Deadline Looms for Oklahoma Lawmakers to Present Bills to Legislative Committees
Oklahoma lawmakers are on a deadline to get their bills in front of relevant legislative committees this week.
Thursday marks the last day lawmakers can have their bills heard and passed through committees in their chamber of origin to then be considered on the floor.
Any bills that don’t get a committee hearing by then essentially fail, unless lawmakers go out of their way to bring them back into the fold.
Oklahoma City Rep. Cyndi Munson is the leader of the House Democratic Caucus. She says legislative deadlines help lawmakers prioritize bills and give constituents a better idea of what measures have a real chance of becoming law.
"If you want a bill heard that you care about that you're wanting, you know, you need to know what committee it's in. And you have four weeks, to really advocate for that bill," said Munson.
Thursday is the first of five important deadlines that occur during the legislative session.
After this week, lawmakers will spend the next two on the floor making the case for bills approved in committee. Bills passed on the floor will then move to the opposite chamber for consideration.
Legislators Push Forward Bill to Address Teacher Shortage with Compensation Comparison
State lawmakers are hoping to get more teachers into classrooms with a bill that would require lawmakers to compare Oklahoma’s teacher compensation rates with that of neighboring states. The bill advanced through its first legislative hurdle Monday.
House Bill 3074 by former teacher and Muskogee Republican Neil Hays would require the State Board of Education to review average teacher compensation in surrounding states every other year, starting next year. If those averages are greater than Oklahoma’s, the legislature would be required to introduce a pay raise bill.
Hays says he wants to advertise to potential teachers that if they spend 30 years in Oklahoma classrooms, their pay rates will be reviewed at least 15 times.
"If teachers get into the profession, knowing they’re going to get 15 looks at compensation compared to the regional average — with our lower, low tax structure, tax burden, cost of living — that I think it becomes a more attractive profession and I think our teachers deserve that," said Hays.
In its original form, the bill would have prescribed pay raise legislation to bypass committee hearings and mandate it to be heard on the chamber floors, but after objections from some committee members, that section was taken out. The bill now heads to full Appropriations.
Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Sean McDaniel Resigns
The superintendent for Oklahoma City Public Schools is resigning.
Superintendent Sean McDaniel submitted his resignation to the Board of Education Monday.
McDaniel led the state's second largest school district for the past six years.
He was able to develop and successfully pass a $955 million bond package in November 2022, and led the district through the COVID-19 pandemic.
McDaniel plans to step down June 30.
The Board says it plans to determine next steps in the coming weeks.
Oklahoma DEQ Offers Grants to Combat Food Waste, Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
About 40% of food is thrown away in the U.S., resulting in more greenhouse gas emissions. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality is offering grants for organizations to better manage and reduce their food waste.
Food waste also means wasted resources, like water and energy, used to grow, store and prepare food.
Environmental progress manager Patrick Riley says this is one of the reasons for the department’s food waste management grants.
"So, if we can make sure that food is used for the purpose in which it was grown, then, you know, we make the best value of those resources," said Riley.
He says in one project, a local food pantry used the grant money to collect edible food that would have otherwise been thrown away from stores.
The deadline to apply for the grants is Feb. 29.
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