Monday, April 30 to Thurs, May 3, 2012

Monday, April 30

• The Senate approved no bills on Monday.

• Senate committees took no action on bills Monday.

• The House met Monday, approving the following measures:

-HB 2902 by Rep. Danny Morgan, requires each county’s reapportionment to be recorded in a resolution adopted by the board of county commissioners.

-HB 1910 by Rep. Mike Jackson, allows the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to prepare examinations in order for those involved in the installation of water well pumps to be certified and obtain a license.

-HB 2643 by Rep. David Brumbaugh, removes language granting five years for removal of any outdoor advertising sign, display or device that becomes nonconforming to state law.

-HB 2925 by Rep. Don Armes, grants the Oklahoma Department of Food and Forestry the authority to negotiate reciprocal agreements with the federal government or any state.

-HB 3000 by Rep. Tom Newell, states that failure by a school district board member to satisfy continuing education requirements shall result in the ineligibility of the member to be reappointed for or run for reelection to that respective board seat.

-HB 3110 by Rep. Earl Sears, states that for the purposes of Article X, Section 6 of the Oklahoma Constitution, livestock owned by a general partnership are deemed to be livestock employed in support of the family.

-HJR 1111, approves the Oklahoma State Board of Examiners for Long-term Care Administrators’ permanent rules.

• House committees took no action Monday.

Tuesday, May 1

• The Senate approved the following measures on Tuesday:

-HCR 1031 by Rep. John Enns, calls on the U.S. Congress to exercise extensive and careful oversight of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and pass legislation as necessary to ensure the EPA promulgates nationally applicable rules only when there is a significant national or interstate issue involved.

-SB 448 by Sen. Don Barrington, modifies the definition of a tank vehicle.

-SB 1075 by Sen. Don Barrington, modifies the prohibition on municipal officers and employees from selling, buying or leasing property to or from the municipality or buying or bartering in the acquisition of any bonds, warrants or other indebtedness of the municipality.

-SB 1170 by Sen. Gary Stanislawski, modifies language related to the cancellation of voter registrations of deceased individuals.

-SB 1218 by Sen. David Holt, allows a college or university located within an improvement district to waive the 300-foot requirement for any mixed beverage establishment.

-SB 1506 by Sen. Eddie Fields, permits the Grand River Dam Authority to participate in the Southwest Power Pool Integrated Marketplace or any other program established by a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

-SB 1665 by Sen. Rob Johnson, modifies definitions under the Seismic Exploration Regulation Act.

-SB 1796 by Sen. Clark Jolley, adds investment programs administered by the state treasurer to those which school district treasurers may invest funds from the district’s investment account.

-SB 1797 by Sen. Clark Jolley, creates the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability.

-SB 1798 by Sen. Gary Stanislawski, exempts collisions occurring on private property from the requirement of filing reports with the Department of Public Safety.

-SB 1863 by Sen. Steve Russell, creates the Occupation, Education and Credentialing Act.

-SB 1875 by Sen. David Holt, creates the Safari McDoullet Community Service Act.

• Senate committees took no action Tuesday.

• The House met Tuesday, approving the following measures:

-HB 2419 by Rep. John Enns, exempts from liability for civil damages any entity or individual that provides access to a safe place in times of severe weather if the entity or individual was acting in good faith and the damage or injury sustained was not caused by the willful or wanton negligence or misconduct of the entity or individual.

-HJR 1121 by Rep. Fred Jordan, approves permanent rules of the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission.

-HB 2566 by Rep. Harold Wright, modifies language regarding the State Board of Health’s rules implementing the Continuum of Care and Assisted Living Act.

-HB 2573 by Rep. Pat Ownbey, clarifies that a person may not take by any means or method upon the land of another without consent of the owner, lessee or land occupant.

-HB 2654 by Rep. Fred Jordan, creates the Energy Litigation Reform Act.

-HB 2841 by Rep. Scott Martin, authorizes the Oklahoma Tax Commission to design and issue the Military Multi-Decoration License Plate.

-HB 2928 by Rep. Don Armes, removes references related to the Oklahoma Tuition Scholarship Revolving Fund.

-HB 2390 by Rep. Guy Liebmann, modifies language related to the Petroleum Storage Tank Indemnity Fund.

-HB 2563 by Rep. Paul Wesselhoft, modifies qualifications for the Native American Liaison.

-HB 2689 by Rep. Charles Joyner, modifies requirements for in-state tuition for dependents of serving members of the uniformed military.

-HB 2790 by Rep. Charles Ortega, modifies eligibility criteria for a superintendent of schools.

-HB 2978 by Rep. David Dank, requires the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to conduct a preapproval cost/benefit analysis to determine whether activity expected to result directly from the granting of a tax credit by the Oklahoma Tax Commission to a legal business entity would result in any estimated net direct state benefits.

• House committees took no action Tuesday.

Wednesday, May 2

• The Senate met Wednesday, approving the following measures:

-SB 1774 by Sen. Charles Laster, modifies language related to credit card transaction.

-SB 987 by Sen. Susan Paddack, modifies language relating to the definition of first-degree murder.

-SB 1071 by Sen. Kim David, reauthorizes the income tax checkoff for Court Appointed Special Advocates.

-SB 1095 by Sen. Charles Laster, authorizes the chair of the State Board of Examiners of Psychologists to conduct a hearing to temporarily suspend the license of any person under the board’s jurisdiction.

-SB 1096 by Sen. Brian Bingman, creates the Oklahoma State Facilities Energy Conservation Program.

-SB 1366 by Sen. Tom Ivester, requires mental health treatment instructions contained in a declaration to supersede any contrary or conflicting instructions given by an attorney-in-fact specifically for mental health treatment decisions unless the authority given to the attorney-in-fact in an advance directive for mental health treatment expressly provides otherwise.

-SB 1493 by Sen. Susan Paddack, modifies language related to appraisal trainees.

-SB 1537 by Sen. Susan Paddack, requires that any permit issued for a truck or truck-tractor operating in combination with a trailer or a semitrailer contain only the license plate number for the truck or truck-tractor if the permitee provides to the Department of Public Safety a list containing the license plate number, and such other information as the department may prescribe by rule, for each trailer or semitrailer which may be used for movement with the permit.

-SB 1539 by Sen. Josh Brecheen, permits the Department of Corrections to accept and process agricultural products from the public and to export the resulting products to foreign markets.

-SB 1800 by Sen. Kim David, expands the duties of advisory committees of representatives of child care facilities and others that the Department of Human Services is required to appoint to include providing advice regarding concerns brought by child care facilities or referred by the department to assist facilities in meeting minimum requirements.

-HB 1935 by Sen. Mike Schulz, sets the annual license fee for each motor vehicle in Oklahoma used for the purpose of transporting cotton modules.

• Senate committees took no action on Wednesday.

• The House met Wednesday, approving several bills, including the following:

-HB 3052 by Rep. Kris Steele, is a comprehensive public safety reform proposal.

-HB 2941 by Rep. David Derby, directs any pharmacy that dispenses, sells or distributes any compound mixture or preparation containing any detectable quantity of base pseudoephedrine to maintain an electronic record of the sale.

-HB 2374 by Rep. Sue Tibbs, exempts from confiscation by any law enforcement officer any vehicle that is towed by a licensed wrecker operator due to abandonment.

-HB 2561 by Rep. Paul Wesselhoft, allows a woman upon whom an abortion has been performed in negligent violation of statutes without voluntary and informed consent to bring a civil action against the abortion provider.

-HB 2204 by Rep. Randy McDaniel, modifies language related to the Employment Security Act.

-HB 2710 by Rep. Mike Jackson, prohibits the use or possession of a cigarette rolling vending machine for commercial purposes except by cigarette manufacturers.

-HB 2835 by Rep. Scott Martin, prohibits the Department of Environmental Quality from requiring a permit for applying less than 250 gallons per day of private residential gray water originating from a residence of the household gardening, composting or landscape irrigation under certain conditions.

• House committees on Wednesday approved two agency rule disapprovals.

Thursday, May 3

• The Senate approved the following measures Thursday:

-SB 1565 by Sen. Susan Paddack, establishes a comprehensive dyslexia teacher training pilot program.

-SB 1443 by Sen. John Ford, extends the time that certain mandates shall not apply to schools.

-SB 46 by Sen. Don Barrington, extends disabled veterans sales tax exemption to surviving spouses.

-SB 1182 by Sen. Patrick Anderson, allows technology center school districts to use funds for additional uses.

-SB 1439 by Sen. Jonathan Nichols, creates punishments for insurance fraud and embezzlement.

Other News

• State Treasurer Ken Miller this week announced state revenue collections continue to rise despite shrinking revenue from gross production taxes on oil and gas. Total collections for April were up 7.7 percent from those of last year. Collections from the past 12 months are 9.6 percent higher than those of the previous year.

• The Oklahoma Supreme Court this week declared Initiative Petition 395 – the Personhood Initiative – to be unconstitutional.