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The first month of every legislative session is dedicated primarily to committee work. All bills and joint resolutions must first go through the committee process before they are eligible to be heard by the full body of representatives on the House floor. They then must pass the Senate before being sent to the governor for consideration of being signed into law.
The House has 29 regular standing committees this year and 10 Appropriations & Budget subcommittees. Committees heard multiple bills over the last few weeks in advance of the March 2 deadline by which all legislation had be advanced in order to stay active this session.
Of the 1,901 House bills and 44 House joint resolutions filed before session began, 543 of those advanced through the committee process.
Here’s a look at some of my bills that passed in committee and are now eligible to be heard on the House floor.
House Bill 2287 would create the public access counsel position inside the attorney general’s office. This person would facilitate open records requests. I am working with the Oklahoma Press Association and the attorney general’s office on this bill, but the idea is to grant quicker access to open records and increase transparency.
House Bill 2288 would clarify in law that any person that owns or has interest in real property may file a declaration with the county clerk that they wish for any illegal discriminatory restrictive covenants included in the property records to be removed and deemed unenforceable.
House Bill 2289 is the annual tax administration omnibus bill that updates numerous provisions in the state tax code.
House Bill 2291 would allow farm equipment used solely for commercial non-agricultural purposes to be operated on any road or highway in Oklahoma, except for highways that are part of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, after receiving a permit from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT). This is a constituent request from a person who builds well sites for a living. He uses big tractors and scrapers – the same type of equipment used by farmers and ranchers. But because his is for commercial use, under current law he has to load them and move them on trailers even if he’s working just a mile or two down the road. This permit would allow him to operate this equipment on country roads the same as farmers and ranchers.
House Bill 2292 would allow certified Oklahoma meat processors to claim a $10,000 refundable income tax credit beginning in tax year 2024, with a $15 million annual cap on the amount of credits claimed. This will help offset the costs for meat processers trying to get their state or U.S. Department of Agriculture certification. It ultimately helps all meat consumers as well.
We now have until March 23 to pass all legislation out of the House to the state Senate. We then will receive Senate bills and begin the committee process anew while they consider our legislation.