Legislative Update

Two bills take aim at invasive cedars

February 2, 2023 Kelly Bostian

Legislators who told the Oklahoma Governor’s Water Conference in December they would tackle invasive cedar trees as a serious water quality issue have introduced two bills. SB 454, by Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, calls for all state land management agencies to tackle the invasive trees on lands that they own or manage within five years….

Tulsa attorneys sworn in to State Bar Board

February 2, 2023

Tulsa attorney D. Ken Williams Jr. took an oath Jan. 20 to serve as the 2023 Oklahoma Bar Association vice president. Also sworn in were James R. Hicks, immediate past president, one-year term; Caroline M. Shaffer Siex, Young Lawyers Division chairperson, one-year term; and member at large Timothy L. Rogers, three-year term. They were among…

Sen. Adam Pugh’s 2023 Public Education Plan

January 26, 2023

Recruit / Retain / Reward / Reform Recruit SB 529 – $15 million- Create Oklahoma Teacher Corps – provide scholarships to students who enter Oklahoma Colleges of Education, graduate and receive teaching certificate. Those who pass their program must commit four years of service in a Title I school or pay scholarship amount back…

Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act

January 26, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, has filed Senate Bill 814, the Oklahoma Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act, prohibiting credit card companies from sharing information about lawful firearm and ammunition purchases. His legislation would allow citizens and merchants to file lawsuits and seek damages against those who violate SB 814’s provisions. Bergstrom said he’s…

Rep. Josh West Refiles Data Privacy Bill

January 26, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Josh West, R-Grove has refiled legislation that would require consumer consent for all personal data collection and sharing by major technology companies operating in the state. House Bill 1030 would create the Oklahoma Computer Data Privacy Act. “Major technology companies track our every conversation, our spending records, our movements and so…

Davis Files “Andy’s Law” after Young Victim of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

January 26, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Dean Davis, R-Broken Arrow, this week filed legislation that would require a carbon monoxide poisoning warning sticker on motorized boats that operate in Oklahoma waters. House Bill 2010, known as “Andy’s Law,” is named after Andrew Free, a nine-year-old Broken Arrow boy who died in 2020 of open-air carbon monoxide poisoning…

Senate finishes bill filing for 2023 session

January 26, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Senate has completed filing bills for the First Session of the 59th Legislature. The deadline was Thursday, Jan. 19. A total of 1,116 Senate Bills and 18 Senate Joint Resolutions were filed. The Thursday deadline did not apply to appropriations bills, which can be filed throughout the session. Senate rules also…

House finishes bill filing for 2023 session

January 26, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma House of Representatives completed bill filing Thurs., Jan. 19, for the first session of the 59th Legislature. A total of 1,901 House Bills and 44 House Joint Resolutions were filed. One House Resolution was filed outlining House Rules and was adopted on Organizational Day earlier this month. The full text…

Oversight Bill for the Turnpike Authority

January 26, 2023

Senate Bill 199, authored by Senator Standridge (R-Norman), is the first of several bills written this session to add oversight, accountability, and citizen protections into the Turnpike Enabling Act. SB 199 seeks to create a Joint Legislative Task Force “for the purpose of studying the functions, activities, policies, procedures and expenditures performed by the (Turnpike)…

Voter registration statistics

January 26, 2023

(Oklahoma City) – An official voter registration report by the Oklahoma State Election Board shows 2,225,086 people are registered to vote as of January 15, 2023. The annual report comes days after the State Election Board conducted its statutorily-required voter list maintenance process, removing inactive voters and duplicate voters. Current numbers show Republicans make up…