Jech Speaks to Upcoming Session Sen. Darcy Jech of Oklahoma’s district 26, which includes Blaine County, was at the state capitol last week, preparing for the opening of the 58th legislative session in February.
Jech said he isn’t sponsoring many bills this session, but will have eyes on most of the bills put forward, because he sits on four powerful committees and the Natural Resources subcommittee.
The committees on which he sits include Public Safety,
of which he is the chair, the Agriculture Committee. Appropriations and the Judiciary.
Some of the bills Jech expects to see this session include another variation of the school voucher proposal but it is not one he plans to endorse, whatever it looks like.
The bill floated last session had the support of Gov. Kevin Stitt, but it did not get to be heard on the Senate floor. Jech feels vouchers are harmful to rural schools and he still has many unanswered questions about the voucher system, he said.
“It impacts the formula (the school funding formula) in a bad way,” he added.
One bill Jech does expect to put forward in the session would, if passed, cut taxes on vehicle purchases. If, for instance, a consumer purchased a $10,000 vehicle, but traded in a $7,000 vehicle, as the law stands now, they pay taxes on the entire $10,000. Jech said that isn’t fair to the buyer, since they already paid taxes on the $7,000 car. He seeks to change the law so that the buyer is only liable for taxes on the $3,000 difference.
He also is very interested in a law that would do some cleanup on election law, but since the final wording hasn’t been released yet – the deadline for bills is Jan. 19—his decision on that will have to wait. Jech did note that Oklahoma elections remain very secure.
Additionally, there is a bill to come before the Agriculture Committee that applies to dairy producers.
Jech said the budget is in far better shape than it has been, recounting the years when there were tremendous budget shortfalls and savings kept the state running. Now, he said, that money has been replaced, and the budget this year should run about $9.3 billion. There might even be some left over after the budget demands.
“We anticipate a surplus,” he said. “We are pretty blessed right now.”
And while there is $3 billion in state savings, Jech doesn’t want to save just to save, but rather leave the excess in the hands of the taxpayers. “How much is enough? We want to find the correct balance,” he said.