Monday, May 3 to Thursday, May 6, 2010

Monday, May 3

• The Senate met Monday, approving the following measures:

-SB 1354 by Sen. Jerry Ellis, raises from 43 to 45 the maximum age for commissioned officers within the Oklahoma Highway Patrol division.

-SB 1830 by Sen. Brian Crain, requires the Department of Human Services to immediately make a referral to an appropriate law enforcement agency for the purpose of conducting a possible criminal investigation when the department determines that alleged abuse or neglect of a child involves a child in the custody of the Office of Juvenile Affairs and the child was placed in an Office of Juvenile Affairs secure juvenile facility at the time of the alleged abuse or neglect.

-SB 1879 by Sen. Dan Newberry, adds language relating to the Nursing Home Care Act, requiring situations where rape or any other criminal act is suspected to be reported to local law enforcement immediately.

-SB 2054 by Sen. Bill Brown, authorizes the insurance commissioner to require any entity obligated to submit or file documents with the Department of Insurance to electronically file the documents.

• The Senate General Conference Committee on Appropriations on Monday approved the following legislation:

-SB 1590 by Sen. Mike Johnson, places an indefinite moratorium on the tax credits for investments in small business capital companies and rural small business capital companies.

-SB 1577 by Sen. Mike Johnson, clarifies language related to the Office of Personnel Management.

-SB 1579 by Sen. Mike Johnson, clarifies language related to classified and unclassified service.

-HB 1281 by Rep. Scott Martin, increases from three-fourths of 1 cent to 1 cent the per-ton fee operators of non-coal mining operators must pay to the Department of Mines.

-HB 2631 by Rep. Dennis Johnson, requires part-time reserve peace officers certified by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training to complete a minimum of eight hours of continuing law enforcement training.

-HB 1786 by Rep. T.W. Shannon, creates the Local Government Infrastructure Cost Recovery Payment Act.

• The House convened Monday, approving the following measures:

-HB 2957 by Rep. Harold Wright, makes it unlawful for a public transit driver to operate a motor vehicle on any street or highway within the state while using a cellular telephone or electronic communication device to write, send or read a text-based communication while the vehicle is still in motion.

-HB 2292 by Rep. Rex Duncan, authorizes the adjutant general to receive financial donations and expend such funds or utilize state-appropriated funds for mementos, presentations or participation in events designed to promote interests and relationships of the Military Department or Oklahoma National Guard.

-HB 2296 by Rep. John Carey, modifies experience requirements for certification of school principals and superintendents.

-HB 2575 by Rep. Dale DeWitt, directs the Department of Education to notify school districts by Feb. 1 of each year of any changes to the Oklahoma Cost Accounting System reporting codes and procedures.

-HB 2704 by Rep. Randy McDaniel, directs the Oklahoma Lottery Commission to withhold from winnings the delinquent debt owed to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.

-HB 2333 by Rep. Randy McDaniel, repeals statutory language regarding the commissioner of labor approving a list of the most hazardous industries in the state.

-HB 2671 by Rep. Randy McDaniel, modifies language related to the Mutual Benefit Association.

-HB 3240 by Rep. David Derby, creates the Aaron Gillming Act.

• The House General Conference Committee on Appropriations approved no measures on Monday.

Tuesday, May 4

• The Senate met Tuesday, approving the following bills:

-HJR 1054 by Rep. Mike Ritze, provides statutory language prohibiting a resident of the state – regardless of whether he/she has or is eligible for health insurance coverage under any policy or program provided by or through an employer, the state or federal government – from being required to obtain or maintain a policy of individual insurance coverage, except as required by a court or the Department of Human Services in a case where the individual is named a party in a judicial or administrative proceeding.

-SB 213 by Sen. Glenn Coffee, requires that every act of the Legislature contain a separate provision that expresses the subject of the bill and requires a court that finds legislation to have violated the Oklahoma Constitution’s one-subject rule to provide written findings that detail each of the multiple subjects the court has determined are contained within the measure.

-SB 461 by Sen. Jonathan Nichols, authorizes a $1,500 income tax credit for investments in certain “alternative motor vehicles”.

-SB 509 by Sen. John Ford, adjusts the minimum salary schedule for teachers to include salaries for teachers with 26 to 30 years of experience.

-SB 820 by Sen. Jonathan Nichols, increases from 10 to 15 percent the amount of previous revenues the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission can use for administration.

-SB 1311 by Sen. Andrew Rice, modifies language related to the issuance of special volunteer licenses, allowing it to be issued for a period to be determined by the applicable board.

-SB 1313 by Sen. Susan Paddack, authorizes the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training to establish and host law enforcement youth camps at the CLEET statewide training facility.

-SB 1799 by Sen. Susan Paddack, provides retakes of criterion reference tests by eligible students to be administered at least two weeks prior to the tests’ regular administration date.

-SB 1940 by Sen. Bryce Marlatt, increases from $300,000 to $400,000 the minimum cost of certain road-related projects for which engineering plans and specifications must be prepared by the county engineer.

-SB 2126 by Sen. Debbe Leftwich, includes “technology center school district” in the definition of “political subdivision” under the Governmental Tort Claims Act.

-SB 1998 by Sen. Dan Newberry, eliminates the population limitations for certain use of county-owned property and requires a written cooperative agreement between the county and a municipality for counties with at least two cities with populations of 15,000 or more.

• Senate committees approved no legislation on Tuesday.

• The House approved the following measures on Tuesday:

-HB 3158 by Rep. Leslie Osborn, allows the period of supervision in a drug court program to be extended by a court order.

-HB 3354 by Rep. Rex Duncan, allows the justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, judge of the Court of Civil Appeals, judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals or judge of the Workers’ Compensation Court who is in possession of a valid handgun license to carry or use weapons in any state courthouse.

-HB 2774 by Rep. Kris Steele, creates the Clean Air in Restaurants Act of 2012.

-HB 2306 by Rep. Jason Murphey, expands the powers and duties of the board of directors of rural road improvement districts to include establishing rules and regulations for the construction and maintenance of culverts and drainage projects.

-HB 2530 by Rep. Colby Schwartz, expands the exemptions granted under the Elevator Safety Act to include elevators located in or adjacent to a building or structure owned by an Oklahoma public trust that provides independent living apartments for persons age 62 or older.

HB 2695 by Rep. Sue Tibbs, exempts assisted living facilities licensed to house six or fewer residents from the requirement to install fire sprinkler protection.

-HB 2746 by Rep. Lee Denney, adds unlawful delivery of a controlled dangerous substance using a motor vehicle to the list of offenses for which the Department of Public Safety may revoke driving privileges.

-HB 2826 by Rep. Ron Peters, directs the presiding judge or chief judge of district courts to adopt forms for use by pro se persons seeking the dissolution of a marriage or determination of paternity, custody or visitation.

-HB 2934 by Rep. Ken Luttrell, allows a court to require someone who must register under the Sex Offenders Registration Act to register any e-mail address information used for social networking or other similar internet communications.

• House committees approved no legislation on Tuesday.

Wednesday, May 5

• The Senate met Wednesday, approving the following measures:

-SB 1250 by Sen. Jonathan Nichols, prohibits a laboratory, medical facility, hospital or birthing place from unauthorized storage, transferring, use or databasing of DNA from any newborn child without express parental consent.

-SB 1347 by Sen. Mike Schulz, modifies language related to the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, changing reference from the division of travel and tourism to the travel and promotion division.

-SB 1697 by Sen. Patrick Anderson, states legislative intent that state agencies issue publications in an electronic format whenever possible and that the Publications Clearinghouse and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries disseminate links to or other means by which to access publications.

-SJR 59 by Sen. Dan Newberry, proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting a law from compelling any person, employer or health care provider from participating in any health care system and allowing a person or employer to pay directly for health care services without being required to pay penalties or fines.

-SB 1882 by Sen. Brian Bingman, extends a tax on the gross value to the production of oil.

-SB 1966 by Sen. Ron Justice, requires applicants for the Small Employer Quality Jobs Incentive Act to meet qualifying employment requirements within 24 months of the date of application.

-SB 2173 by Sen. Cliff Branan, removes language allowing any county to direct the Tax Commission to deposit certain monies directly into the County Bridge and Road Improvement Fund.

-SB 2204 by Sen. Thomas Ivester, creates the Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Jurisdiction Act and allows courts of Oklahoma to treat a foreign country as if it were a state for certain purposes.

-SB 2296 by Sen. Charles Wyrick, adds a local emergency management director as determined by the president of the Oklahoma Emergency Management Association to the membership of the State Hazard Mitigation Team.

-HCR 1048 by Rep. Paul Wesselhoft, declares that the Legislature stands with Israel and the Jewish people in their right to live in freedom, free of terrorism in the safe and secure borders of their forefathers.

• Senate committees approved no legislation on Wednesday.

• The House met Wednesday, approving the following bills:

-HB 2994 by Rep. John Enns, creates the Firearms Freedom Act.

-HB 2321 by Rep. Todd Russ, directs the State Board of Education to adopt curricular standards for an elective course or courses consisting of nonsectarian, nonreligious academic study of the Christian Bible and its influence on literature, art, music, culture and politics.

-HB 1319 by Rep. Jerry Shoemake, directs individuals who have the authority to convey an interest in minerals in the state belonging to a deceased person to convey the mineral interest to a successor 10 or more days after the death.

-HB 1641 by Rep. Scott Inman, creates the Oklahoma Trusts for Pets Act of 2009.

-HB 2313 by Rep. Rex Duncan, modifies language related to juvenile proceedings, allowing a juvenile proceeding to be filed within six months after the juvenile’s 18th birthday if the underlying act would constitute a misdemeanor if committed by an adult.

-HB 2322 by Rep. Paul Roan, modifies language related to descriptions of motor vehicles and motorcycles.

-HB 2348 by Rep. Colby Schwartz, modifies language related to the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Control Act.

-HB 2696 by Rep. Paul Roan, designates the portion of State Highway 7 from the Atoka city limits west to the Johnston County line as “Master Sergeant Houston K. Blackburn Memorial Highway.”

-HB 2882 by Rep. Ken Luttrell, designates a portion of State Highway 177 from White Eagle Road extending south to Eagles Nest Rest as “Tribal Elder Parrish Williams Memorial Highway.”

-HB 2911 by Rep. Danny Morgan, prohibits the creation of a new business entity to evade payment of a workers’ compensation judgment.

-HB 3203 by Rep. Don Armes, repeals laws relating to the Livestock Dealers Act.

-HB 3294 by Rep. Sue Tibbs, allows the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to reveal otherwise confidential information to outside agencies or individuals who are providing interpreter services, questioned document analysis, laboratory services or other specialized services that are necessary in the assistance of bureau investigations.

-HB 3315 by Rep. Scott Martin, modifies language relating to the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act.

-HB 3394 by Rep. Dan Kirby, increases from three to four the number of two-year terms members of the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth may serve.

-HB 1741 by Rep. Ron Peters, authorizes district courts to establish a family drug court for treating children adjudicated as deprived and for treating their families who have in some way a substance abuse disorder.

-HB 2631 by Rep. Dennis Johnson, requires part-time reserve peace officers certified by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training to complete a minimum of eight hours of continuing law enforcement training.

• House committees approved no measures on Wednesday.

Thursday, May 6

• The Senate met Thursday, approving the following measures:

-SCR 61 by Sen. Glenn Coffee, recognizes the contributions of T. Boone Pickens.

-SB 1404 by Sen. Sean Burrage, mandates that the Oklahoma School for the Visual and Performing Arts hold a camp or program during the time between the spring and fall semester.

-SB 300 by Sen. Brian Bingman, removes restriction related to Corporation Commission pipeline regulation.

Other News

• Oklahoma doctors visited the state Capitol on Thursday to warn lawmakers regarding a potential shortage of primary care physicians. Doctors lobbied lawmakers for passage of legislation that would enhance the state’s efforts in recruitment and retention.

• University of Oklahoma President David Boren this week said undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees would increase in the coming year. Boren estimated the increases would be under 10 percent.