Tyler Talley, Sidney Lee & Shawn Ashley, Quorum Call
(QC) The Legislature overrode Thursday more than 40 of the 68 vetoes that Gov. Kevin Stitt had issued so far this legislative session.
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, and Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, said very early Friday morning that Thursday had begun with discussion between them and Stitt about bills Hilbert said “he wouldn’t have any issues with us overriding.”
“There were some [vetoes] that the executive still had issues with us taking up for an override, and we said, ‘Okay, we’ll continue to have those conversations.’ And so while we were having those conversations, there was a video put out from the governor’s office calling on everybody to watch our votes come the next primary election season. We felt like that was pretty much out of bounds to do that, because everything that we had been doing was in good faith…All of the veto overrides in both chambers that we had taken up up to that point, the governor had told us he had no issues with us taking up and overriding.”
In the video posted on X, formerly Twitter, Stitt, leaning on his desk, tells viewers, “Today is one of the most important days of session,” noting lawmakers would be considering overriding some of his vetoes. “This is stuff I know is bad for Oklahoma, bad for taxpayers, and you’ve got the Senate and the House and special interests that are trying to override my vetoes.”
Stitt added, “Remember this: You did an awesome job You took out some of the most liberal people in the Senate in the primary and the general election in the last election, ’24. When ’26 comes up, you’ve got to know how these people voted and are they voting for bigger government and to override the governor’s vetoes. I’ll be reminding you about that in ’26 on these elections.”
He continued, “Hold us accountable for limited government and smaller taxes. Just because a person has an ‘R’ by their name when they’re running, you’ve got to know how they’re voting. Today is the telltale sign. Do they believe in freedoms and limited government, or do they believe in bigger government and whatever the lobbyist crowd wants around this building?”
Hilbert said, “We tried to have conversations with the executive branch, but now if we had two-thirds votes, we were going to put it up, and so that’s what we did [Thursday] afternoon and passed a lot of good bills.”
Paxton said, “I think up until this morning, the session had gone really, really well. We had always gotten along. We had always worked hard in getting along. We kind of made that one of our priorities this year…and up until this morning, things had gone really, really well, and we were very proud of that. So, we were quite taken aback, by surprise when the governor’s video came out.”
Rep. Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee, took note of Stitt’s video when he made the motion to override the veto of HB2459.
“Evidently, since the governor has called for all of us to be primaried that override his vetoes today and his staff can’t seem to read a bill correctly and they vetoed my bill, Imove that HB2459 become law notwithstanding the objection of the governor,” Fetgatter said. His comment drew a smattering of applause from other members on the floor. It appeared the Senate and the House might not hear the other’s veto overrides Thursday afternoon when the Senate was unable for five hours to muster enough votes to override Stitt’s veto of HB2769 . The bill, by Rep. John Kane, R-Bartlesville, Rep. Trey Caldwell, R-Lawton, Sen. Chuck Hall, R-Perry, and Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow, modifies various provisions related to the Oklahoma National Guard. The motion to override in the House passed 79-6.
“We stayed open a lot longer than what we were planning,” Paxton said, adding conversation with members about the bill continued during the five-hour long vote. “One hour turned into two hours turned to five hours. It went longer than what we were planning on, but at the end of the day, we were able to get the votes that we needed to move that bill forward.” The motion to override passed 32-14.
Hilbert said the bill was important for the Oklahoma National Guard, particularly its recruitment and retention efforts. The House stood at ease and did not consider overriding any Senate bill vetoes until after the Senate successfully completed its override of HB2769.
“We were very confident that it was going to get done,” said Hilbert.
The House and Senate also successfully overrode Stitt’s veto of a bill expanding access to diagnostic mammograms.
Stitt wrote in his veto message that HB1389 “imposes new and costly insurance mandates on private health plans that will ultimately raise insurance premiums for working families and small businesses.”
He continued, “Mammograms are already covered, and when a doctor sees the need for further tests, they are empowered to order further tests that can be covered by insurance.”
HB1389, by Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa, and Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City, adds contrast-enhanced mammogram and molecular breast imaging to the definition of “diagnostic examination for breast cancer.” It adds a definition of supplemental examinations as related to an examination of the breast that is used to screen for breast cancer where there is no abnormality seen of suspected and it is based on personal or family medical history or additional factors. It requires all health benefit plans to include coverage for supplemental examinations for breast cancer. Provenzano, who is currently battling breast cancer herself, expressed shock alongside Stanley at Stitt’s veto, but shared her appreciation to her colleagues in the House on Thursday for voting overwhelmingly in favor of the override.
“Early detection saves lives. I’m so glad to have had the support of the members of the OK House of Representatives (on both sides of the aisle) as I navigated my own journey with breast cancer,” she wrote in a statement provided to Quorum Call. “Every Oklahoma woman deserves the best standard of care.”
The bill’s override attempt drew debate in the Senate. Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee reiterated his debate against the measure that it would increase health care costs, but all other debates on the bill were in favor of the measure. Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, said this bill was about prevention and saving lives, and Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, said he originally voted against the measure, then his wife, his daughters and other women in his life all told him they disagreed with his vote.
Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, told members he felt the opposition against this bill was more interested in pinching pennies than saving the lives of women. Sen. Nikki Nice, D- Oklahoma City, followed up that debate with her own reminder that men can get breast cancer as well and said regular checks helped save the life of one of her family members.
Sen. Spencer Kern, R-Duncan, said he wears a pink tie almost every day as a reminder of one of his sisters who he lost to breast cancer and of his other sister who is alive because of early screening. Sen. Christi Gillespie, R-Broken Arrow, shared how a mammogram when she was 25 years old changed her life, and how it did help her save money on less costly treatment options.
Stanley closed debate with Provenzano at her side. The senator from Midwest City thanked her fellow members for their encouragement and support. She thanked Nice for the reminder that this is not just a women’s issue, that breast cancer can impact every person and every family.
“And it does save money, I don’t care what anyone on this floor says,” Stanley said, adding that the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has shown early detection saved $1 million last year alone.
“This is putting policy over politics. I urge a yes vote,” Stanley said.
The motion to override Stitt’s veto of HB1389 passed 83-3 in the House and 42-2 in the Senate.
The only veto override attempt to draw debate among House members was SB0713 with Rep. Jay Steagall, R-Yukon, debating against it. SB0713, by Sen. Darcy Jech, R-Kingfisher, and Rep. Carl Newton, R-Woodward, prohibits new wind energy facilities from commencing operations in Oklahoma unless the developer, owner, or operator of the facility applies to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for installation of a light-mitigating technology system that complies with FAA regulations provided in 14 C.F.R., Section 1.1 et seq.
“Should this bill go into effect, and you and I are on an aircraft flying over western Oklahoma where a lot of these wind turbines exist, then there’s a possibility that should we lose engine power and the ability to restart the engine, you and I could end up in a predicament that we cannot safely recover from,” Steagall posited, sharing his concerns about the bill’s potential safety risks in the context of his experience as a trained pilot.
“All I’m asking you to do today is to trust the guy who’s got the pilot certificate that understands aviation safety more so than anyone else in the building.”
Newton closed debate in favor of his bill, noting similar legislation had already been approved in three other states with zero incidents.
“This bill is good for all 77 counties,” he argued. “It is for those who don’t like the light pollution, it allows them not to have to deal with it at night when there is no air traffic in the area and for those who don’t like green energy being in their backyard.” The House voted to override Stitt’s veto of SB0713 via voice vote due to a technical difficulty, with the motion passing 68-17. It passed the Senate 32-15.
The Senate initially failed to override the vetoes on HB1543 and HB1819. The Senate brought HB1543 back for a second vote, despite debate from Jett and Murdock that the bill had already been considered and it was improper to hear it again. The Senate override passed on the second vote 32-13. The House voted to override the bill’s veto 70-10.
HB1543, by Rep. Kenton Patzkowsky, R-Balko, and Sen. Tom Woods, R-Westville, modifies the power and duties of the Conservation Commission.
On its second attempt, the Senate passed the override of HB1819 on a 33-11 vote. The bill, by Rep. Rande Worthen, R-Lawton, and Jech, increases the maximum fee for the yearly license fee set by rules promulgated by the Board of Examiners in Optometry to $500 from $300. The House had voted to override its veto 74-14.
Other House bill vetoes overridden Thursday included:
• HB1137 , by Rep. Ron Stewart, D-Tulsa, and Sen. Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, deletes federal funding and grant requirements related to the Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons.
• HB1138 , by Rep. Anthony Moore, R-Clinton, and Rep. Ross Ford, R-Broken Arrow, modifies the duties of the Human Capital Management Division and the Civil Service Division of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.
• HB1178 , by Rep. Marilyn Stark, R-Bethany, and Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, requires any person who is not an individual with a disability or is not trained to assist individuals with disabilities who uses a service animal in an attempt to gain treatment or benefits as an individual with a disability to, upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor.
• HB1216 , by Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, and Sen. Jerry Alvord, R-Wilson, establishes administrative fines for violations of the acts regulated by the Construction Industries at $500 for an initial offense then upon issuance of a citation for a subsequent offense after full adjudication of the initial offense at five times the amount of the initial offense.
• HB1273 , by Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, and Sen. Aaron Reinhardt, R-Tulsa, requires alternative batterers’ intervention programs, which the court can require the defendant to complete in lieu of the batterers’ intervention program provided therein, to be certified through the Office of the Attorney General and last a minimum of 26 weeks.
• HB1356 , by Rep. David Hardin, R-Stilwell, and Sen. Tom Woods, R-Westville, creates “Kenny’s Law,” which provides that all gates that are part of an enclosure or barrier designed to contain livestock must be closed at all times, except in certain circumstances. It provides penalties. It requires the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to promulgate rules necessary for implementation of the provisions therein.
• HB1487 , by Rep. Ronny Johns, R-Ada, and Sen. Avery Frix, R-Muskogee, creates the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium Plate and requires such plates to be designed and issued to any person wishing to demonstrate support for the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium. It requires the license plates to be designed in consultation with the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium.
• HB1563 , by Rep. Collin Duel, R-Guthrie, and Sen. Brent Howard, R-Altus, modifies the requirements for the issuance of criminal subpoenas for law enforcement records. It allows a subpoena issued to a law enforcement agency to command the production of body camera videos, vehicle mounted camera videos, traffic camera videos, and law enforcement incident reports. It requires every subpoena issued to state the name of the court which issued the subpoena and the title of the action. It provides reasons for which the court is to quash or modify a subpoena. It provides that if a subpoena commands production of documents and things or inspection of premisesfrom a nonparty before trial but does not require attendance of a witness, the subpoena must specify a date and location for the production or inspection that is at least seven days after the date that the subpoena and provides a timeline and procedure for written objections. It provides guidelines for claims of privilege or protection of trial preparation materials. It allows for the service of a subpoena by mail and clarifies the criminal contempt penalty provision.
• HB1576 , by Rep. Mark Lawson, R-Sapulpa, and Hicks, requires the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to include coverage of rapid whole genome sequencing as a separately payable service for Medicaid beneficiaries when specific criteria is met, subject to any required approval of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
• HB1592 , by Rep. John George, R-Newalla, and Weaver, provides a definition for the elements of organized retail crime and punishments for organized retail crime. It lowers the larceny threshold from $1,000 to $500. It extends from 180 days to a one year period under which separate offenses can be aggregated to determine the total value of the stolen goods. It extends the Oklahoma Organized Retail Crime Task Force to June 1, 2026, and provides that staffing for the task force be provided by the Office ofthe Attorney General.
• HB1751 , by Rep. Dell Kerbs, R-Shawnee, and Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, permits service Oklahoma to continue to issue REAL ID noncompliant driver licenses and identification cards through December 31, 2025. It requires all REAL ID noncompliant driver licenses and Identification cards issued through December 31, 2025, to be valid through the expiration date printed on the face of the credential. It requires all driver licenses and identification cards issued January 1, 2026, and thereafter to be REAL ID compliant. It permits any person who holds both a driver license and identification card from Oklahoma as of November 1, 2025, to continue to possess both credentials until the first expiration of either credential. It permits the person, at that time, the person to retain, replace, or renew either the driver license or identification card and requires they surrender the second credential to Service Oklahoma. It makes various procedural changes related to driver licenses and identification cards.
• HB2048 , by Rep. Preston Stinson, R-Edmond, and Sen. Brent Howard, R-Altus, creates the 340B Nondiscrimination Act. The bill defines applicable terms. It establishes requirements regarding 340B entities and 340B drugs.
• HB2131 , by Rep. Chris Kannady, R-Oklahoma City, and Howard, modifies the procedures for advising grand juries. It requires a transcript of the testimony to be made available to the attorney for the accused, the district attorney, assistant district attorney, attorney general or the assistant attorney general upon request. It prohibits persons who obtain a copy of a grand jury transcript from disclosing its contents. It prohibits transcripts from being used for any purpose other than in proceedings related to the grand jury testimony, civil asset forfeiture proceedings or an accusation for removal of a public official from the grand jury, without good cause supported by clear and convincing evidence. It requires the pleadings relating to a request for grand jury transcripts to be sealed and any hearing held pursuant to a request for grand jury transcripts is to be closed to the public unless the presiding judge finds that the public interest in unsealing the pleadings or opening the hearing to the public outweighs the public interest.
• HB2147 , by Rep. Mike Lay, R-Jenks, and Stanley, creates the Municipal Code Lien Enforcement Act. The bill defines applicable terms. The bill provides that its provisions will apply to any municipal governing body that adopts the provisions of the act and are applicable to the collection of municipal code liens as to real property, other than owner-occupied property, in the municipality. The bill permits any fees, penalties, and abatement costs imposed against property other than owner-occupied real property for violations of a municipality’s housing and building codes adopted pursuant to Oklahoma statutes to be enforced in rem as a lien in accordance with the act. It requires every municipal code lien be superior to all other liens, except those liens for taxes described or referenced in Title 68, Section 3103 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
• HB2163 , by Rep. John Pfeiffer, R-Mulhall, and Howard, establishes in the Office of the Attorney General the Public Access Counselor Unit. It permits a person whose request to inspect or copy a public record is denied by a public body, except the Legislature and committees, commissions, and agencies thereof, to file a request for review with the Public Access Counselor not later than 30 calendar days after the date of the denial. It establishes requirements for the request for review. It permits a person whose request to inspect or copy a public record was treated by the public body as a request for a commercial purpose to file a request for review with the Public Access Counselor for the limited purpose of reviewing whether the public body properly determined that the request was made for a commercial purpose. It permits a person whose request to inspect or copy a public record has not been returned in a prompt or reasonable manner to file a request for review with the Public Access Counselor. It prohibits any person whose request to inspect or copy a public record is made for a commercial purpose to file a request for review with the Public Access Counselor. It establishes requirements for the Public Access Counselor upon receipt of a request for review and public bodies upon the Public Access Counselor’s response. It provides exemptions. It expands the duties of the Attorney General to include investigating and prosecute any civil or criminal action relating to violations of the Oklahoma Open Records Act or the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act if the Attorney General determines that a civil or criminal prosecution is warranted or to defer such matters to a district attorney.
• HB2164 , by Pfeiffer and Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow, changes to a felony from a misdemeanor when any public officer, being authorized to sell or lease any property, or make, approve, negotiate, or authorize any contract in his or her official capacity, voluntarily becomes interested individually in such sale, lease or contract, directly or indirectly. It prohibits them from holding any public office in the state a requires that it be grounds for removal from office or termination from state employment.
It makes it a felony for any current or former officer, employee, or contractor of a state agency who obtains or obtained nonpublic information by virtue of their government employment, government office, or contract with a state agency, and who uses such information for personal gain or benefit; acquires or divests them of a pecuniary interest in any property, transaction, or enterprise which may be affected by such information; speculates or wagers on the basis of such information; uses such information in a way that would affect any personal pecuniary interest, including an interest held by an immediate family member, or business entity their immediate family member is associated with; discloses such information to any person, group, entity, or others not entitled to receive such information; or aids another to do any of the foregoing. Itestablishes punishment and requires any person convicted be prohibited from holding any public office in this state and be prohibited from entering into any state contract. It makes violations grounds for removal from office or termination from state employment. It defines applicable terms. It modifies the definition of the term “corruption in office” to include the use of public office or authority to procure, attempt to procure, or that would foreseeably result in a personal benefit, profit, or perquisite. It requires any agreement or collusion among bidders or prospective bidders in restraint of freedom of competition by agreement to bid at a fixed price or to refrain from bidding, or otherwise, render the bids of such bidders void. It requires any agreement or collusion among state officers or employees and bidders or prospective bidders intended to create a sole-source acquisition in contradiction to state statute to give a bidder or prospective bidder a competitive advantage, including the disclosure of nonpublic information, whether or not in exchange for anything of value, render the bids of such bidders void. It makes violations a felony and prohibits any person convicted of violating the provisions from holding any public office in this state and prohibited from entering into any state contract. It makes any disclosure by an employee of a public agency of the terms of a bid submitted in response to a bid notice issued by a public agency in advance of the time set for opening of all bids so submitted unlawful. The bill also makes it unlawful for any person to solicit, possess, provide, or receive information which is to be contained in a bid notice of a public agency, for use in preparing a bid, in advance of the date on which said bid notice is to be made equally and uniformly known to all prospective bidders and the public. It makes it unlawful for any employee of a public agency to
withhold or impede the distribution of information after notice of the bid has been given, unless the solicitation of bids has been withdrawn or the information in question has been deleted or replaced through alteration of the bid notice and said withdrawal or alteration has been made equally and uniformly known. It makes violations a felony and renders the proceedings void and require solicitation and award anew. It requires any person convicted prohibited from holding any public office in this state and prohibited from entering into any state contract. It requires ach bidder accompany a bid with a written statement under oath disclosing certain information. It requires certain disclosures. The bill defines applicable terms.
• HB2167 , by Pfeiffer and Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, increases the amount required to be paid for legal notices. It modifies the requirements for newspapers’ publication of legal notices.
• HB2260 , by Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond, and Haste, establishes an income tax credit for qualified employers of civil engineers and individuals employed as civil engineers.
• HB2263 , by Miller and Sen. Todd Gollihare, R-Kellyville, prohibits holding or using a hand-held cellular telephone in a motor vehicle while it is in motion. It sets punishment as a $5 fine and court costs and fees not to exceed $95. It directs distribution of the fines, fees and court costs. It prohibits a law enforcement officer, without the consent of the person, from confiscating a cellular telephone or electronic communication device for the purpose of determining compliance; confiscating a cellular telephone or electronic communication device and retain it as evidence pending trial for a violation; or extract or otherwise downloading information from a cellular telephone or electronic communication device for a violation unless the law enforcement officer has probable cause to believe that the cellular telephone or electronic communication device has been used in the commission of a crime, the information is extracted or otherwise downloaded under a valid search warrant or otherwise authorized by law.
• HB2374 , by Rep. Brian Hill, R-Mustang, and Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, permits all film production projects for which any incentive is paid pursuant to the provisions of the Filmed in Oklahoma Act of 2021 to display the logo approved by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce at the beginning of the finished production prior to the start of any scene or dialogue for a period of at least three second, rather than only at the end.
• HB2459 , by Fetgatter and Sen. Grant Green, R-Wellston, exempts mobile food vehicles that did not have an automatic fire extinguishing system prior to July 1, 2024, from the requirement to install them according to current code, if they have portable fire extinguishers installed in their vehicles. It requires a six-liter Class K-rated portable fire extinguisher for all cooking equipment involving solid fuels or vegetable oils, animal oils, or fats. It requires all mobile food vehicles that utilize liquified petroleum gas to be inspected and receive a permit from the Oklahoma Liquified Petroleum Gas Board. It requires the State Fire Marshal to inspect and issue operational permits annually to mobile food vehicles. It requires the provisions therein to expire July 1, 2026.
• HB2584 , by Hilbert and Paxton authorizes physician assistants (PAs) with at least 6,240 hours of postgraduate clinical experience to practice independent of physician supervision. It requires the State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision to maintain a public list of such PAs and provide a form for reporting hours, which can be submitted electronically at no cost. It allows a PA to still choose to have a practice agreement with a physician.
• HB2778 , by Rep. John Kane, R-Bartlesville, Rep. Trey Caldwell, R-Lawton, Sen. Chuck Hall, R-Perry, and Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow, creates the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Program to be administered by the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness under the direction of the Department of Human Services. The bill requires the Department of Human Services to promulgate necessary rules, including verifying income eligibility, employment status, and administering subsidy benefits. The bill establishes program requirements.
• HB2785 , by Kane, Caldwell, Hall and Haste, requires the Office of Management and Enterprise Services director ensure that the following procedures are strictly adhered to with respect to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services: Prior to releasing the one-twelfth appropriations disbursement, OMES conduct a review of the agency’s budget to actuals to ensure the agency is staying within budget constraints; OMES provide a report to the Governor, House Speaker, Senate President Pro Tempore, and the chairs and vice-chairs of the House and Senate appropriations committees; the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services will be prohibited from entering into contracts that do not clearly state a maximum fiscal obligation; OMES will review encumbrances for any multi-year purchase orders or contracts to ensure that only the anticipated amount of funds for the current fiscal year are encumbered; and OMES will prohibit the processing of payments for non-budgeted expenditures.
Other Senate bill vetoes overridden Thursday included:
• SB0324 , by Thompson and Hill, creates, for tax years 2026 and beyond, a non- refundable income tax credit in the amount of 5.0 percent of qualified research expenditures. It defines applicable terms.
• SB0424 , by Sen. Christie Gillespie, R- and Rep. Ellyn Hefner, D-Oklahoma City, creates the Oklahoma Community Health Worker Act. It requires the State Department of Health to establish a certificate for community health workers. It requires this certification to be voluntary. It passed 42-4.
• SB0443 , by Stanley and Miller, modifies certain powers and duties of the Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision. It modifies certain licensure requirements.
• SB0574, by Haste and Rep. Cynthia Roe, R-Lindsay, prohibits the Office of the Attorney General from using more than 10 percent of the funds appropriated to the Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Revolving Fund for statewide opioid abatement projects that constitute an approved use under the Political Subdivisions Opioid Abatement Grants Act.
• SB0631 , by Paxton and Rep. John George, R-Newalla, expands the scope of acts that require service of minimum percentage of sentence.
• SB0687 , by Hall and Caldwell, creates in the State Treasury an agency special account for the Oklahoma Tax Commission for the payment of certain rebates.
• SB0694 , by Sen. Jerry Alvord, R-Wilson and Rep. Josh Cantrell, R-Kingston, requires, where any territory to be annexed is separated from the corporate limits of the municipality only by a railway right-of-way, an intervening strip less than 20 rods wide, or a highway right-of-way, the territory must be considered adjacent or contiguous to the municipality.
• SB0770 , by Sen. Kelly Hines, R-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Ryan Eaves, R-Atoka, expands the membership of the Commission for Rehabilitation Services.
• SB0773 , by Gollihare and Rep. Preston Stinson, R-Edmond, clarifies no provision of state law will be construed to prohibit the Attorney General from obtaining any information or documentation pertaining to prescription drug transactions.
• SB0804 , by Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond and Stinson, requires any assisted living center or continuum of care facility in which the Department of Veterans Affairs has documented repeat deficiencies regarding medications including, but not limited to, their storage, use, delivery, or administration shall, in addition to or as an alternative to any penalties imposed therein, to employ the consultant services of a licensed pharmacist or a licensed Registered Nurse, as applicable.
• SB0837 , by Jech and Johns, modifies language related to the Oklahoma City Zoo License Plate. The bill also repeals existing language regarding the apportionment of fees to Oklahoma Zoological Society Revolving Fund.
• SB0870 , by Rader and Rep. Danny Williams, R-Seminole, creates the Accountability, Transparency, and Protection for Exploited Youth Act. It requires the Office of Juvenile Affairs to establish an Independent Oversight Committee (IOC) responsible for investigating all reports of sexual misconduct, coercive relationships, and exploitation in county, state, or contracted juvenile facilities.
• SB0915 , by Green and Rep. Brad Boles, R-Marlow, provides requirements for any commercial solar energy facility constructed on land owned and leased by the Commissioners of the Land Office (CLO). It requires the commercial solar facility owners to pay ad valorem and any other assessments on improvements to the facilities to the appropriate county treasurer by December 31 of each year. It requires the Corporation Commission to promulgate rules.
• SB0951 , by Murdock and Rep. Nick Archer, R-Elk City, requires appraisers selected pursuant to the provisions of the bill to appraise any improvements made to the property by the current lessee that cannot be removed without manifest injury to the land. It requires that when the Commissioners enter a new lease for the property, the lease must require the new lessee to reimburse the previous lessee for the appraised value of any improvements made by the previous lessee by December 1.
• SB1014 , by Sen. Jack Stewart, R-Stewart and Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, requires a local bid preference for certain public construction contracts.
• SB1050 , by Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore and Newton, decreases the allowable time to file a certain claim under the Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act.
• SB1083 , by Weaver and Rep. Mark Lepak, R-Claremore, prohibits a digital asset kiosk operator from engaging in digital asset kiosk transactions or holding itself out as being able to engage in digital asset kiosk transactions with or on behalf of another person unless the digital asset kiosk operator is licensed in Oklahoma as a money transmitter pursuant to the Oklahoma Financial Transaction Reporting Act. It prohibits a digital asset kiosk operator from not locating or allowing a third party to locate a digital asset kiosk in Oklahoma unless the digital asset kiosk operator registers the digital asset kiosk and obtains the prior approval of the Banking Department prior to its activation.
• SB1089 , by Sen. Paul Rosino, R-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Mark Lawson, R- Sapulpa, modifies the procedures for proceedings for the restoration of competency. HB2769, by Kane, Caldwell, Hall and Haste, modifies various provisions related to the Oklahoma National Guard. The bill requires the Adjutant General to be higher ranking Oklahoma National Guard (ONG) member with at least eight years of service. It requires the Adjutant General receive the same pay and retirement benefits as a Major General regardless if they had been federally recognized at this rank. The bill grants the Adjutant General following powers: Authority to arm members of the state military forces on military installations and other places under control of the Oklahoma Military Department (OMD) with weaponry; authority to oversee all fire and police units within the OMD; authority to accept donations to create a scholarship program for ONG members; and authority to exempt the OMD from all state information technology division requirements. The bill requires full-time state employees that serve in a military capacity to receive the same compensation and benefits received by a full-time active duty service member at the same rank and pay. It removes the prohibition on state- provided compensation or allowances to Oklahoma National Guard members outside of state active duty pay. It amends various provisions of the Oklahoma Uniform Code of Military Justice. The bill creates the ONG Supplemental Retirement Pay Revolving Fund to provide financial assistance to ONG members that are not old enough to receive full retirement pay but have at least 25 years of ONG service. It permits the fund to be used beginning November 1, 2027, to provide payments to eligible ONG members when they become eligible for retirement benefits from the Defense Finance Accounting Service and end when federal retirement benefits commence. It also creates the Oklahoma National Guard Career Assistance Program to provide financial assistance to ONG members that enroll in a technology center school. It permits a member, subject to theavailability of funds, to qualify for full tuition assistance for up to three years with conditions for repayment if the member fails to maintain satisfactory participation in the ONG. It also permits an eligible member to elect to transfer their education assistance benefits to a dependent with permission from the Adjutant General. It names the co-located readiness and joint operating center facilities constructed for the OMD the Benjamin T. Walkingstick National Guard Complex. The bill repeals language that requires military publications promulgated or published by or under the authority of the Adjutant General be provided to the Secretary of State to be published and archived as official records of the State of Oklahoma.
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