Last week marked the completion of the sixth week of the legislative session. There was a flurry of activity on the House and Senate floors as Thursday, March 14, marked the deadline for bills to be advanced from their house of origin. Any bill not passed by last week's deadline is now considered dead.
Today bills will cross over to be heard in committees in the opposite chamber. The deadline for Senate bills to be reported from House standing committees is April 11. The deadline for House bills to be reported from Senate committee is April 12.
We anticipate the House and Senate will have a short week next week to allow members with children to spend time with them over spring break.
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Patzkowsky Advances Oklahoma Career Tech Education Bill |
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Rep. Kenton Patzkowsky, R-Balko, secured the passage of a bill on Wednesday to create the Oklahoma Workforce Education Partnership Revolving Fund.
House Bill 3181 specifies that occupational data will determine the appropriate uses for the fund.
“Investing in our future means investing in education,” Patzkowsky said. “House Bill 3181 goes beyond expanding CareerTech education; it addresses the skilled workforce shortage in our state.”
Under the measure, the Legislature can appropriate funds. The resources will then be used to target critical needs of career technology education programs in the state.
Patzkowsky said the Oklahoma Workforce Education Partnership Revolving Fund can help Oklahoma’s skilled workforce meet growing business demands.
HB3181 passed the House 92 – 4 and now moves to the Senate, where Sen. Murdock, R-Felt, authors it.
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Senate advances bill designed to close loopholes in Oklahoma private school tax credit program |
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The Oklahoma Senate on Thursday passed a bill to close loopholes in a program that provides tax credits to parents to send students to private schools.
Senate Bill 1477, by Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, passed by a vote of 38 to 6 and heads to the House.
Signed into law last year, the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit program gives parents up to $7,500 per year for private school expenses, tuition and fees. It also provides $1,000 a year for parents who homeschool.
More than 30,000 have applied for it, of which about 16,700 applications have been approved, according to the Oklahoma Tax Commission. About $95 million has been disbursed.
An interpretation by the Oklahoma Tax Commission means the tax credit or a portion of it could go to pay back taxes owed by the parents and back child support, among other things, Treat said.
The measure is designed to close that loophole, Treat said.
Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, asked why Treat didn’t just exclude parents who owed back taxes or child support.
“It is not my desire to punish a child for the sins of their parents,” Treat said.
The measure also expands the program to allow for homeless students to participate, Treat said.
The measure was passed after Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, filibustered for more than an hour and a half by reading the entire bill on the Senate floor.
Dahm, who is term limited, filed several bills that didn’t get heard. He has filibustered in the past.
Dahm, who also serves as Oklahoma Republican Party chairman, voted for the measure.
His efforts managed to considerably slow down the process.
Thursday was the deadline for bills that originated in the Senate to pass out of the upper chamber.
Treat said he expected efforts by “dissidents” to “gum up the process.” One member approached him with a “ransom” list of bills some members wanted heard or they would take action to slow down the process, Treat said, adding that he didn’t “negotiate with terrorists.”
“I anticipate some more fireworks,” Treat said. “That is all it is — a distraction.”
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Lawmakers attempt to tackle Oklahoma child care crisis with new business, provider tax credits |
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House lawmakers on Tuesday approved the creation of two new tax credits designed to bolster the state’s struggling child care industry and help sidelined parents reenter the workforce.
Suzanne Schreiber, D-Tulsa, said House Bill 4147 is designed to increase capacity in a highly regulated industry that doesn’t have enough supply to meet demand and is often cost-prohibitive for parents.
“Those two things meeting are really keeping a lot of people out of the workforce,” Schreiber said. “Child care is a workforce industry, and we have to pull every lever that we can to increase affordability.”
Schreiber’s bill, which advanced by an 86-8 vote, would create a tax credit for Oklahoma employers who share in the cost of child care with employees. Businesses would receive a 30% tax credit — capped at $30,000 annually — if they either give employees direct money to help pay for child care costs, purchase spots at a third-party facility or operate their own. The tax credit would be capped at $5 million annually.
The measure also offers a $1,000 refundable tax credit for child care employees who are working in a licensed facility, have all licensing and certifications up to date, and have worked in the field for eight months or more, Schreiber said. That credit would be capped at $14 million a year.
She also has a second bill — House Bill 1808 — that would continue COVID-19 program providing free child care to the children of employees working in licensed centers. Schreiber expects it to receive a full House vote later in the week.
“We have to incentivize, recruit, retain our workforce,” Schreiber said.
She said the state already offers other tax credits and recruitment and retention initiatives in other industries.
“When we’re not doing that in the child care workforce, we’re shorting every other industry,” Schreiber said.
AJ Griffin, CEO of the Potts Family Foundation, which advocates for sustainable early childhood initiatives, said anything that helps providers and workers is helpful, but the plan is “not a silver bullet that will solve the shortage crisis.”
Griffin said she grappled with child care issues when she became a mother. Both her children are now adults.
“This has been a brewing crisis for the last 20 years, but it’s finally got the attention of the business community because it’s impacting their labor force so significantly,” she said.
She said legislatures across the country are trying to fill the gap between child care supply and demand, and Oklahoma is not alone in passing policies aimed at encouraging employers to provide access.
“It’s an industry that our current financial model just doesn’t work for parents, for providers,” Griffin said. “It’s not necessarily working for the government. It’s going to take all kinds of approaches to solve the problem. It’s not (going) to solve it, but it certainly won’t hurt.”
An October study released by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber estimated Oklahoma loses $1.2 billion in earnings, productivity and revenue annually due to the child care crisis.
The study reported that about 2.3 million women nationally have left the workforce since the COVID-19 pandemic began, many to care for children.
An additional 99,000 women would be in Oklahoma’s workforce if their participation rates equaled that of men, the study found.
Of Oklahoma City workers, 27% reported they couldn’t find affordable child care, 22% couldn’t access it because daycares were at capacity, and 86% reported their employers did not provide any related benefits.
Over half of Oklahomans live in child care deserts, the 15th worst percentage in the country, according to the Center for American Progress.
Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, who voted against the credits, said he would support them if stay-at-home mothers were also eligible.
“I understand child care is expensive, money is short for many people,” he said. “But what this can inadvertently do is if you’ve got a couple with children, and they’re really wondering what they should do, this could push her out into the workforce, when arguably, at least in some cases, it’s actually better for the children if the woman chose to stay home if they were inclined that way.”
Chad Warmington, president and CEO of The State Chamber of Oklahoma, said Oklahoma can’t have the workforce it wants if it doesn’t have the infrastructure in place to support it.
“We view child care as workforce infrastructure. Oklahoma has lost a thousand daycares in the last 10 years,” he said in a statement. “We have to be purposeful and thoughtful about addressing the shortage of child care around the state of Oklahoma. HB 4147 is certainly a big step in the right direction.”
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Oklahoma could require extra math course to graduate high school |
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Oklahoma students could be required to take a fourth math credit to graduate high school, but they would have an extra year to complete it, if a new proposal becomes law.
The state House overwhelmingly approved a measure on Wednesday in a 95-2 vote to add a fourth math credit to graduation requirements. House Bill 3278 would allow students to begin taking high school credits in eighth grade.
The bill would take effect in the 2025-26 school year. It now advances to the Senate for consideration.
Two of the credits would have to be Algebra I and either Algebra II or geometry. The other two credits must be any math course with “content and/or rigor above Algebra I.”
This could include traditional upper-level courses like Algebra II, geometry, trigonometry, calculus and statistics. Schools also could apply a math credit to a postsecondary career and technology program or to a course that teaches math through real-world application.
In Oklahoma City Public Schools, this could mean an HVAC or construction trade class could count as a math credit, if the local school board approves it, said Superintendent Sean McDaniel during a Monday board meeting.
“It would make sense because of the amount of math that kids will use in those pathways that we might be able to award credit,” McDaniel said.
Existing requirements to complete four credits of English language arts, three credits of laboratory science and three credits of history would be unchanged.
Six high school credits would have to relate to a student’s aspirations after high school, under the bill.
Oklahoma students already have to create an Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) to prepare for entering college, the military or the workforce. The bill would mandate that six courses, or “pathway units,” correspond to students’ ICAP goals.
Mandatory courses in English, math, science and history would count toward these credits. Students also could fulfill the requirement by taking a world language, computer technology, fine arts, Advanced Placement credits, college concurrent enrollment or Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC), among other options.
The bill’s author, Rep. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon, said the measure encourages students to take classes that are most relevant to their career goals.
“We are revamping this so that their pathway will fit whatever they deem necessary and important to them,” she said during discussion on the House floor.
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Senators unanimously agree to boost Oklahoma’s sexual consent age to 18 |
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The Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would increase the age for sexual consent.
Senate Bill 615, by Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, passed by a vote of 41-0 and heads to the House.
The measure would increase the age to 18 from 16 for someone to consent to sex.
Hamilton said the measure would give a child two more years of protection from a predator.
“It is our duty to protect Oklahoma’s children,” Hamilton said. “Countless sickening instances have occurred across the state with predators targeting 16 and 17-year-old children and escaping legal ramifications because of the age of consent.”
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Bill to raise teacher salaries hits dead end, but Oklahoma lawmakers mull other ways to increase school employee pay |
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A bill to raise Oklahoma teachers’ salaries for a second year in a row is dead, but other wage-boosting measures are still advancing at the state Capitol.
Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, said his bill to increase teacher salaries by $1,500 to $3,000 would cost more than his education funding subcommittee had to spend. A fiscal impact study of Senate Bill 1313 found it would add $143.56 million in recurring expenses each year.
For that reason, the “bill did not progress,” Pugh said at a Wednesday meeting with the Senate Appropriations Committee. The legislation failed to meet a committee vote deadline last month and wasn’t included in the appropriations committee’s budget plan last week.
The state Legislature spent $286 million last year to raise salaries for all teachers in the state. The raises ranged from $3,000 to $6,000, depending on years of experience.
Another measure could pay certain teachers an extra $35,000.
House Bill 4017, the “Return to Teach Signing Bonus Act,” would pay annual bonuses of $7,000 for five years. Teachers with at least three years of experience who have been out of public schools for five years would qualify. They would have to pledge to return to the classroom for at least five more years.
The bill passed a bipartisan House vote 79-16. It now advances to the Senate, where Pugh is the chamber’s author.
Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, said he co-wrote HB 4017 with Rep. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon, to fix a “flawed” signing bonus program at the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
The state Education Department gave teachers $15,000 to $50,000 in signing bonuses if they agreed to move to Oklahoma or return to teaching in certain high-need areas.
The agency gave the full bonus amount upfront, raising concerns when it attempted to claw back tens of thousands of dollars from teachers it had paid in error.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters said the incorrect payments affected four teachers out of over 500 the program had recruited to Oklahoma schools, though his administration had previously informed news media that at least nine people received payments for which they didn’t qualify.
McBride’s bill would pay bonuses in annual installments and would require yearly reviews to ensure eligibility.
“The State Department of Education did wonderful work in recruiting more than 500 teachers to return to Oklahoma public school classrooms,” McBride said in a statement Friday. “But this legislation puts some safeguards in place to address some issues with the way the former bonus was crafted. This will protect these teachers going forward so they can still be rewarded for choosing to help our kids but without the fear that their bonus could be clawed back.”
Pugh also proposed giving a $2,500 stipend to all support staff employed by public schools. A Senate fiscal impact study found it would cost $99.67 million, he said. Pugh initially had estimated it might cost about $85 million.
The Legislature never has directly set support staff wages, he said, unlike teachers whose minimum salaries are outlined in state law. However, Pugh said many support personnel — like classroom paraprofessionals, bus drivers and custodial workers — felt left out of last year’s $625 million increase to school funding and educator pay.
Districts had the option to use the added funds to increase support employee wages, but it wasn’t required.
Support employees would take home about $2,000 after taxes next school year, should the stipends be approved.
“I’m trying to balance not being in the salary business but wanting to recognize the hard work that those men and women have done,” Pugh said.
The Senate Appropriations Committee agreed last week to include the stipends in its overall budget recommendations.
It’s unclear whether the idea will gain traction in the House.
Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, didn’t indicate whether his Republican majority caucus would support the stipends or another across-the-board increase to teacher salaries.
“These proposals have not been presented to the House yet, but when they are, we will discuss as a Caucus how to proceed,” McCall said in a statement.
Social Media Age-Limit Bill Passes House
Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, today passed a bill in the House that would limit social media accounts for youth.
House Bill 3914 would require social media companies to verify account holders are over the age of 18 or to confirm parental consent for those aged 16 to 18.
“We know that social media is incredibly harmful to teens and that social media platforms have intentionally targeted our children through the use of algorithms,” Caldwell said. “While the dangerous effects of social media are felt by all ages and all sexes, social media is especially harmful for teenage girls as demonstrated by rates of self-harm and anxiety increasing by 100% and 140% respectively.”
In October 2023, Oklahoma joined 40 other states and the District of Columbia by filing suit against a social media platform for knowingly using features on its platforms that caused children to use them compulsively through powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens.
“The real question isn’t whether or not social media is a danger to our children, but rather how do we best regulate these dangerous platforms,” said Caldwell. “I want to be clear, this bill in no way targets the content that is found on social media. Instead, we are simply taking the necessary steps to protect our children from an addictive product that is verifiably dangerous to children and teenagers just like we do with alcohol, tobacco, adult websites, gambling, etc.”
The measure states that “nothing in the bill should be construed to limit the content found on social media platforms or prohibit minors from posting content on other platforms, digital or otherwise, that they legally have access to.”
Caldwell said he hopes House Bill 3914 is the start and hopefully the continuation of a conversation that is happening all over the country. He said similar measures have passed in several states, most recently in Florida, and there is pending bipartisan federal legislation as well.
The bill now advances to the Senate where it is authored by Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore.
The bill contains an emergency clause meaning it would take effect immediately after being signed into law by the governor.
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Senate approves legislation to reduce use of virtual school days |
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Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, has received approval for legislation to reduce the number of virtual days held by Oklahoma public and charter schools. Under the provisions of Senate Bill 1768, virtual instruction would only take place in the event of inclement weather, staff shortages, illness, building maintenance issues, or if deemed necessary by school administrators.
“It is alarming that some schools across the state are engaging in remote learning for 20 to 30 days out of the school year,” Thompson said. “This is not only a misuse of the taxpayer dollars that are intended to fund quality in-person education, but it is also a disservice to students as they are receiving little or no instruction on virtual days.”
Thompson’s legislation also provides parameters for schools to follow when virtual days are needed due to poor weather conditions or other circumstances. Under SB 1768, school districts would be required to provide a minimum of five and a half hours of instruction to K-8th students and six hours to high school students. Additionally, more than half of the online or digital instruction must be synchronous.
“This issue doesn’t just relate to education. This is a workforce issue as well,” Thompson said. “Studies show that when children are out of school and need parental supervision, mothers are often the ones who must leave their work. This measure ensures that parents, especially moms, are not negatively impacted in their career, and our state’s workforce is not depleted due to unnecessary virtual days.”
SB 1768 is now eligible for consideration by the House of Representatives.
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House Passes Bill to Update School Emergency Communication Systems |
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Rep. Ross Ford, R-Broken Arrow, this week passed legislation in the House that would allow school districts to acquire communications and alarm systems that can be used between schools, counties, municipalities and law enforcement departments in the event of emergencies or school shootings.
House Bill 3860 would create the School Safety Interoperability Fund that would be administered by the Department of Public Safety.
“This would allow school districts to purchase radio and camera systems that can interact with local law enforcement departments and others to help them respond quickly should an emergency arise,” Ford said. “When these systems are in place, an officer can literally flip a switch and render instructions and assistance while en route to the school.”
Ford, a former police officer and director of school security, said the systems could save lives when minutes count.
Ford also passed several additional measures in the House this week.
House Bill 3858 would modify the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement system, keeping the state in line with IRS requirements on the required minimum distribution age, and raising the penalties from 1.5% to 5% for late contributions to the system.
House Bill 3862 would limit claw-backs by insurance companies when pre-authorization for medical procedures or services has been granted. Non-compliance with specified deadlines would result in health care services being deemed authorized.
The measures now move to the Senate for consideration.
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McBride Passes Bill to Fund Higher Ed Deferred Maintenance Projects |
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Rep. Mark McBride on Tuesday passed legislation in the House that would apportion funding to address deferred maintenance needs at state colleges and universities.
House Bill 4013 would apportion $140 million annually for five years beginning in fiscal year 2025, to replace aging infrastructure within state higher education institutions.
“I’ve traveled to almost every school in the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education and found needs stretching from replacement of boilers and AC units, to roofs, to schools that have good bones but maybe they need to remodel some of their interiors so students have a better learning environment,” McBride said.
He stressed the funds are not for new buildings or facilities, but to take care of the maintenance on what currently exists within the state’s higher education system. He likened the five-year plan to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s successful eight-year plan for maintaining state highways and bridges.
House Bill 4013 would create the Higher Education Capital Financing Fund and also establish the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education Capital Needs Evaluation Committee. The committee would oversee how money is spent and evaluate and report on infrastructure and construction needs, project priorities, cost estimates, completion timelines, and the status of funded projects.
Appointees to the committee would come from the governor, House and Senate leadership as well as from the Boards of Regents for the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, the Regional University System of Oklahoma, and from two-year non-system-affiliated public colleges.
McBride said he’s told the regents that going forward when they accept money for new buildings or projects, they need to set aside at least 5% for future maintenance needs just as a good management practice. But he also pointed to past Legislatures that cut funding to higher education, leaving the system lagging in the area of addressing maintenance needs. The system is currently still below funding levels in 2010, he said.
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Ballot Proposal Would Allow Former Teachers to Reenter Classroom After Leaving Legislature |
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Oklahomans could soon see a ballot question that, if approved, would allow former teachers to return to the classroom after leaving political office.
Currently, the Oklahoma Constitution prohibits a former legislator from holding a state-paid job for two years after leaving public office. House Joint Resolution 1002, authored by Rep. John Talley, R-Stillwater, would amend the Oklahoma Constitution to exempt legislators who are returning to teach.
“While this provision in the Oklahoma Constitution is well-intentioned to prevent government corruption, it also means that former teachers who served in the Legislature have to sit by for two years before they can teach again, even though Oklahoma is facing a teacher shortage,” Talley said. “There’s unique perspectives and experiences that come with serving as a legislator that these teachers could share with students who are our future leaders. I’m glad for the broad support of this bill and I hope to see this passed quickly so Oklahomans can make their opinion known.”
HJR1002 passed the House 72-11 and is authored in the Senate by Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City. If passed by the Senate, it would be sent to the Secretary of State to be placed on a statewide ballot.
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Saying the law is clear, Stitt vetoes bill that would clarify dual office-holding dispute |
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With a dispute over dual office-holding still unresolved, Gov. Kevin Stitt struck down a bill attempting to clarify the agriculture commissioner’s ability to also serve on the governor’s Cabinet.
Stitt called Senate Bill 1196 well-meaning but “duplicative and unnecessary” in a veto message issued Tuesday.
The bill would have explicitly permitted the commissioner of agriculture to be appointed as a secretary on the governor’s Cabinet. It also would permit any member of a higher education institution’s governing board to also serve as a Cabinet secretary.
Stitt said the “law is already clear.”
Blayne Arthur, who leads the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and sits on the Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents, also is Stitt’s agriculture secretary.
She and licensing and regulation secretary Susan Winchester are the only sitting Cabinet members the bill would have absolved from a recent dispute with the attorney general. Winchester holds a position on the Board of Regents for the Regional University System of Oklahoma.
“The Governor can choose his cabinet from among the agency directors,” Stitt said in a statement Tuesday. “It was clear in 2019 when I hired Blayne Arthur as Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and it was clear in 2019 and again in 2023 when I chose her as my Secretary of Agriculture.”
An opinion from Attorney General Gentner Drummond raised similar questions over two other Cabinet members: tourism secretary Shelley Zumwalt, who also leads the state Department of Tourism and Recreation, and human services secretary Dr. Deborah Shropshire, the director of the state Department of Human Services.
Drummond’s legally binding opinion focused on Department of Transportation head Tim Gatz, who also led the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and served as Stitt’s transportation secretary.
The attorney general found this violated state laws that prohibit holding more than one office at the same time. Gatz resigned from the turnpike authority and the governor’s Cabinet.
Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell also resigned as Stitt’s secretary of workforce development.
The governor, Arthur, Zumwalt and Shropshire sued the attorney general to challenge the opinion. The lawsuit, filed in Oklahoma County District Court, contends Drummond’s opinion thwarts the “decades-long, lawful tradition of governors being able to appoint cabinet Secretaries from amongst agency heads.”
Winchester is not a plaintiff in the case.
Drummond has said he stands behind his opinion.
“The Governor could have approved these exemptions and allowed his appointees to continue serving without any uncertainty regarding their proper status,” Drummond said in a statement Tuesday. “However, his veto makes clear that he is more interested in pursuing needless litigation than working with policymakers to solve the problem.”
The state Legislature could override the governor’s veto if it passes SB 1196 again with a two-thirds majority vote.
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Oklahoma state Sen. Nathan Dahm slows state’s budget resolution with filibuster |
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Work on the floor of the Oklahoma Senate abruptly stopped Thursday after one of its members from Broken Arrow began a filibuster.
State Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, spent nearly two hours Thursday morning reading each page of Senate Bill 1477, a 74-page document. The measure, written by Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat, changed an education tax credit.
Dahm’s move slowed legislative work to a crawl and was an attempt to force the Senate’s leadership to consider measures by Dahm and other members of the far-right caucus.
“I believe he’s upset because his bills didn’t get heard,” Treat said Thursday afternoon. “He’s advocating for several bills, his and some by others.”
At times, Dahm spoke to an almost empty chamber. Still, his maneuver, allowed under the Senate’s rules, slowed efforts by Senate leadership to finalize work on a budget resolution. Thursday was the deadline for all measures to be heard in their House of origin. Treat said the Senate hopes to finish and vote on budget resolution by Monday.
Later Thursday afternoon Dahm, who also serves as chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party, stopped talking.
The chair called for a vote. The measure passed the Senate on a 38-6 vote, with Dahm voting in favor of the bill. Four members were excused and did not vote.
Treat: Filibuster a distraction of Senate’s work
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Treat said he first began hearing rumors “about dissidents who wanted to gum up the process,” earlier this week. He said wasn’t shocked by the Dahm’s move.
“I kinda get the feeling that Senator Dahm may (have) just had a problem with school choice,” Treat said. “Because he hasn’t been doing much on these last few bills.”
Treat said a member of the Senate approached him with a way to end the filibuster. “They came to me with basically a ransom list of bills. It was ‘basically if you hear these, stop doing it,’” he said. “That’s not the way I choose to lead here. I’ve been here all week. My cellphone hasn’t changed. For them to pull this is not productive.”
Treat said moves such as the filibuster were nothing more than a distraction and the Senate’s work would continue. He said the Senate passed several major pieces of legislation this week, including measures to tweak last year’s school choice legislation, a bill that required officials to consider domestic abuse when sentencing and another measure that required the governor to notify members of the legislature when he was out of state.
Still, even with Dahm’s filibuster and earlier efforts to disrupt the GOP caucus’ selection of a new pro tempore and social media attacks of Senate leadership, Treat said he remained positive about the remainder of the legislative session.
“I assume they will try to do this on other deadlines or at other times,” he said. “But members get tired of this pretty quick. I’ve been around the building a long time and these tactics have been employed before.”
But Treat added, he hadn’t seen a member like Sen. Dusty Deevers who, Treat said, posted on X and bragged about gumming the system up for “what he believed was a righteous cause.”
“We’ve got robo calls coming into my office,” he said. “If people don’t know in my 14th year that I don’t respond to these things and jump to because they are trying to threaten me, then they haven’t learned the lesson.”
Late Thursday afternoon, Dahm returned to his filibuster. During debate on Senate Bill 1980, Dahm began to read each page of the bill.
Treat, however, remained firm.
“It’s been a very productive week and a very productive session,” he said. Treat said the Senate was “hitting on all cylinders” until Thursday.
“Unfortunately, these things happen,” he said. “Unfortunately, the reward system in today’s social media — even if you are ineffective like these members are — they will still get rewarded by social media. They will be able to use this for campaigns in the future. They will be able to say they stuck it to leadership. But it didn’t impact us one bit. They are in the vast minority of this caucus. The bills I cared about have gotten through. “
Ineffective or not, Dahm kept on talking. Late Thursday evening the Broken Arrow Republican, along with Deevers, continued to read the text of bills while a handful of lawmakers watched from the floor.
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‘Unanimous acclamation’: As part of new process, Senate budget resolution takes shape |
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After 50 minutes of conversation about slight changes based on advancing policy proposals, the Senate Appropriations and Budget Committee culminated its meeting this morning with a voice vote to turn a massive spreadsheet displayed on the room’s projector into a Senate budge resolution.
About two dozen senators exclaimed “aye,” and no senator said “nay.”
“A unanimous acclamation,” Chairman Roger Thompson said. “These are our beginning numbers. We are adjourned.”
The acclamation — which culminated weeks worth of committee meetings, questions and methodical considerations of individual policy proposals that carry fiscal impacts — will be crafted into a non-binding Senate resolution set for a floor vote next week as the upper chamber’s official negotiating position. At that point, Thompson said discussions with the chamber across the rotunda will begin in earnest, with House priorities considered again by the Senate Appropriations and Budget Committee and — ideally — worked into the broader framework.
“I understand there are drinking games going on about how many times I use the word ‘dynamic,’” Thompson (R-Okemah) said during Wednesday’s meeting. “But this is a dynamic process.”
Senate leaders have embarked on this unprecedented effort for fiscal transparency one year after tumultuous state budget negotiations drew frustrations from stakeholders. Throughout the first six weeks of this year’s session, House leaders have expressed skepticism about the Senate’s new process and have said their existing subcommittee process is transparent enough.
Last month, legislators already approved elimination of the state portion of the sales tax on groceries, reducing future annualized revenue collections by about $418 million.
“I want to remind everybody that we are still in the process of doing the budget, and it is a negotiated process,” Thompson said. “These are the Senate position numbers.”
Based on the Senate’s spreadsheet of accumulated appropriation proposals, most agencies would receive either flat budgets or slight increases for Fiscal Year 2025.
A significant use of one-time funds — about $600 million — is proposed for agencies such as the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, the State Department of Education and the Oklahoma Tax Commission. The Senate is also proposing an $18.5 million one-time increase to the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, as well as a $12.5 million increase for recurring dollars to reflect money deemed as savings under criminal justice reform meant to be redirected to mental health services under the passage of State Question 781.
According to senators’ priorities, another $600 million would go toward deferred maintenance projects at higher education institutions, state parks and other state assets. Funding long-awaited improvements to campus buildings has been a top priority for higher education leaders.
Under the Senate spreadsheet, more than $1 billion in cash — beyond statutory and constitutional reserves — would be retained for future years.
In addition, about $463 million of other funds senators intend to appropriate is unallocated in an effort to provide House members opportunities for their priorities. Of that, $166 million would be recurring revenue to spend year after year, while $297 million is additional one-time cash.
“As we begin to meet with the honorable House, we understand that their members are talking to their constituents, and they’ll have needs that we’ve not seen yet,” Thompson said. “While many of those have told me, ‘Yes, do what you want to do, we really don’t care. We’ll do what we want to do when we get (the numbers) over there,’ I have a sneaking suspicion that they’ve been watching the videos and they know the numbers real well.’”
Wallace: ‘We’re even now farther behind’
While Senate leaders appear pleased with how their new process is playing out, some House members have been less enthused and tempted to employ sarcasm when talking about their partners’ process across the rotunda.
Among lingering questions is whether the Senate and House even agree on the starting place for their respective spreadsheets, which so far have not been merged into one working document.
“The ‘transparent process’ did not include the House A&B chair or vice chair,” House Appropriations and Budget Chairman Kevin Wallace (R-Wellston) quipped Wednesday afternoon. “The budget process has always been transparent. We haven’t gotten a budget negotiation done, and to be honest with you, we’re even now farther behind, because there have been no meetings, and constitutionally that’s the only duty we have.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat (R-OKC) argued the opposite last week during a press availability.
“We’re way ahead as far as where everyone knows what is going to be the Senate priorities in the budget,” Treat said Thursday. “Often times in this process, the incentive heretofore has been to hold the cards as close to the vest (as possible) so you didn’t get leveraged by the House or governor because they knew this was going to be an important priority. We prioritized sunshine over leverage in this issue.”
Wallace said the Senate’s new process has been “entertainment to watch in the building.”
Asked about rumors the House might release some sort of budget spreadsheet of its own, Wallace declined to comment.
He did, however, address the concept of the Senate leaving about $463 million of funds unallocated on its spreadsheet for House consideration
“We all get elected the same way,” Wallace said. “So just do the math on that, and I find it interesting that any chamber would think that they can control 95 percent of it and say, ‘Hey, we’re willing to negotiate with you on 5 percent.’”
But Senate Appropriations and Budget Vice Chairman Chuck Hall (R-Perry) said senators realize the House has asks and priorities.
“This gives us an opportunity to address those. But I think the most important thing is that unlike in previous years, when the House has a request that is different than what we have in our resolution, then that difference will be discussed in a public venue in an appropriations (committee) meeting. What do we want to do? Do we want to honor that request? And do we have the reoccurring funds or the one-time funds to be able to do that? Or do we not want to honor that request?”
Asked about the Senate’s spreadsheet and looming resolution, House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols laughed.
“I don’t have any comment on the Senate’s budget process,” said Echols (R-OKC).
Hall said “an enormous amount of attention has been given to transparency.”
“The way that our subcommittee chairs have worked so hard and have been so engaged in this process from start to finish I think will pay dividends in future legislatures on how a budget should be presented, discussed and debated,” Hall said. “In the public eye, I think that brings a lot of value to the process and instills confidence in the budget process.”
Senate Minority Leader Kay Floyd (D-OKC) agreed.
“I think that we’re accomplishing the open and transparent, and I think that’s really great for the state. There’s a lot of input,” Floyd said. “And I’m very grateful that Sen. Treat and Sen. Thompson had put this together and stuck with it. I think it’s going to be a really good thing for the state.”
Wallace said one concern about the lack of meetings between himself and Thompson so far relates to agency requests for supplemental appropriations. At least 10 agencies have requested at least $40 million of additional funding to support their budgets for Fiscal Year 2024, which concludes June 30.
During Wednesday’s committee hearing, Thompson said some supplemental requests, such as funding for the Attorney General’s Office and the District Attorneys Council, have been included in the Senate’s spreadsheet that will be turned into a resolution by Monday.
Wallace scoffed at the notion.
“A resolution definitely doesn’t fund an agency or give a supplemental (appropriation),” Wallace said.
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Speaker McCall Tax Bills Pass House |
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Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, this week gained House passage of multiple bills he authored regarding Oklahoma’s tax structure and policy. The bills were in addition to tax policy legislation passed by the House earlier this session.
“I made a promise to Oklahomans when the grocery tax passed earlier this session that the House was not done delivering tax relief to our citizens,” McCall said. “This week, the House kept that promise. State savings are at record levels, our economic outlook as a state continues to rise and now is the time to allow Oklahomans to keep more of their hard-earned money. The House believes that principle, and that is reflected by the overwhelming number of votes these bills received.”
The legislation passed this week pertained to both corporate and personal income tax cuts.
HB 2948 phases out the corporate income tax over five years by reducing the amount of tax due each year by 20% increments beginning tax year 2024. By tax year 2028, 100% of corporate tax liability will be exempt. Corporations can choose to continue paying the tax if the elect to. The bill passed by a vote of 78-19.
HB 2949 establishes a path to completely eliminate the state income tax. Beginning tax year 2025, every year that the cumulative revenue growth is equal to or greater than $400 million revenue triggers to allow the personal income tax rate to be cut by .25 percent. When the tax rate has been reduced to 3 percent, the rate may be reduced further by .30 percent each year until the rate is zero and the personal income tax is completely phased out after 10 years. The bill passed by a vote of 75-19.
HB 2950 replaces the bracket system for personal income tax with a 4.75 percent flat tax beginning tax year 2025. The first $13,350 of income for single filers and $27,100 for joint filers, heads of households and qualifying widowers would not be taxed. The measure also establishes a path to completely eliminate the state income tax. Beginning tax year 2025, every year that the cumulative revenue growth is equal to or greater than $400 million revenue triggers to allow the personal income tax rate to be cut by .25 percent. When the tax rate has been reduced to 3 percent, the rate may be reduced further by .30 percent each year until the rate is zero and the personal income tax is completely phased out after 10 years. The bill passed by a vote of 74-21.
The bills will now be sent to the Senate for consideration.
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Senate approves bill to adopt permanent Daylight Saving Time |
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Senate Bill 1200 received approval from the full Senate Monday and provides that Oklahoma remain on Daylight Saving Time year-round should Congress pass legislation allowing states to choose whether or not to take part in the bi-annual time change. The bill’s author, Sen. Blake “Cowboy” Stephens, R-Tahlequah, has long advocated for locking the clock, citing the health and safety benefits of having an extra hour of light in the evenings.
“Following the time change over the weekend, countless Oklahomans are feeling the effects on their sleep, effectiveness at work, mental health, and in various other aspects of their life,” Stephens said. “I am appreciative of my colleagues who voted in favor of this measure, and echoed the voices of our state’s citizens who advocate for locking our state’s clock in DST, and doing away with the antiquated practice of resetting our clocks twice a year.”
SB 1200 now heads to the House of Representatives for further consideration. Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, serves as the House principal author of the measure.
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Hall bill to increase county roads funding clears full Senate |
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The Oklahoma Senate on Monday passed Senate Bill 1403 from Sen. Chuck Hall, R-Perry, to increase funding for county roads and highways.
SB 1403 proposes eliminating an existing cap on motor vehicle tax collections that limits the amount of funding counties receive for road maintenance and improvement. The cap was implemented in 2015 as a result of state budget shortfalls in order to increase funding going to the state Rebuilding Oklahoma Access and Driver Safety (ROADS) fund.
A portion of motor vehicle tax collections are apportioned to county road improvement funds. But once those accounts hit a cap, additional tax collections are diverted to the ROADS fund.
Hall said rural Oklahoma faces pressing infrastructure challenges due to deteriorating roads and growing maintenance costs.
“State finances have improved since 2015, necessitating changes to infrastructure funding,” Hall said. “Everyone is struggling due to high inflation. Counties are no different. Counties, especially those in rural areas, need all the funding they can get as the cost of road maintenance and improvements continue to increase.”
Fiscal estimates show an additional $8.9 million would be apportioned to county roads funds next year if SB 1403 becomes law. The bill now advances to the House for consideration.
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Senate passes Bullard bill to fund local water, wastewater improvements |
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The Oklahoma Senate on Monday passed a bill from Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, that would earmark $125 million for much-needed water and wastewater infrastructure projects in localities across the state.
Senate Bill 1331 directs the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to establish a program to provide loans to municipalities and rural water districts seeking matching funds for water or wastewater improvement projects. The state would provide $125 million in initial funding for the program.
Half of the funds would be reserved for approved projects in municipalities or counties with less than 30,000 people. The remaining funds would be allocated to mid-sized municipalities or those with more than 400,000 people.
Interest from the loans will go back into the Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Investment Revolving Fund, which will help the fund grow, Bullard said.
“Leveraging our tax dollars in this manner makes them go further for crucial infrastructure projects,” Bullard said. “These water and wastewater projects are essential for Oklahoma residents, and improving our aging water infrastructure can also serve as an economic driver to recruit more businesses to the state.”
Bullard said Oklahoma counties and municipalities collectively have more than $17 billion in water and wastewater infrastructure needs.
“This is a long-term solution to address the needs of many localities across Oklahoma,” Bullard said. “Their struggle to fund critical water and wastewater infrastructure projects is real and approaching dangerous levels.”
SB 1331 is now eligible to be heard in the House.
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House bill reverses vote of the people on criminal justice reform |
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The Oklahoma House on Wednesday voted to reverse the will of the people.
House Bill 3694, by Rep. John George, R-Newalla, reverses a portion of State Question 780, which voters approved in 2016 by 58.23%.
State Question 780 reclassified some non-violent drug and theft crimes from felonies to misdemeanors and was aimed at reducing the prison population.
It raised the dollar amount to $1,000 from $500 for theft to be classified as a felony.
House Bill 3694 reverses that, lowering the threshold back to $500.
George said thefts have dramatically increased since the state question passed.
“If you don’t steal anything, will this bill affect you in any way, shape or form?” asked Rep. Trey Caldwell, R-Lawton.
“No,” George said.
George said he was not concerned with the prison population, but was focused on keeping people and property safe.
A significant amount of retail theft could put a mom and pop store out of business, he said.
“People are tired of having half of the stuff they want to buy locked up because they can’t keep it on the shelf,” George said.
Rep. Jason Lowe, D-Oklahoma City, said the Legislature is moving backwards. Previously, lawmakers were decreasing the punishments for these types of crimes, Lowe said.
Lowe said the state needs to properly fund diversion programs.
“We are representatives of the people,” said Rep. Mauree Turner, D-Oklahoma City. “This was a state question passed by the people.”
George said law-abiding citizens need to be protected.
“A yes vote is smart on crime,” George said. “A no vote is soft on crime.”
The measure passed along party lines by a vote of 78-20 and heads to the Senate for consideration.
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Oklahoma lawmakers attempt to set further restrictions on motorists who linger in left lanes |
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Some state lawmakers say it’s time to limit how long vehicles can drive in the left lane.
While state law already generally forbids vehicles from driving in that lane except to overtake and pass a vehicle, House Bill 3452 seeks to place a maximum limit on how long people can linger there and take to pass each other.
Under the measure, tractor trailers have two minutes to pass while smaller vehicles like cars and pickups would only have one.
“The ultimate goal is to cut down on the road rage, and so if left lane violations are a significant contributor to that, we want to cut those down and bring down the road rage and keep people safe,” said. Rep. Jeff Boatman, R-Tulsa, the measure’s author.
Boatman said the state has seen a rise in road rage incidents. The primary causes of those are merge problems and people impeding traffic flow in the left lane, he said.
“People get mad because somebody pokes along in front of them or cuts them off,” he said.
He said Oklahoma law enforcement writes about 80,000 speeding tickets a year, but only issues about 50 left lane violation tickets.
Boatman said law enforcement officers told him there’s not an objective definition of what left lane impeding is. Enforcement by county varies, he said.
He said the measure drops the fine for left lane violators from $550 to $250.
“There’s no officer out there that wants to give somebody a $550 ticket with the exception of people parking in handicapped spots. That one you can feel good about,” Boatman said.
He said estimates indicate that it should only take about 30 seconds for a car to execute a passing maneuver and about twice that for a semi.
“This just sets in place some objective parameters so that if they feel like there’s a violation and do write the ticket, they have the ability to back it up,” Boatman said.
Rep. Mark Lepak, R-Claremore, said he was pulled over and issued a warning for driving too long in the left lane. He said he had passed another driver and waited a few miles to get back over.
Lepak said he voted against the measure because it adds an additional requirement to an existing prohibition.
“At some point, we need to let human beings exercise their judgment,” he said.
But Rep. Ross Ford, R-Broken Arrow, said he supports the bill because law enforcement can’t write those tickets because prosecutors won’t file cases. Ford said that’s because there’s not a timeframe in state law. He also likes that it reduces the fine by $350.
Ford, who previously worked 13 years as a Tulsa police officer, said he was traveling to the Capitol on Monday when he encountered a pickup pulling a large trailer that impeded the left lane for miles and miles.
A trooper happened to be following behind, Ford said.
“Finally after about eight minutes, he lit them (his lights) up and pulled him over,” Ford said. “I don’t know if he received a ticket or not, but he was just impeding the flow of traffic.”
The bill, which passed 70-23 on Monday, heads to the Senate.
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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.
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