Tensions were high at 23rd and Lincoln this week with another committee deadline on Thursday, April 14. All bills that passed the committee opposite their chamber of origin will now advance and can be heard by the full chamber. Conversely, any remaining bills – except those assigned to the House Appropriations and Budget Committee – are now effectively dormant for the rest of the 2022 legislative session, including nearly a dozen bills unexpectedly laid over in the House.
SB 1261 by Sen. Brent Howard and Rep. John Pfeiffer deals with spray drift on medical marijuana and was one of several medical marijuana bills laid over in the House. Though considered dormant for the session, language from the bill may be included in other similar legislation. OKFB will closely monitor any changes on this issue as it has been a top-of-mind issue for many Farm Bureau members.
SB 192 by Sen. Brent Howard removes unmanufactured farm products, such as stored hay and grain, from county assessment. Despite the busy and emotionally charged week, SB 192 passed the House committee and is now available for consideration by the full House.
The House Agriculture Committee once again heard SB 1110 by Sen. David Bullard and Rep. Justin Humphrey which would create a pilot program for virtual meat inspection from the United States Department of Agriculture. SB 1110 was laid over last week due to potential food safety concerns. The bill was modified this week to instead create a remote meat inspection research program for Oklahoma institutes of higher education. SB 1110 narrowly passed the House Agriculture Committee with a vote of 8-6.
The state Capitol saw lots of traffic as the candidate filing period for the upcoming election was April 13-15. OKFB will send a full list of candidates to county Farm Bureaus within the coming weeks to prepare for the OKFB AgPAC district meetings. Information for the meetings can be found here.
For an update on weekly happenings at the Capitol and an outlook on what is ahead, be sure to tune in to OKFB’s weekly public policy update each Friday at noon via Zoom.
