This last week was a DOOZY. It was the third week of session, which means all bills have one week remaining to be heard in committee before Thursday’s deadline . 23rd and Lincoln also saw a variety of visitors this week - including advocates from Moms Demand Action, abortion abolitionists and pro-choice advocates, anti-vaxxers and pro-vaxxers, and a group of bikers that had the audacity to tell Liz to smile more amid the chaos (it didn't go over well).

We’ve had some long days with packed committee agendas, so we’re going to give you a quick rundown of what happened with some of the (thousands of) bills we're tracking, along with a quick note about what comes next.
First, progress on our priority bills:

SB1253 : Hooray! Our bill passed out of the Senate Education Committee with only one nay vote. This bill would promote student health and relationship education in schools. Next week, the bill heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Be sure to contact the members of this committee early next week and tell them to vote YES!

HB1298 , which would prevent the state from suspending, revoking, or refusing to renew driver’s licenses for unpaid fines and fees, passed the House Public Safety Committee with a vote of 11-1. This important legislation is now eligible to be heard on the House floor.

SJR25 : We expect this ERA ratification resolution to be heard in the Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday, but we can’t be sure. Contact Senator Jech , the committee chair, and ask him to hear this bill by adding it to Wednesday's agenda. Freshen up on your ERA talking points here .
Here are some updates on bills we’re watching and supporting (get ready, there's a lot, which is awesome):

SB1427 , authored by Senator John Montgomery, would allow victims of domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking to terminate a lease without penalty. It would also allow the landlord to hold the perpetrator civilly liable for any economic loss incurred as a result of the early termination. This bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and is now eligible to be heard on the Senate floor.

SB1823 , a.k.a. Shepherd’s Law, would create the Advisory Committee on Midwifery and guidelines for the licensure and practice of certified midwives. This bill, authored by Senator Brenda Stanley, passed the Senate Health & Human Services Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee. It is now eligible to be heard in the full Senate.

HB3028 , which would increase the safe recovery and disposal of used syringes and sharp waste and reduce the spread of infectious diseases related to injection drug use, passed the House Public Safety Committee with a vote of 7-5. Authored by Representative Carol Bush, is now eligible to be heard in the full House.

HB3640 , or Handle With Care, would allow law enforcement to contact a student’s school in order to inform the school that the student had been involved in a potentially traumatic incident. The school would then be able to exercise trauma-informed care to ensure that student receives adequate support while at school. This bill, authored by Representative Cyndi Munson, passed the House Public Safety Committee unanimously.

HB2848 , authored by Representative Daniel Pae, passed the House Public Safety Committee and is now eligible to be heard by the full House. This bill would provide training for law enforcement on missing and murdered indigenous people.

HB3892 would require law enforcement to “collect detailed biographical and contact infomration for all involved parties, including the reporting party, any alleged suspects and the alleged missing or involved child.” Authored by Representative Merleyn Bell, this bill passed the House Public Safety Committee and is now eligible to be heard by the full House.

HB3357 , which would have rolled back the “constitutional carry” policy signed by the governor last year, failed in committee and is not eligible to continue this session. To learn more about the link between this policy and domestic violence -- and the reasons we supported HB3357 -- click here . HB3357 was authored by Representative Jason Lowe.
Next, updates on bills we are watching closely because they're not good and we oppose them:

SB1859 , which would make abortions illegal as soon as the embryonic or fetal heartbeat can be detected, passed the Senate Health & Human Services Committee and is now eligible to be heard in the full Senate. This bill is authored by Senator Paul Scott.

HB1111 , while barring patrons from bringing guns into establishments where the consumption of alcohol accounts for more than half of the business’ revenue, this bill would permit guns in the bar areas of restaurants if management allows it. This bill, authored by Representative Kevin West, advanced off the House floor and is now eligible to be heard in Senate committee. (Guns and booze… What could go wrong?!)

Great news! SB1674 , which seeks to treat simple drug possession as a felony and would add sentence enhancements to simple drug possession crimes, would have repealed SQ780 -- a measure voted on and approved by the public. With constituent pressure, Senator Thompson, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, withdrew the bill. Let’s celebrate this reminder of how much power we have when we reach out to our legislators and use our voices!

And finally, an important question: Do you frequently find yourself craving a sno cone in the middle of January? Well, good news for you… HB3747 would allow sno cones serving hot beverages to apply for a $200 multi-season license so that they can stay open year-round. The bill passed unanimously out of the House Public Health Committee. Read more here .
Thanks for sticking with us for this hectic week! As you enjoy your weekend, start buckling up for one more week of long committee meetings leading up to the first legislative deadline . We’ll keep you posted along the way!
Join us next week for OWC's ERA Party in Tulsa and OKC .
RSVP for this empowering session to create positive change in our state by becoming the 39th state to ratify the ERA.
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