Conservative sentiment changing on Medicaid expansion. Lawmakers determined to increase school funding but wrestle with how to designate it. Budget talks to decide if teachers get pay raises. Boost in funding could be coming for Higher Education.
Oklahoma Lawmakers Keep Several Criminal Justice Reform Bills Alive on a Deadline Day. Stitt signs bill revamping state Supreme Court districts. New laws signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt plus those still awaiting his signature. Key medical marijuana legislation, oversight bill on fiscal transparency survive House deadline cuts.
In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Click here to subscribe to In The Know and see past editions.
New from OK… Read more
In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Click here to subscribe to In The Know and see past editions.
New from OK… Read more
On the eve of the last regular committee deadline for many bills, some legislation appears to have been derailed by feuding between the House and Senate. These bills might still be saved by some creative reinterpretation of legislative rules, but it's a reminder that we can't take a smooth process for granted, even in a Legislature dominated by one party.
We have one week to go before the next big deadline in the Legislature. Legislative committees have until Thursday, April 11th for bills from the opposite chamber. Those that don't receive a vote by the deadline will go dormant until next year.
Six weeks into the 2019 legislative session, the House and Senate hit their second major deadline last Thursday. Bills that failed to pass off the floor of their chamber of origin are now dead for this session.
Restoring the Earned Income Tax Credit is a must this session. Study seeks to counter argument against resentencing Oklahoma drug crimes. Strong income, gross production tax receipts boost state's general revenue. Reform bills that pass Oklahoma House would give Gov. Stitt authority to hire and fire heads of state agencies.
'Retroactivity' bill passes Oklahoma House of Representatives. Senate advances bill creating budget office. Senate advances bill creating budget office. Groundwater protection bill awaits action in Oklahoma Senate. Want strong beer and wine at sporting events, festivals, some businesses? Bills approved by Oklahoma Senate would allow that.
Last week, we reported that just over 1,000 bills and resolutions had survived the initial committee deadline and were still alive. The ranks of surviving bills will be thinned once again by next Thursday, March 14th, the deadline by which bills must pass out of their chamber of origin to avoid being booted off the island (for various exceptions to this rule, see our 2019 Legislative Primer).This coming week will see the sausage-grinding machine speed up considerably, as hundreds of measures vie for hearings during what are expected to be long days and nights on the House and Senate floor. Here are some key bills OK Policy continues to track closely in the areas of criminal justice, education, economic security, and taxes.
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