery Commission, which will match funds with the district,” Baker said. “The districts will have to pay a portion, but what this does is allow opportunities for teachers to be making more than their standard salary step.”
 
In 2021, the Education Lottery Trust Fund received more than $80.2 million from the Lottery Commission. In 2020, that figure was only about $64. million. Baker’s proposal would only authorize the use of money deposited into the fund above $60 million for financing teacher bonus pay.
 
Rep. John Waldron (D-Tulsa), who sits on the House Common Education Committee, has also filed a pair of bills that he says will propose raising all teacher and staff salaries by 20 percent. However, HB 3723 and HB 3724 are shell bills at this point and do not yet feature specific language that could be analyzed for a fiscal impact.
 
‘I shouldn’t have to pay for your child’s private education’
Pemberton said he believes the most controversial education bill of the session will be the Oklahoma Empowerment Act, SB 1647, introduced by Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat (R-OKC). The bill proposes providing parents access to an “empowerment account” containing the amount of money the state would pay for their student’s public education, which parents would be able to use for private school or other educational expenses instead. To be eligible for the account, students could not enroll in a public school. But eligible students would not be required to enroll in any school or online program at all.
 
During a legislative forum hosted by the Associated Press and the Oklahoma Press Association on Thursday, House Speaker Charles McCall (R-Atoka) said he does not plan to hear the bill in the House this session, saying it is “not a priority.”
 
McCall said opposition from many House Republicans stems partly from concern for rural districts like his own.
 
“What does a kid with a voucher do? What do they do with that?” he said. “The population is so sparse. Are there going to be options that really pop up? So that’s definitely going to be the rural concern from the rural members I serve with, including myself.”
 
Pemberton also opposes Treat’s measure.
 
“I’m against it 110 percent. It’s going to take $140 to $200 million right out of state aid, and every student in the state is going to lose $200 in their school district in order for some kids in Oklahoma City our Tulsa to go to a private school,” Pemberton said. “Every school district in the state, whether it’s Beggs, Braggs or Atoka is going to end up paying for someone’s private education, and that’s not right. I shouldn’t have to pay for your child’s private education.”
 
Pemberton believes the Oklahoma Empowerment Act could also be challenged on a constitutional basis.
 
Baker also said she opposes the bill.
 
“I understand that parents are wanting more choice, but that was why we had such a robust school-choice slate of bills last year. Because we were listening to parents.” Baker said. “I don’t agree with public dollars going to private schools. I understand the intent is meant well, but I’m not for that.”
 
Asked at Thursday’s legislative forum about opposition to the bill within his own caucus, Treat stood by the measure.
 
“It’s not a voucher plan. That is a negative term that people like to attribute to anything they don’t like. It’s much more akin to an Education Savings Act,” Treat said. “There’s not universal agreement on that, obviously. When you’re disrupting the status quo and trying to pass real reform, there’s not going to be universal agreement.”
 
Treat said that many in his caucus support the bill, and he questioned the common criticisms of it.
 
“We have put in a historic amount of money, record levels, into public education. We will continue that commitment, and we will not decimate public school funding. We’ll make sure it’s as robust as ever and continue to invest there,” Treat said. “But no child should be left behind, and no child should be in a situation where they can’t get their best educational attainment.”
 
Another bill from Treat, SB 1495, would eliminate the state’s grocery tax — another priority Stitt mentioned in the State of the State. But that proposal was also met with skepticism from Pemberton.
 
“If you cut grocery taxes, that’s $303 million that has to come out of the budget. But no one has spoken about how you replace that, because we don’t replace it. We just take it and don’t replace it,” Pemberton said. “How are we going to pay for services and schools if we just keep cutting?”
 
Pemberton said when he and Pugh entered office, in 2017, they dealt with significant budget shortfalls caused by income tax cuts under the Fallin administration. After a historic tax increase passed by the Legislature under threat of a teacher walkout in 2018, lawmakers again cut taxes last year but were also able to provide some additional funding to school districts.
 
“When you start cutting, if you don’t find revenue streams to replace those dollars, eventually it’s going to hit you in the face, and that’s what happened to us,” Pemberton said. We had to raise taxes. We had to be the bad guys, and that’s where we’re heading now.”
 
‘The most pro-life piece of legislation I can think of’
 
One piece of legislation Pugh said particularly excites him is his SB 703, which was approved by the Senate Education committee with a 12-1 vote on the second day of session. The bill would provide 12 weeks of paid maternity leave to full-time school district employees in the state.
 
“I find that to be the most pro-life piece of legislation I can think of,” Pugh said. “Supporting new families and not putting them in a position where they have to choose either or. The amazing thing is it really has been this national bipartisan conversation on how to do that. I’d love for them to figure that out in Washington D.C., but I certainly think at a state level that should be something we prioritize.”
 
Baker referenced HB 3658 filed by Rep. Danny Sterling (R-Tecumseh), which would eliminate the Oklahoma General Education Test requirement to obtain an alternative teacher certification.
 
“In a perfect world, back when we had a lot of teachers and a lot of people going into education, it was a way almost to weed candidates out because there was such an influx,” Baker said. “We don’t have that influx anymore.”
 
Waldron said teacher certification and retention are among his education priorities for this session. He filed HB 3722, which would create a retention fund to pay teachers with a college teaching degree a $4,000 stipend every five years.
 
Another bill of interest on Waldron’s agenda is HB 3720, which he said would establish legislative intent to promote Holocaust education and set more detailed curriculum guidelines. HB 3721 would create an Oklahoma Holocaust Commission that, among other duties, would provide advice and assistance to schools in the state regarding anti-Semitism and the Holocaust.
Pro Tem Greg Treat’s school choice bill advances from Senate Education Committee
The Senate Education Committee on Tuesday approved President Pro Tempore Greg Treat’s school choice bill that empowers parents with more control over their child’s education.
 
The committee approved Senate Bill 1647, also known as the Oklahoma Empowerment Act, which would allow parents to use their child’s state education dollars to pursue a variety of schooling options to secure the best education possible for their children.
 
“The Oklahoma Empowerment Act gives parents more control over their child’s schooling by empowering them with the resources to find the right fit for their child’s education. Children from working families shouldn’t be relegated to a failing school simply because of where they live. Education is key to bringing generational change, and Senate Bill 1647 will empower all parents to find the best educational option for their child to succeed,” said Treat, R-Oklahoma City.
 
Senate Bill 1647 next moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.
 
The Education Committee also approved Treat’s Senate Bill 1592, which creates the Educators’ Professional Liability Insurance Program to provide a $1 million liability insurance policy to teachers statewide at no cost to them.
 
“Teachers are not immune from being the target of frivolous lawsuits. Providing teachers with liability insurance paid for by the state, gives good educators peace of mind they are protected should they be sued,” Treat said.
 
Senate Bill 1592 also next moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.
Jett to tackle social-emotional learning in Oklahoma schools
State Senator Shane Jett is taking aim at national organizations seeking to implement social-emotional learning (SEL) programs in the state’s public school system by filing Senate Bill 1442, which would prohibit public school districts or charter schools from using federal, state or private funds to promote, purchase or utilize the concepts of SEL.
 
The Shawnee Republican said organizations like Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), funded by leftist groups like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, have pushed programming in public schools to psychologically manipulate children and surveil Oklahoma families under the guise of addressing trauma.
 
“The SEL platform sounds admirable, with goals of addressing the social and emotional development needs of children, but the motives of these programs are actually much more sinister,” Jett said. “SEL’s actual objective is to condition children to prescribed behaviors and ‘anti-racist’ training, social justice posturing and the sexualization of minors, all under the guise of affirming feelings. SEL seeks to find ‘traumas’ in our children as a pretext to push anti-family, anti-logic and anti-reason philosophies and leftist political ideologies.”
 
Under the measure, SEL is defined as any evidence-based or non-evidence-based programming that promotes school and/or civic engagement, and/or builds an equitable learning framework that creates or uses evidence-based benchmarks, standards, surveys, activities, learning indicators, programs, policies, processes, professional development or assessments that address non-cognitive social factors, including self- awareness, social skills, attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, feelings, and emotions, among others; any evidence-based or non-evidence-based program, policy, process or procedure that uses school climate surveys to collect data from students according to skills that include, but are not limited to, education, confidence, connections, motivation, stress and/or well-being; or any evidence-based or non-evidence-based program, policy, or procedure that compiles and/or uses data from school climate surveys to develop aligned learning opportunities.
 
If the bill is passed and a parent or legal guardian with a child enrolled in a public or charter school believes a violation has taken place, they would report it to the county’s district attorney, who would then notify the Senate and House Education Committee chairs. If the chairs believe a violation has occurred, they would notify the State Department of Education, which would assess a financial penalty in the amount of five percent of the state aid allocation received by the school district or charter.
 
“We trust teachers to address the array of life experiences that children bring with them to the classroom, and they’ve done this from one-room schoolhouses until today,” Jett said. “What we don’t trust is the weaponized curriculum from suspect foundations draining our teachers’ precious classroom hours to surveil our families, while applying psychological programming on our children without parental consent.
 
“It’s unfair to expect our teachers to act as child therapists, and many of our educators have been discouraged due to student behavior in the classroom. Parents should be the ones addressing this behavior and being held accountable. These issues shouldn’t be treated by invasive surveys and prescribed tools created by leftist organizations.”
 
SB 1442 has been assigned to the Senate Education Committee and Appropriations Committee.
 
“SEL apologists have been instituting scare tactics and social media campaigns since I filed this measure, spreading falsehoods about extracurricular activities that would be illegal and other lies to incite anger among teachers and parents,” Jett said. “This measure has nothing to do with stripping our kids’ ability to participate in student organizations, or our teachers’ ability to be there for their students. It is strictly about ensuring radical organizations stay out of our classrooms and curriculum.”
Dills’ Charter School Bills Pass Committee
Rep. Sheila Dills, R-Tulsa, today won unanimous passage of a trio of bills in the House Common Education Committee that focus on modifying various aspects of the Oklahoma charter school law.
 
House Bill 3643 would update requirements for virtual charter school governing boards that contract with educational management organizations (EMOs), creating greater transparency for state funds. In addition, the State Board of Education would be authorized to demand repayment of any monies illegally expended by an EMO and to withhold any unreturned amount from state funding allocations.
 
House Bill 3644 would update oversight requirements for charter school sponsors and governing boards.
 
House Bill 3645 would update virtual charter school attendance and truancy policies.
“Charter schools – both brick-and-mortar and virtual – have a role in our public school offerings to expand choice and to meet the individual needs of students and their parents,” Dills said. “Unfortunately, however, we’ve had instances of outright fraud or abuse of taxpayer dollars when it comes to organizations that manage the administrative functions of these schools. These bills seek to tighten our laws, protecting public funds and increasing transparency over how they are expended. We also have a duty to ensure our students are receiving the public education promised them in our state Constitution.”
 
Dills held several studies during the interim that helped guide the legislation. It’s part of her ongoing effort to improve charter school law.
 
Public charter schools operate with greater flexibility than traditional schools under state law in exchange for greater accountability requirements. It’s these requirements that Dills has been intent on clarifying since taking public office. She’s been particularly focused on reform involving for-profit EMOS.
 
In 2019, she secured passage of House Bill 1395, which created greater oversight and increased transparency of the amount of taxpayer funding going to an EMO. The law change required the amounts being paid as well as a breakdown of all expenditures through the Oklahoma Cost Accounting System (OCAS). The owners of EMOs also now must make certain disclosures in public meetings.
The measures passed in committee today are now eligible to be considered by the full House.
Senate committee passes bill to remove state sales tax on groceries
A Senate panel on Tuesday passed a measure to eliminate the state sales tax on groceries.
 
Senate Bill 1495, by Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, passed the Senate Finance Committee by a vote of 12-0 and now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.
 
Treat said the measure would reduce to zero from 4.5% the state tax rate on groceries but would let municipalities and counties continue to tax groceries.
 
Oklahoma is one of 13 states that still has a state sales tax on groceries, said Treat, R-Oklahoma City.
 
Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said state records indicate that the measure’s fiscal impact on the state would be $305 million. She asked Treat if he thought that figure was accurate.
 
Treat said he was pretty certain that figure would be the ceiling, but he said the number could change as lawmakers work to determine what specifically in the category of groceries would be exempt.
 
Treat said the definition of groceries can vary from state to state, adding that it is subjective.
 
“If you are shopping in a large box store and buy a ladder and paint to do some home improvement, we want to ensure you are properly assessed on sales tax,” Treat said.
 
Treat said a decision needs to be made on prepared foods.
 
Treat said lawmakers did not want to create an unfair advantage for a grocery store offering prepared foods when a business next door may provide the same thing but is subject to the tax.
 
He said families are dealing with record inflation and need to be able to purchase basic necessities.
 
“I look forward to working with everyone to provide much needed tax relief to Oklahomans,” Treat said.
 
It takes a simple majority of legislators’ votes to get rid of or cut a tax, but should lawmakers find later that they need to reinstate the tax, they would be bound by the provisions of State Question 640, which requires a supermajority in both legislative chambers to increase taxes.
 
In related action, the panel passed a measure that would eliminate the 1.25% sales tax on vehicles.
 
Sen. Kim David, R-Porter, is the author of Senate Bill 1851, which now also heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.
 
David said the tax was reinstated in 2018 during a difficult budget year with understanding that it would be temporary.
 
The fiscal impact of the elimination would be $110 million for fiscal year 2023 and $165 million for fiscal year 2024, according to a revenue impact statement.
High court affirms employment-at-will doctrine
Fraudulently overcharging customers is a violation of Oklahoma law, but Oklahoma law also allows a fraudulent retailer to fire, without consequence, an employee who reports the alleged crime, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
 
The Oklahoma Supreme Court was asked to clarify state law for the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals as it took up Booth v. Home Depot.
 
Jeffrey Booth’s wrongful termination claim against his former employer hinged on the court’s answer to the question: Are Oklahoma’s consumer protection laws intended to protect public safety and welfare? If so, Booth should be protected as a whistleblower; if not, Booth’s employer may fire him for whatever reason it chooses.
 
“Oklahoma has long recognized the employment-at-will doctrine,” reads the court ruling. “An employer can discharge an employee for ‘good cause, no cause, or even for a morally wrong cause without being liable for a legal wrong.’”
 
However, if the employee is fired for a reason that conflicts with public policy – for instance, if the termination is based on discrimination, or in retaliation against an employee who refuses to take part in an unlawful act – that employee can sue for wrongful termination.
 
Booth was working as an installation service manager for Home Depot in Oklahoma when he noticed at a job site that the customer was being charged for materials that were not needed, according to the court record. Booth reported the overcharge to his supervisor, but the two disagreed over the charge. Booth challenged Home Depot’s policy to not issue refunds for unnecessary materials if the project does not go over budget, court records show.
 
The next day, Home Depot began an investigation over an email Booth had sent 10 days earlier critiquing a colleague’s work performance. The day after that, Booth was fired – just two days after reporting the overcharge. Booth claimed in court documents that his performance on the job was good, and that his employer’s investigation into a past email was a pretext for getting rid of him.
 
Booth claimed that overcharging customers violated the Oklahoma Home Repair Fraud Act, or OHRFA. He sued Home Depot for wrongful termination under Burk v. K-Mart Corp., which provides an at-will employee with an actionable claim if fired for a reason that conflicts with public policy.
 
Home Depot did not dispute that, if overcharging occurred, that action would be a violation of the OHRFA. However, Home Depot argued that violation of the act does not qualify as a violation of “public policy” sufficient to support a Burk claim.
 
The OHRFA and the Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act, or OCPA, exist to protect individuals who may encounter a fraudulent merchant from economic harm, the court found. Nothing in the acts serves to protect the public health, safety or welfare – the kind of violation required to support a Burk claim.
 
“The OHRFA and the OCPA protect specific individual consumers against fraud with criminal and civil remedies for those individual victims,” reads the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s answer to the appeals court’s question. “The Court will not expand our public policy exceptions to include protection from economic harm. Without a clear mandate from the legislature, the acts do not qualify as an established public policy.”
 
If the victim of the fraud was the entire population of Oklahoma, like in Darrow v. Integris Health Inc., wherein the state Medicare system was being defrauded, a Burk claim could apply, the court found. But individual economic harm is not considered a violation of public policy.
 
“Even if 100 or 1,000 customers were potentially harmed, the statutes are not in place to create a public policy against protecting the public in general from overcharge,” the court ruled.
Oklahoma lawmaker puts bill to ban vaccine mandates on hold after scrutiny from fellow Republicans
The author of a bill that would ban mandatory vaccine mandates as a condition of continued employment put the measure on hold Thursday following scrutiny from fellow Republicans.
 
Senate Bill 1128 by Sen. Blake Stephens, R-Tahlequah, would prohibit a person or company from mandating any vaccination, injection, shot or medication for a virus or disease as a condition of continued employment.
 
The bill is dubbed the “Employee Liberty and Freedom Act.”
 
But following intense questioning from Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, and Sen. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan, in the Senate Business, Commerce and Tourism Committee, Stephens agreed to lay over the bill.
 
Stephens said questions have come up at gatherings and meetings across the state from residents who are worried that their jobs may be in jeopardy because they refuse to be vaccinated.
 
He said the measure was intended to stop overreach. He said he introduced the bill from a conviction in his heart and to protect people.
 
Garvin noted that some injections have been required for decades, such as tests for tuberculosis, which require an injection. She asked: If health care workers were no longer required to be tested for TB, who would be held responsible if it spread?
 
Stephens said he was not sure.
 
Garvin said that if the measure passed, it would potentially shut down hospitals, nursing homes and clinics that are required by federal standards to have employees vaccinated or tested.
 
Paxton said the state could lose billions in federal dollars if the bill passed. He asked Stephens to consider the ramifications of his bill, such as the closure of rural hospitals.
 
Stephens said he didn’t know everything about the subject. He said it was a tough time to be a lawmaker and attempt to try to solve the world’s problems.
 
Paxton asked Stephens what part of the budget he was willing to use to backfill the billions of federal dollars lost should the measure pass.
 
He also asked Stephens whether he was willing to take the money from other agencies or raise taxes to pay for it.
 
“I know you are very fond of public education, and that is the biggest pot of money the state has that goes out in expenditures,” Paxton said. “Would you be willing to cut public education to keep hospitals open due to the ramifications of your bill?” Paxton asked.
 
Paxton said that given Stephens’ answers, it sounded like there were a lot of unknowns about the ramifications of the bill.
 
Paxton asked Stephens to lay over the bill so those questions could be answered.
Senate committee approves bill to add voter ID requirements to state Constitution
The Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved President Pro Tempore Greg Treat’s bill to add voter identification requirements to the state Constitution.
 
Treat’s Senate Joint Resolution 48 would send to a vote of the people a legislative referendum that would add the voter identification requirement currently in state statute to the Oklahoma Constitution. The measure maintains the Legislature’s ability to enact bills to specify the requirements for proof of identity for voting.
 
“Voter participation across the board is unfortunately low. Increasing voter participation is critical to safeguarding our democracy. Putting voter identification requirements that currently are only in statute into the state Constitution safeguards the integrity of our election process for generations to come. Adding voter ID requirements to the Constitution also can aid in increasing voter turnout by assuring Oklahomans their votes will be counted, and that our elections will continue to be safe and secure,” said Treat, R-Oklahoma City.
 
The bill next heads to the Senate floor for consideration.
House Subcommittee Approves Additional $30M for Roads, Bridges
A House subcommittee has given the first approval to a bill that would increase the amount of appropriations the County Improvements for Roads and Bridges Fund may receive by $30 million.
 
House Bill 3318 raises the maximum amount that can be apportioned to the County Improvements for Roads and Bridges Fund from motor vehicle revenue from $120 million to $150 million. The bill received a hearing before the House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee on Transportation on Monday afternoon.
 
"I was glad to hear the Governor's call for additional infrastructure funding during his State of the State address last week," said Miller, who chairs the House A&B Subcommittee on Transportation. "Investment in infrastructure is an investment in every single Oklahoman. The drivability and safety of roads and bridges greatly influences a community's ability to function and grow. We must continue in our efforts not only to maintain, but to improve and grow all of our infrastructure systems across the state."
 
HB 3318 passed 8-0 and is now eligible to be heard before the full House Appropriations & Budget Committee. The bill is authored in the Senate by Sen. Chris Kidd (R-Waurika).
CTE Priority Measures
OkACTE tracks and monitors legislative bills. These bills can vary from CareerTech education policy, common education policy, education funding, teacher pay raise, tax credits, licensing, Ad Valorem, retirement, state employee pay raise, guns, economic development and much more.

Of these bills, we've compiled a listing of CTE Priority Measures linked below.
LEGISLATIVE DEADLINES
FEB. 21 | House Bills & House Joint Resolutions from House Subcommittees Deadline

MARCH 3| Senate Measures from Senate Committees Deadline (Bills & Joint Resolutions)

MARCH 3 | House Measures from House Full/Standing Committees Deadline (Bills & Joint Resolutions)

MARCH 17 | Senate Third Reading Deadline (Senate Bills & Senate Joint Resolutions) (may move to March 24)

MARCH 24 | House Third Reading Deadline (House Bills & House Joint Resolutions)

APRIL 4 | House Deadline to Report Out of Subcommittees (Senate Bills & Senate Joint Resolutions)

APRIL 14 | House Measures from Senate Committees Deadline (Bills & Joint Resolutions)

APRIL 22 | Senate Measures from House Full A&B Committee Deadline (Senate Bills & Senate Joint Resolutions)

APRIL 28 | House & Senate Third Reading Deadline, Opposite Chamber (Bills & Joint Resolutions)

MAY 27 | Sine Die Adjournment (5:00 p.m.)