Legislative Update

Churches are ‘essential’

February 18, 2021

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act prohibiting governmental declaration of religious institutions as nonessential. Sen. David Bullard is the principal Senate author of Senate Bill 368. The U.S. Constitution guarantees, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of…

Protection from riots

February 18, 2021

The Senate Public Safety Committee has approved Senate Bill 560, which would provide criminal and civil protections for drivers who feel threatened by riots or crowds of people circling a vehicle. Authored by Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, the measure would protect a person who makes a reasonable effort to escape from a crowd unlawfully…

Stop traffic ticket quotas

February 18, 2021

The Senate General Government Committee approved a bill that would prevent any political subdivision or agency of the state from establishing a formal or informal plan to evaluate, promote, compensate or discipline an officer based on the number of tickets or citations issued. Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, authored Senate Bill 346 and said these…

Blue Lives Matter signs

February 18, 2021

The full Senate has given its approval to a measure codifying the authority for cities and towns to adopt ordinances enabling the painting of blue lines and the posting of signage in support of law enforcement. “This legislation simply clarifies that these displays are appropriate, permissible, and it also reflects the Senate’s support for law…

Sgt. Craig Johnson Act

February 18, 2021

The House Judiciary – Criminal Committee passed the Sgt. Craig Johnson Metal Theft Act. House Bill 1001 is named after Johnson, a Tulsa Police officer who had served as the lead on a statewide coalition developing this legislation before he was killed in a shooting while on duty last June. HB 1001 seeks to clarify…

Assisting homeless youth

February 18, 2021

HB 1739, a bill that would help homeless youth get access to housing, medical care, education and other services, passed the House Children, Youth and Family Services Committee with a vote of 5-0. House Bill 1739 creates the Connecting Futures Act, which would allow the Department of Human Services to create a pilot program with…

Tax help for rural doctors

February 18, 2021

House Speaker Pro Tempore Terry O’Donnell, R-Catoosa, got passage of a bill that would provide income tax credits for doctors practicing in rural areas of the state. House Bill 2089 is authored by House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka and Speaker Pro Tempore O’Donnell. The bill would grant up to a $25,000 tax credit for income…

Teacher candidate help

February 18, 2021

State Rep. Sherrie Conley, R-Newcastle, wrote a bill in committee that will add multi-tiered systems of support to the preparation of teacher candidates for the classroom. House Bill 1773 gives teachers and schools support for struggling students. Included in the legislation is training on literacy – including phonics; an evidence-based approach to mathematics; the application…

Dahm files bills to rein in federal government overreach

February 11, 2021

Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, has filed three bills to address government overreach during a pandemic after nearly a year of forced closures, mandated masks and proposals of required vaccinations. “It seems like we’ve been caught in a never-ending loop of mandates, lockdowns, restrictions and dread since the pandemic started over a year ago,” Dahm…

No to Closing Churches

February 11, 2021

The House States’ Rights Committee easily passed House Bill 2648, by Rep. Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, that would ban state and local governments from closing places of worship during emergencies, including the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. The Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act dictates that anything closing places of worship would be considered a substantial burden on people’s…