Rep. kevin West, R-Moore, on Tuesday lost his fight to lock the state into standard time and stop the twice-yearly time change to daylight saving time.
House Bill 1223 would have established year-round standard of time in Oklahoma after daylight saving time ends Nov. 2. The bill failed to pass the House and advance to the Senate.
Instead, last session, the Legislature passed and the governor signed into law Senate Bill 1200. The measure specifies that should a federal law ever authorize states to observe daylight saving time year-round, Oklahoma shall adopt it year-round.
West said this was tried before. In 1974, the entire nation was mandated to go to daylight saving time. That winter, several states, including Oklahoma, petitioned the federal government to end it because the sun wasn't up until after 8 a.m. There were complaints of children going to school in the dark and employees starting the work day before the sun rose. The act ultimately was repealed in 1975.
The Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday passed Senate Bill 1114. The measure by Sen. Tom Woods, R-Westville, submits to a vote of the people a constitutional amendment that provides a property tax credit on the homestead of an individual head of household who is at least 65 years of age and qualifies for the limitation.
The property tax credit would be equal to the difference between the property owner’s current property tax liability for the homestead and the property tax liability of the homestead in the year in which the homestead first qualified for the limitation on fair cash value.
Senate Bill 1114 is now eligible for consideration in the House of Representatives, where Representative Chris Kannady, R-Oklahoma City, is the principal author of the measure.
If the bill advances, the vote on the tax credit will be placed before Oklahoma voters on the November 2026 ballot.
The Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday voted 46-0 in favor of Senate Bill 445. The measure, by Senator Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, raises the age of consent from 16 to 18.
“This bill is a tremendous step in combating child sex trafficking and protecting the innocence of children,” Hamilton said. “We’ve seen far too many disturbing cases where predators have targeted teenagers, evading legal consequences due to gaps in the current age of consent laws. This bill closes those loopholes by raising the age of consent, ultimately ensuring stronger protections for our children and holding predators accountable.”
Senate Bill 445 now moves to the House of Representatives, where Rep. Tim Turner, RKinta, is carrying the measure.
HB2166 would clarify what constitutes a legal newspaper of general circulation within Oklahoma for the purpose of publishing legal notices and other required communications. The measure creates a second class of newspaper for counties – a non-periodical permit newspaper – that would still maintain high standards but allows notices to be placed without having to use the U.S. Postal Service.
HB2167 would increase the fee a newspaper can charge for publishing legal notices. The rate has been unchanged since 2005. It also would establish minimum column width sizes and deadlines for such notices. Pfeiffer said the notices primarily record when county governments are taking something from citizens or taking an action that impacts them.
Rep. John Pfeiffer, ROrlando, today commented on the passage of a bill intended to expedite the fulfillment of open records' requests.
House Bill 2163 would statutorily create a public access counselor position in the state attorney general's office to review open records requests of state agencies when they've been denied or delayed.
The state attorney general is supportive of the legislation saying it will allow his office the ability to investigate and prosecute any unlawful withholding of records. The Oklahoma Press Association is supportive of the bill as well.
Sen. David Bullard, RDurant, on Monday passed legislation to make it easier for Oklahomans to become plumbers, growing the number of workers in this critical trade.
The full Senate approved Senate Bill 112, which makes it easier for qualified and dedicated plumbers to get licensed. Bullard’s bill creates a pathway for plumbers to get a “residential journeyman plumber” license after two years of experience as a plumber so long as they meet other requirements, which includes completing continuing education hours. This new license would be in addition to the traditional, “unlimited journeyman plumber” license, which is only for plumbers who have three years of experience in their trade. Unlimited journeymen are eligible to do both residential and commercial work.
Bullard said Oklahoma is facing a significant shortage of plumbers, and similar reforms have proven effective in increasing the number of licensed professionals in other skilled trades.
The Oklahoma House of Representatives has passed a measure prohibiting the manufacture and sale of cultivated meat products in the state.
House Bill 2829, authored by Rep. Ty Burns, R-Pawnee, would make it unlawful to manufacture, sell, hold or offer for sale any cultivated meat product in Oklahoma. Violators would be guilty of a misdemeanor upon conviction and food sellers could face suspension or revocation of their licenses. The measure allows the Oklahoma State Department of Health to adopt rules for enforcement and provides an exemption for research conducted by governmental entities or institutions of higher education.
Cultivated meat, also known as lab-grown meat, is produced from cultured animal cells rather than traditional livestock. Supporters of HB2829 argue that banning its sale in Oklahoma will protect the integrity of the state's meat industry and prevent consumer confusion.
HB2829 passed the House 72-18 and now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, on Monday passed legislation in the House that would restrict social media accounts for youth under 16 and require parental consent for minors 16 and 17 years of age.
If House Bill 1275 were enacted, social media companies would have to verify age and could not allow youths under 16 to be an account holder on their platform. Companies and platforms that violate the regulation would be subject to a $2,500 fine per violation plus court costs, attorney fees, and damages. The bill would also authorize the state attorney general to take legal action. Additionally, commercial entities are prohibited from collecting or sharing a minor's personal or location information.
Caldwell stressed that nothing in the legislation would limit or censor content on social media platforms.
HB1275 now moves to the Senate where it is authored by Ally Seifried, R-Claremore.
The Oklahoma Senate has passed Senate Bill 997, which creates the Procurement Protection Act. The measure by Sen. Avery Frix, RMuskogee, prohibits state-owned enterprises of a foreign adversary, companies domiciled within a foreign adversary, foreign adversary companies, and federally banned corporations from bidding on contracts with state agencies and political subdivisions.
Under SB 997, companies submitting bids would be required to certify that they have no ties to any foreign adversary.
If the Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) finds that a company has submitted a false certification, the company may face penalties, including a $250,000 civil fine, contract termination, and a five-year ban from submitting future bids.
The bill passed the Senate with overwhelming support and is now eligible for consideration in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.