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Legislative Update

House bill on parental rights advances in House

Tulsa Beacon

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Ross Ford, R-Broken Arrow, this week secured unanimous passage of two bills in final House committees making them eligible for consideration on the House floor. House Bill 2696 would require schools to release student records to the student’s parents or guardians, or if requested, to the students themselves if they are…

The Utility Rate Payer Protection Bill Passes House

Tulsa Beacon

OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill seeking to protect utility customers from paying higher rates because of 2021’s Winter Storm Uri unanimously passed in the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Tuesday. Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, authored House Bill 1220, which would prohibit municipalities that have franchise agreements with utility companies from assessing those fees and taxes…

House Passes REINS Act

Tulsa Beacon

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma House of Representatives today passed House Bill 2728, a measure designed to enhance transparency and legislative oversight in the state’s administrative rulemaking process. House Bill 2728, authored by Rep. Gerrid Kendrix, R-Altus, creates the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2025, modeled after similar federal…

Bill to Increase Classroom Funding Passes Subcommittee

Tulsa Beacon

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, on Wednesday passed legislation in committee that would require state public schools to spend at least 60% of their funding in the classroom. House Bill 1280 passed the House Appropriations & Budget Education Subcommittee, which Caldwell chairs. It now moves to full A&B. “This bill prioritizes our kids,…

Bill to Enhance OTA’s Transparency and Accountability Advances

Tulsa Beacon

OKLAHOMA CITY – House Bill 1939, authored by Rep. Danny Sterling, R-Tecumseh, passed the Transportation Committee today. The bill is a legislative initiative that aims to increase transparency, collaboration and accountability in the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s (OTA) decision-making processes. The bill also seeks to ensure that turnpike projects undergo thorough studies and extensive public engagement…

Tedford’s Health Care and Joint Custody Bills Advance

Tulsa Beacon

OKLAHOMA CITY – Two key bills authored by Rep. Mark Tedford, R-Jenks, have passed committee votes, advancing efforts to expand health care flexibility and promote balanced parental involvement in child custody cases. House Bill 1512, which passed in the Appropriations and Budget General Government Subcommittee, would establish a state health care marketplace to replace the…

Sen. Guthrie Gains Committee Approval for Four Key Bills

Tulsa Beacon

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Brian Guthrie, R-Bixby, received committee approval for four key pieces of legislation this week. With the passage of Senate Bills 1092, 653, 547, and 945, the freshman lawmaker has now advanced a total of six bills through Senate Committees. Senate Bill 1092 was unanimously approved by the Senate Business and Insurance…

Schreiber moves healthcare reform legislation out of committee

Tulsa Beacon

OKLAHOMA CITY – House Bill 1853 introduced by Rep. Suzanne Schreiber, D-Tulsa, and co-authored by Sen. Avery Frix, R-Muskogee, would expand deductibles to include cash payments for out-of-pocket medical services. The bill passed unanimously out of the Insurance Committee. “It’s common sense that any medical service payment – no matter the payment type – should…

Voter registration deadline approaches

Tulsa Beacon

Friday, March 7, is the last day to apply for voter registration in order to be eligible to vote in the April 1, Board of Education General Elections for ISD-1 Tulsa Public Schools District 3, Tulsa Technology Center Office 2, ISD-3 Broken Arrow Public Schools Office 5 and Municipal General Elections for the City of…

No, tax cuts didn’t cause Oklahoma budget deficits

Tulsa Beacon

Did recent income-tax cuts result in a deficit for Oklahoma’s state government? Let’s look at the evidence. Over the last 20 years, Oklahoma state government revenue has grown by 51 percent when accounting for population growth and inflation. At the same time, the state reduced its income tax by 32 percent, from a top rate…