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Legislative Update

Against capping nurse’s salaries

Tulsa Beacon

Rep. Cynthia Roe, R-Lindsay, shared information regarding worries from constituents over misinformation that Congress is looking to cap nurses’ salaries. Roe, who chairs the House Public Health Committee, said she is one of many legislators whose constituents have asked if there is an effort to place a Congressional cap on salaries for nurses. “Nobody is…

Bill would target human trafficking

Tulsa Beacon

The full Senate has given unanimous approval to a bill to better protect victims of human trafficking and child abduction. Senate Bill 1569, by Sen. Darrell Weaver, creates the “Address Confidentiality for Child Survivors and Their Families Act.” Oklahoma’s Address Confidentiality Program (ACP), administered by the state attorney general’s office, provides victims of domestic violence,…

Expanding list of hospital visitors

Tulsa Beacon

The full Senate gave approval to Senate Bill 1096 to add pastors, ministers, spiritual advisors and other religious leaders to the approved list of visitors for patients hospitalized during a declared health emergency. The measure modifies  the No Patient Left Alone Act, which was signed into law last spring and allows patients to designate a…

Open transfer policy affects Tulsa, OKC

Tulsa Beacon

A new open-transfer law that allows students to shift from one public school to another has been touted as a significant expansion of opportunity for Oklahoma children. But a review of public data, conducted by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), shows a significant share of the slots available through open transfer are in…

Bill would stop sex-change surgery for those under age 21

Tulsa Beacon

State Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, has filed Senate Bill 676 to prohibit anyone under the age of 21 from undergoing gender reassignment medical treatment in the state. The measure would make it illegal for a person under the age of 21 to undergo gender reassignment medical treatment; for a parent or guardian of a child…

Hilbert is elected Speaker Pro Tem

Tulsa Beacon

Rep. Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, was elected Speaker Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Hilbert was formally elected with 82 votes. Joined by his wife Alexis and their daughter Addison, he was sworn in by Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Darby. Hilbert, who represents House District 29, is the youngest Speaker Pro Tempore…

Changing state question procedures

Tulsa Beacon

State Sen. Warren Hamilton has filed Senate Joint Resolution 30, which would give a voice back to rural Oklahomans and transform how state questions are passed in the state. Hamilton, R-McCurtain, says allowing state questions to pass by a simple majority undermines rural Oklahoma and ensures only the major cities have a voice in hot-button…

New school transfer bill

Tulsa Beacon

The Senate Education Committee gave unanimous approval to a bill to allow children of school support employees to transfer to their parent’s employing district. Senate Bill 1112 is authored by Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, who said the bill was requested by school superintendents and the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA) “Our public schools…

Post-election audit bill

Tulsa Beacon

With tensions still high following questions regarding the 2020 election cycle, Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, wants voters to decide if Oklahoma should conduct random audits following each general election. Senate Joint Resolution 47 would submit a constitutional amendment to a vote of the people to require post-election audits in 10 randomly selected Oklahoma counties at…

Bill protects state doctors

Tulsa Beacon

Rep. Sean Roberts, R-Hominy, and Rep. Kevin West, R-Oklahoma City, agreed with Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor’s response to the legality of disciplinary actions against doctors who use off-label therapeutics to treat or prevent COVID-19. In his statement, O’Connor said that the Attorney General’s office finds “no legal basis for a state medical licensure board…