A Note from Mike
The Oklahoma Legislature completed the opposite body of origin deadline on Thursday, April 22nd (third deadline). Any bills that did not pass from either the House or Senate will not advance unless they are proceeding to a conference committee. As the legislature makes the transition to focus on the state budget we will be working with our coalition partners (AOGC, Asphalt Assoc., Concrete Assoc., Aggregates Assoc., etc.) to get the $180 million put back into the ROADS funds and if we can get it replace with cash it would eliminate anymore bond payments.
Exciting News! Governor Stitt signed HB 2234 which creates the Driving on Road Infrastructure with Vehicles of Electricity (DRIVE) Act of 2021. The measure levies a $0.03 tax per kilowatt hour or its equivalent on the electric current used to charge or recharge the battery or batteries of an electric vehicle beginning January 1, 2024. The Governor also signed HB 1934 which provides that any provision in a design professional services agreement which requires an entity or its insurer to indemnify or otherwise hold harmless another entity against liability arising from death or bodily injury, or damage to property, due to negligence or fault of the entity or its agents is void and unenforceable. Both of these bills were requested and supported by ACEC OKLAHOMA and through our advocacy efforts they have been successfully adopted into Oklahoma law. Our other request bill, SB 748 (Peer Review) privileges the reports, statements, memoranda, proceedings, findings and other records submitted to or generated by a design professional peer reviewer or review committee. These would be exempt from discovery, subpoena or other means or legal compulsion for release, and would be inadmissible as evidence in a judicial or administrative proceeding was just signed today by Governor Stitt. Representative Martinez, Senator Jech and Senator Paxton served as excellent authors dedicated to supporting a pro-business environment for engineering professionals.
Important Legislative Deadlines:
Deadline for rejecting Senate Amendments (SAs) to House measures and requesting conference Thursday, May 13, 2021
Deadline for submitting all first Conference Committee Reports (CCRs) on House Measures to the Chief Clerk's Office Tuesday, May 18, 2021 4:30 pm
Deadline for completion of all House standing conference committee meetings Thursday, May 20, 2021 12:00pm
Deadline for submitting all second and subsequent CCRs on House measures to the Chief Clerk’s Office Thursday, May 20, 2021 2:00 pm
Sine Die Adjournment (No Later Than 5:00 p.m.) Friday, May 28, 2021 NLT 5:00 pm
We had a great General Meeting with Senator Lankford as the guest speaker, and we have expressed our appreciation for his efforts on PPP and FAR challenges our industry is struggling to navigate. He is committed to supporting our efforts to fix this situation. I am looking towards the future of ACEC OKLAHOMA as we develop and strengthen our critical relationships with key stakeholders and Oklahoma leaders.
-Mike Thompson- President & CEO
