Grocery Tax Relief Coming In August
Governor Kevin Stitt signed a bill eliminating the state’s portion of the grocery tax into law today.
Stitt signed House Bill 1955 into law less than a week after it cleared the Senate with an overwhelming majority.
Flanked by House and Senate leadership from both parties and supporters of the grocery tax cut holding signs, the governor called the new legislation a promise long overdue.
“So I get to deliver on that promise today by signing, the largest single-year tax cut in Oklahoma history,” Stitt said.
Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat and House Speaker Charles McCall spoke in support of the tax cut on groceries, calling it a bipartisan and bicameral success.
They left questions about whether an income tax cut is next, however, largely unanswered.
McCall, Stitt and Democratic leaders say they support it. The outlier is Treat, who’s vocalized his reluctance to consider an income tax cut this session after seeing the authorized state budget earlier this month.
State Lawmakers Consider Revamped Teacher Signing Bonus Program
The state legislature is considering a bill that would give returning teachers signing bonuses.
But, the bill’s author wants it to work differently than the State Department of Education's program launched last year.
House Bill 4017 by Moore Republican Mark McBride would establish a signing bonus program for teachers who return to the classroom next year.
They must have at least three years of experience and cannot have taught in Oklahoma in the past five years.
It’s similar to a recent program from State Superintendent Ryan Walters, but McBride emphasized a big change - teachers would be paid in $7,000 installments each year for five years, rather than receiving one large lump sum payment upfront.
“We’re just not turning $10 million over to OSDE without some parameters on it, like we’ve done, so we don’t get in the mess that happened over the last few months,” McBride said.
A StateImpact and Oklahoma Watch investigation last month revealed OSDE demanded back up to $50,000 each from some recipients due to vetting lapses on applications.
To avoid that, the bill includes a clause requiring verification of all applicant information PRIOR to bonus disbursement.
Oklahoma DEQ Offers Grants to Combat Food Waste, Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Research shows about 40% of food is thrown away in the U.S., resulting in more greenhouse gas emissions.
As a result, 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 said 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," Riley said.
He said 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.
Oklahoma-Based Productions Earn Award Nominations
Film and TV productions based in Oklahoma picked up nominations for Writers Guild Awards last week.
Killers of the Flower Moon writers Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese were nominated in the category of Adapted Screenplay.
The film is based on the book of the same name by David Grann and tells the story of the Osage Reign of Terror in the 1920s.
Oklahoma director Sterlin Harjo and writer Tommy Pico earned an Episodic Comedy award nomination for an episode in the third and final season of the F-X television series Reservation Dogs.
And, Tulsa’s Bill Hader was among the writers of HBO TV series Barry, picking up a nomination in the Comedy Series category.
Writers Guild Award winners will be announced in a ceremony on April 14.
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