Sorted by date Results 1 - 12 of 12
The month of September has slipped by rather quickly. I have had the opportunity to attend several events in the district. While traveling to those events, I encountered several road construction projects taking place. Some are on rural roads while most are on major highways. These projects are very expensive and badly needed. Many more projects will be taking place. Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) has an eight-year plan for highway and bridge construction. The eight-year plan was...
Back to school is always a time that I look forward to happening. I am excited that the new school year has started, and I pray for a safe, fun-filled year of learning to take place. I wish all the teachers and students a great year, and I hope they continue to grow and learn to make our world a better place. I am thrilled to share that the new grocery tax goes into effect August 29, 2024, which is a much-needed financial relief for all families. The new tax relief defined sales of food and...
Last week was an exciting week here at the Capitol. The Senate passed Senate Bill 1125, which lays out the framework for the $12.47 billion Fiscal Year 2025 budget agreement. The new fiscal year begins July 1, 2024. This year’s budget process was the first time in recent history that the budget negotiation process was open to the public and live-streamed. Because the budget was completed, we were able to meet our constitutional obligation of passing a budget, and Sine Die was a day early. On W...
This week is the last week of regular Session, and Sine Die Adjournment is scheduled for May 31, 2024. Midweek, budget negotiations ground to a halt, but as of Wednesday, the governor, Senate leadership, and House of Representatives leadership agreed on the budget. This is good news as we are near the deadline for our only required constitutional session obligation, to pass a budget. We are applauding the transparent process that got a little messy at times over the overview of budget numbers....
This past week has moved slowly with the 2024 Budget Summit negotiations between the governor, the House of Representatives leadership, and the Senate leadership. The transparent approach has allowed all to view these negotiations and to see how the citizens of Oklahoma’s tax money is projected to be spent. On March 19, the Senate released its proposed budget in Senate Resolution 31, which was nearly three weeks before the House openly released its proposed numbers. As a result, budget n...
Last week was quiet for the Senate except for conference committee work. One of my bills, HB2282, must go through the Conference Committee to restore the title. Once this occurs, then it will head to the governor’s desk for his signature. Gov. Stitt signed HB3182, my Emergency Drought Commission bill. This bill establishes a standing committee instead of waiting for an emergency order or executive order to be called by the Governor. The committee is made up of the secretary of the Oklahoma D...
Last week started with “Purple Up! For Military Kids Day.” Representative Dobrinski and I authored Senate Concurrent Resolution 20 (SCR20), which designates April 15 as Purple Up! For Military Kids Day in Oklahoma. The month was established in 1986 by former United States Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger to recognize the sacrifices made by military families and the important role military children play in the armed forces community. It was an honor to recognize members from all four milita...
The deadline week for bills to make it out of committee is over. The next two weeks will be fast and furious. We have over 230 House bills to consider on the Senate floor, and I am sure there will be several that will be up for heated debate. I have five House bills to present on the Senate Floor and 3 Senate bills that are moving through the House. As with any session, our obligation is to deliver a balanced budget to the Governor for his signature. This process takes months of preparation and...
Week 2 of committee meetings of considering House bills is under our belt. There were several bills in Public Safety and one bill in Veterans and Military Affairs. This week will be the last week to hear House policy bills in committee. Due to the transparent budget process the Senate has put in place, there has been a stalemate in hearing House bills in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Hopefully, that issue will be resolved soon, and budget negotiations can proceed. On Monday, we...
This past week was relatively quiet here at the Capitol. Committee work has begun to hear nearly 400 bills that the House sent over for consideration. I presented one bill in the Agriculture Committee, HB3822, which dedicates the third full week of April as "Healthy Soils Week." This bill recognizes the importance of healthy soil and the important work done by Oklahoma farmers. I have a few more bills to get across the finish line this session. Stay tuned for those updates. OYE (Oklahoma Youth...
We have made it through week two of session, and we are off to a great start. I had the opportunity to pass two bills through committee this week including SB 1422, which creates the Industrial Hemp Task Force and passed out of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Also, SB 1209 regarding Honorary Consul Vanity Plates, passed out of the Aeronautics and Transportation Committee and was then approved on the Senate Floor. SB 1209 is now headed to the House for consideration. SB 1422 will establish a task...
The first week of session is behind us, and it appears to be off to a good start. The Governor's State of the State address held few surprises. Hopefully the session will be less contentious than it was last year. However, great things were accomplished last session especially in all levels of education. The hope now is for even greater outcomes for all students in Oklahoma. We are running two sessions as the legislative season begins. The Special Session to consider tax cuts is running...
