The House Public Safety Committee passed House Bill 4136, which authorizes law enforcement to seize any vehicle operated by an illegal immigrant who has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor. House Bill 4136 was authored by State Rep. Sean Roberts, R-Hominy, who said the purpose behind the bill was to curb illegal immigration and…
Oklahoma motorists would receive some extra grace on traffic warrants and speeding tickets if two bills that passed in the House make it through the Senate and are signed into law by the governor. House Bill 2885 by State Rep. Johnny Tadlock, R-Idabel, provides that a misdemeanor traffic warrant issued on or after November 1,…
Two pieces of legislation addressing fetal alcohol syndrome passed the Oklahoma House. Exposure of a developing baby to alcohol can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome, which can cause physical, behavioral and intellectual disabilities that may last a lifetime. Nationally, about 40,000 newborns are born with fetal alcohol syndrome every year. House Bill 3406, by Rep….
The Oklahoma Senate voted unanimously last week to protect the Second Amendment rights of medical marijuana cardholders. Senate Bill 959, authored by Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, clarifies that anyone authorized to use medical marijuana would also be allowed to have a concealed carry permit. Even though Oklahoma is a constitutional carry state, some citizens…
The House Public Safety Committee advanced legislation to require the Dept. of Corrections and Dept. of Public Safety to coordinate to issue valid state identification to inmates upon their release. House Bill 1310 by Rep. Marilyn Stark, R-Bethany, would create the “Inmate ID Act of 2020.” The act would require the Oklahoma Dept. of Corrections…
The House Utilities Committee passed legislation to prevent telemarketers from replicating phone numbers and misrepresenting the origin of a phone call. House Bill 3081, authored by Rep. Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, would prohibit callers from tampering with information displayed on caller IDs to disguise their identities. This practice is known as “caller ID spoofing” and is…
Sen. Joe Newhouse, R-Tulsa, thinks the Oklahoma Constitution is well overdue for an upgrade. Newhouse, who authored Senate Joint Resolution 31, which would give power to the people to decide if the state should call a Constitutional Convention to propose alterations, revisions and amendments to the document. Although it has been amended over the years…
The Senate Education Committee approved legislation to help fill the large number of teaching vacancies in the state. Retired teacher Sen. Ron Sharp, R-Shawnee, said his Senate Bill 1115 is desperately needed to help decrease classroom sizes by extending emergency teaching certificates. “We currently have hundreds of teaching vacancies that districts are desperate to fill….
The process for state questions would be more transparent and modernized under two bills passed by the House Rules Committee. House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, authored House Bills 3826 and 3827 to improve the initiative and referendum petition processes used to place state questions on the ballot. “Petitions for state questions are increasingly popular, and…
A pair of bills aimed at increasing accountability for those convicted of domestic violence have been approved by the full Senate. Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, is the author of both measures. Senate Bill 1103 deals with domestic violence attacks that deal with strangulation, a crime that is often a precursor to domestic homicide. Senate Bill…