Legislative Update

Retires law enforcement

February 17, 2022

After successfully protecting law enforcement officers from doxing last session, Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, has filed legislation to extend those same protections to retired law enforcement members. Senate Bill 1522 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously Tuesday. “It’s unimaginable that anyone would try to harm our brave law enforcement officers by posting their addresses or…

Praise for Stitt’s speech

February 17, 2022

Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, congratulated Gov. Kevin Stitt for a successful State of the State address to open the second regular session of the 58th Legislature. Stitt specifically mentioned his support for Treat’s Senate Bill 1647, the Oklahoma Empowerment Act. “I appreciate the governor’s support of the Oklahoma Empowerment Act,…

OSU enrollment is rising

February 17, 2022

Oklahoma State University’s spring enrollment numbers are trending upward. OSU’s enrollment is up 253 students compared to last spring, bringing the total to 22,915. OSU enrolled 117 freshman students and 567 transfer students, making this the largest freshman spring class in OSU history and the largest new student class in the past decade. “This university…

Bills target election integrity in OK

February 10, 2022

State Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, has filed four election integrity bills that will be considered during the 2022 session of the Oklahoma Legislature. “Elections are the easiest vehicle for citizens to express their will,” Dahm said. “That means that election integrity is of the utmost importance. There are questions and concerns with the integrity…

Hospital visitation rights

February 10, 2022

Rep. Cynthia Roe, R-Lindsay, has filed legislation to require medical entities to allow visitation to COVID-19 patients, even when the patient is in isolation from the public and other patients. House Bill 3313 allows a patient with COVID-19 to designate an individual with full visitation rights. The individual may be required by the hospital to…

Homestead exemption bill

February 10, 2022

As Oklahomans consider their potential tax exemptions ahead of the tax filing season, Rep. Lonnie Sims, R-Jenks, wants Oklahomans to check if they’re eligible for the homestead exemption after new legislation took effect Jan. 1. House Bill 1009 increased the statutory income qualifier to claim an additional homestead exemption from $20,000 to $25,000. This adjustment…

State tax revenues soar

February 10, 2022

Gross revenues to the State Treasury show Oklahoma’s economy is doing very well at the start of the new year, State Treasurer Randy McDaniel said. January gross receipts of $1.5 billion are up by more than 27 percent compared to the same month of last year. Twelve-month receipts of $15.5 billion measure growth of more…

No foreign ownership

February 10, 2022

As a rancher in Southeastern Oklahoma, Sen. Warren Hamilton has seen the impact of Oklahoma lands being purchased by foreign entities. The McCurtain Republican says it’s time the legislature puts a stop to these transactions and has filed Senate Bill 1469 to clarify that foreign ownership of Oklahoma lands is prohibited, even from business entities…

Pet protection legislation

February 10, 2022

Rep. Ken Luttrell, R-Ponca City, and Rep. Mickey Dollens, D-OKC have filed pet protection legislation related to tethering of animals. House Bill 2993 creates the Humane Tether Act of 2022 and would address issues related to the treatment of pets including the chaining or tethering a dog under certain circumstances, providing requirements for tethering and…

Bills would curb censorship

February 3, 2022

Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, filed two bills and a joint resolution to push back on tech censorship and social credit scores. “During the 2020 election, we saw firsthand the unchecked power of Big Tech,” Dahm said. “Censoring a major newspaper, crushing the dissemination of stories it didn’t like, silencing those that didn’t follow the…