Senator Greg Treat, president pro tempore-designate of the Oklahoma Senate, announced his selections of Senate appropriations subcommittee chairs for the next legislative session that convenes in February. Treat also named the vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and named the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, which will return to a standing committee during the next session.

A measure that would give counties the option to decide whether to allow Sunday liquor store sales has won full Senate approval. Sen. Stephanie Bice began working two years ago to help Oklahomans modernize state liquor laws, with voters overwhelmingly supporting State Question 792 last November. Senate Bill 211 represents another step in that effort, and will address an important parity issue.

Late Tuesday, the Oklahoma Retail Liquor Association (RLAO) filed paperwork with the Oklahoma Secretary of State that would place a question on the ballot in November to allow full-strength beer in grocery stores and convenience stores, but virtually eliminate grocery stores’ ability to obtain wine licenses. In addition, wine would not be sold in convenience stores under their proposal.

Senators issue Statement on legislative efforts to modernize Oklahoma laws on alcohol sales

State Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City, principal author of Senate Bill 383, and Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, principal author of Senate Joint Resolution 68, issued statements Wednesday about work on those measures which seek to modernize laws in Oklahomas statutes and constitution dealing with alcohol sales.

The Senate has taken a giant step forward by promoting further discussions by all stakeholders on legislation to modernize Oklahoma’s archaic and uncompetitive laws regulating alcohol sales. Senate Bill 383, by Sen. Stephanie Bice, began as an effort to give liquor stores the option of selling refrigerated beer. Bice, R-Oklahoma City, said since that time, the focus of the legislation has changed.

State Sen. Stephanie Bice has filed legislation that would allow retail liquor stores to sell refrigerated high-point beer in Oklahoma. Bice said this change is something Oklahomans have increasingly been asking for.

“I’ve heard from scores of Oklahomans from all parts of the state who are really supportive of this effort to modernize state law to enable the sale of cold high-point beer in liquor stores,” said Bice, R-Oklahoma City. “The response I’ve received has been overwhelmingly in favor of this legislation.”

In September, Oklahoma prisons went on lockdown. It began with a gang-related fight in the Northeast Oklahoma Correctional Center in Vinita before spreading to prisons throughout the state. A coordinated uprising, which resulted in injuries to correctional officers, the hospitalization of 36 inmates and the death of one inmate. All coordinated with cellphones.

State Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, has been appointed to serve on the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission, a 21-member panel that will help plan the state’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of “The Mother Road.”

Self-driving cars, e-scooters, more commercial uses for drones and drone-ports and the expanded use of electric vehicles were all part of the discussion at an interim study held this week by the Senate Transportation Committee. The Monday hearing was requested by Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, who serves as vice-chair of the committee. He said emerging transportation technologies bring with them a host of opportunities and concerns that need to be addressed sooner, rather than later.

County sheriffs throughout Oklahoma have received much-needed support with the passage of Senate Bill 244 this past session. The measure, by Senate principal author Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, and House principal author Rep. Zack Taylor, R-Seminole, ends a practice that often resulted in county jails having to pay for the cost of housing inmates awaiting transport to facilities operated by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC). The new law took effect on August 30.