The 59th Legislature convened Jan. 3 for Organizational Day.
This is required by the Oklahoma Constitution to take place each odd-numbered year to formally organize each chamber by electing officers and approving rules. The Constitution also requires the House of Representatives and Senate to jointly meet in to officially approve the prior year’s election returns.
This is the first time for newly elected members to convene, so it's a bit special. We formally elected the speaker of the House and the speaker pro tempore to serve for the next two years. The speaker now gets to select his leadership positions as well as set committee assignments. We also adopted rules by which we will be governed while we are in legislative session. Session officially starts Feb. 6 when we'll hear the governor's State of the State Address.
The deadline for legislation to be filed for this year is Jan. 19. House staff is currently working with representatives on drafting language for bills and resolutions.
Later this month, we'll hold budget reviews with the six state agencies that receive the largest amount of taxpayer dollars. These meetings are open to the public. The schedule should be released in the next few weeks. House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee chairs, meanwhile, are reviewing agency budget requests for the next fiscal year.
The House is currently accepting applications for our High School Page Program. Every year, hundreds of students from across the state have the opportunity to visit the Capitol for one week during the legislative session. While here, they have a chance to view the legislative process up close and gain experience working in state government.
Students serving as pages work in the House Chamber during daily session, assist representatives and House staff with tasks and take part in the House Page Mock Legislature on the floor of the House Chamber. Hotel accommodations and chaperones are provided for all students. House Pages are transported to and from the Capitol daily and are closely supervised at all times. Interested high school juniors and seniors may visit https://okhouse.gov/Pages/In dex.aspx to submit an application or contact their state representative for more information.
Also on the radar this spring is a special election scheduled for March 7 that will put State Question 820 before state voters. If approved, this question would create a new law legalizing recreational marijuana use for persons 21 or older. Voters in 2018 approved medical marijuana after a voter-led initiative petition brought the matter to a state vote. While legalizing marijuana promises more tax revenue to the state and potentially lowers the incarceration rate, there are challenges for law enforcement, tax assessment, utility and water use, land ownership and others. It will be important for voters to do their homework on this issue.
In the meantime, if I can help you with something, please do not hesitate to reach out. You also can follow regular updates on my House Facebook page or call or email anytime at (405) 5577407 or Mike.Dobrinski@okhouse.go v.