This past week marked the twelfth week of session and the deadline to have House bills off the Senate floor.  By Thursday, 255 House bills had passed off the Senate floor and 283 House bills were reported out of Senate committees.  On the House side, 288 Senate bills had passed off the House floor and 350 Senate bills were reported out of House committees.  As of the end of this legislative week, Governor Stitt has signed 64 Senate bills.         

Last week, the Senate advanced a series of eight criminal justice reform measures that continue to build on the reforms started last year to provide uniformity of certain drug offenses, improve parole supervision and cap excessive sentences for nonviolent offenses. I was the Senate author of three of the measures that were passed on Thursday:

• House Bill 2273 makes several changes to the pardon and parole process including requiring the Pardon and Parole Board to state the reason for denial of an application for parole and suggest a course of remediation for the inmate. › ›

• House Bill 2369 creates the Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission to evaluate and make recommendations on the creation of diversion programs. A report of the commission to the Legislature is due February 1 and each year thereafter. ››

• House Bill 2218 directs the court to waive outstanding fines, court costs and fees if the offender has secured admission to and is enrolled in an institution that is a technology center, workforce training program or member of state college or university. The bill also limits district attorney supervision to no more than two years.

These bills strike a fair balance between protecting public safety and adopting comprehensive criminal justice reforms that can provide opportunities for rehabilitation.  

• Senate Bill 441, the bill that encourages more instructional time for the students of Oklahoma, passed in the House last week, after they added an amendment to include a $1,200 pay raise for teachers.  The proposal would allow school districts to utilize either 180 days of classroom time, 1,080 hours of classroom time with a minimum of 165 days of classroom time, or 1,080 hours with no minimum of days of classroom time if districts are granted an exemption for meeting guidelines for the school’s academic performance and financial savings. These options allow for local control and flexibility without compromising public education.  While I recognize there are other challenges we are also facing in education, it’s important we keep focused on what is best for Oklahoma’s students.  

Budget negotiations are moving forward.  By law, we must have a budget in place before we adjourn in late May, and it appears we are on schedule to meet that deadline. Education is expected to see a significant increase and we anticipate a $400M deposit into the Rainy Day Fund due to a revenue surplus, bringing the total amount in the Rainy Day Fund close to $850M.  

It was a pleasure to host three chaplains from our district last week at the Senate.  On Monday, Pastor Bill Terrell from Church on the Hill in Okeene delivered our prayer before the start of the session.  On Tuesday, Pastor Russ Brown of First Christian Church in Kingfisher served and on Wednesday and Thursday, Pastor Lynn Bellamy from Anadarko First Baptist Church led us in prayer at the opening of the legislative session.  

As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments on any issue or concern.  Please contact me or my executive assistant, Jamie Hudson, if we can assist you.  We can be reached at the state Capitol by calling (405) 521-5545 or by email at jech@oksenate.gov.  If you’re at the Capitol and would like to stop by for a visit, you can find us in Room 417.