Temporary Sales tax increases, like the one proposed on Proposition 8 in Broken Arrow are rarely temporary. Proposition 8 calls for a 0.5 % sales tax increase for 5 years with the expenditure of $46,555,000 to improve sports facilities. Tulsans are aware of this problem. In 2001 a Temporary Sales Tax vote was held in…
Legislation that increases state regulation of sexually graphic materials in school libraries has easily advanced from the Oklahoma House of Representatives, overcoming the opposition of liberal lawmakers who dismissed concerns about those materials. House Bill 2978, by state Rep. Chris Banning, prohibits school libraries from offering books to students that include depictions or descriptions of…
OKLAHOMA CITY- The Oklahoma Senate Education Committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 1366 on Tuesday. The bill, authored by Senator Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, would establish a statewide high-dosage tutoring program to serve students in grades K-8 who are falling behind. Under the bill, students in participating districts will benefit from focused, small-group tutoring designed to offer…
OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Collin Duel, R-Guthrie, on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill in committee that would criminalize a straw purchase of property on behalf of a foreign national. House Bill 3495 would make it unlawful to knowingly and willfully purchase or attempt to obtain any property on behalf of a foreign national. Punishment would…
OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Amanda Clinton, D-Tulsa, unanimously passed HB 3392 out of the House Utility Committee with a 9-0 vote. The measure directs the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) to examine how large, energy-intensive industrial projects like data centers impact our electric grid and ensure that everyday Oklahomans aren’t stuck paying for electricity they did…
OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Mickey Dollens, D-Oklahoma City, passed HB 3917 unanimously out of the Appropriations and Budget Natural Resources Subcommittee. The measure requires data centers to pay a surcharge during peak demand periods, protecting residential customers from rate hikes and funding grid modernization. “I want to thank the Committee Chair and Committee for hearing…
OKLAHOMA CITY — A group of Oklahoma legislators, led by Sen. Kendal Sacchieri (R-Blanchard), has filed an emergency petition with the Oklahoma Supreme Court seeking an immediate stay and temporary injunction to prevent Service Oklahoma from transferring Oklahoma driver license and identification card data to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators’ (AAMVA) State-to-State/SPEXS system,…
OKLAHOMA CITY — Senator Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, has filed legislation to rein in Oklahoma’s ever-ballooning property taxes. In an effort to make homeownership attainable for all Oklahoma families, including potential homebuyers and current homeowners looking to move, Senator Standridge is championing several pieces of legislation to cut property taxes. “As Oklahoma homeowners experience significant increases…
OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Tammy West, R-Oklahoma City, is aiming to expand eligibility and qualifying expenses for a first-in-the-nation tax credit. West’s House Bill 4118 would eliminate the current age minimum for eligible family members. Currently, eligible family members must be at least 62 years old. Additionally, the bill would add mileage for medical appointments…
OKLAHOMA CITY — Freshman lawmaker Rep. Kevin Norwood, R-Owasso, has filed legislation to create the 988 Trust Fund to help ensure Oklahoma’s mental health crisis hotline remains available to those in need as federal funding is set to expire later this year. “Oklahomans need to know that when they make that call, someone will answer,”…