Both chambers returned to the Capitol this week with full committee schedules. Since no House committees met last week and only a handful of Senate committees took up legislation, legislators only had two weeks of committee work to advance their bills through committee and onto chamber floors. HB 2053 by Rep. David Hardin and Sen. Brent Howard passed out of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee Thursday. HB 2053 clarifies who qualifies as an interested party in a groundwater permit application protest. Specifically, those appealing a groundwater permit based solely on the industry or entity applying to utilize the water […]

Nearly 60 Oklahoma Farm Bureau members advocated for agriculture and rural Oklahoma in the nation’s capital during OKFB’s Washington, D.C. Summit March 27-31. Members had the opportunity to talk with Oklahoma’s congressional delegation who are making decisions that impact farmers, ranchers and rural Oklahomans. “We had a lot of wonderful opportunities to sit down with our senators and representatives and talk face-to-face and ask those hard questions,” said Jacob Beck, OKFB Young Farmers and Ranchers district three representative. “It has been very eye-opening and reassuring that our delegation is thinking about us in agriculture.” Senators James Lankford and Markwayne Mullin […]

This week was a busy one at 23rd and Lincoln as the Legislature was up against the second major deadline of the session. Thursday was the final day for bills to be passed off the floor of their chamber of origin. Following the first deadline at the beginning of the month, around 1,000 bills were still left for consideration. As bills now switch sides to be considered by the opposite chamber, there are roughly 800 bills alive. Oklahoma Farm Bureau members were pleased that HB 1921 by Rep. Lonnie Sims did not receive consideration on the House floor. HB 1921 […]

This week was the first full week of floor work for the Oklahoma legislature. While it is technically a three-week period from the start of floor work to the March 23rd deadline for bills to be passed off the floor of their origin, next week is expected to be a light week with only two days of legislative work. This week and the deadline week are the only full weeks for the House and Senate to consider bill measures. The Senate moved several bills this week, while the house saw a bit of a slow down due to some internal […]

This week marked the first major deadline for the 2023 Legislative Session. Thursday was the final day for all bills except budget bills to be passed out of their assigned committee from their chamber of origin. While numbers are not yet finalized, there are around 1,000 bills and joint resolutions left alive after the Thursday deadline. SB 669 – Non-resident driver’s licensing One bill that was passed out of committee this week was SB 669 by Sen. Michael Brooks. SB 669 would allow non-residents who file state taxes to utilize their individual tax identification number instead of a Social Security […]

With the upcoming vote to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, Oklahoma Farm Bureau members stand strongly opposed with strict policy on the subject. State Question 820 will appear on ballots Tuesday, March 7, and OKFB has created a number of resources for members to use in conversation and on social media platforms to encourage a “no” vote on the state question. TALKING POINTS SOCIAL MEDIA RESOURCES Below are several graphics for use on social media, including a profile photo and several graphics suitable for posting. [slb_exclude] Click here to download this image [/slb_exclude] [slb_exclude] Click here to download this […]

The state Capitol was busy this week as the legislature comes up on its first major deadline of the 2023 session. Thursday, March 2nd is the final day for bills to move out of their assigned committees. SB 333 by Sen. Darrell Weaver was heard in Senate Retirement & Insurance on Tuesday but failed due to the lack of a motion to approve. If passed, SB 333 would have allowed municipalities to transfer any cost related to worker’s compensation or medical treatment of a first responder diagnosed with PTSD due to a work related incident to the property taxes of […]

More than 80 Oklahoma Farm Bureau members and guests convened in Oklahoma City for the organization’s annual leadership conference Tuesday, Feb. 21. Farm Bureau members kicked off the morning with Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, who shared the importance of rural Oklahoma and the population shift to urban areas over the years. “There has never been a more important time for Oklahoma Farm Bureau,” he said. Pinnell also spoke about the immense growth of agritourism in Oklahoma, noting more than 2 million agritourism visits in the state this past year. Members had the opportunity to learn more about State Question 820 […]