TRANSCRIPT:
LAYDEN: Science and environment reporter Chloe Bennett-Steele, you’ve been watching how lawmakers are reacting to the prospect of more data centers, and their efforts to protect the oil and gas industry.
BENNETT-STEELE: Yeah, there were quite a few bills and discussions about the rise of data centers and how those are affecting electricity rates now and maybe in the future. Some measures didn't make it through, but there was one bipartisan House bill from Marlow Republican Brad Boles that received support from more than 30 other lawmakers, and that's the Data Center Consumer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026. It basically sets rules for regulators and data center operators to keep utility rates fair for households and regular businesses. The legislature also passed a bill to shield all fossil fuel companies in Oklahoma from lawsuits mentioning climate change or greenhouse gas emissions. Basically under this new law, Oklahomans can't sue oil and gas companies over environmental or health impacts of climate change or greenhouse gasses. Both of the authors argue that these kind of lawsuits are frivolous, and critics say this gives immunity to the oil and gas industry.
LAYDEN: Even beyond this session, you've been following the state's orphaned well situation. There are thousands of these abandoned wells that can be harmful to the environment. What did lawmakers do related to that?
BENNETT-STEELE: One bill would have been a small solution to Oklahoma's orphaned well issue. It's estimated that we have at least 20,000 of these wells, but the real number is likely much higher than that. Representative Nick Archer's House Bill 3173 would have authorized the conversion of these wells into geothermal energy producers. That did not make it through this session.
LAYDEN: Health reporter Jillian Taylor, the anti-abortion push in Oklahoma remains a high priority, but a lot of your recent reporting is about what the legislature didn't do this session.
TAYLOR: Yes, and what didn't pass was a measure addressing Medicaid expansion. Oklahoma voters passed a ballot initiative six years ago, which expanded eligibility to low-income adults, and that eligibility is currently protected in the Constitution, meaning lawmakers have to send another ballot measure to the people to get their permission to change it. And so Republicans did just that. They proposed several measures seeking to move the population into statute where it can be changed or repealed, citing main concerns of, you know, state spending on the growing population, but they faced several obstacles, including disagreements on what that question would say and when it would be voted on. And so ultimately nothing passed this session, but the possibility of a special session hasn't been ruled out. But what did pass was House Bill 1168, which makes it a felony to deliver or possess with the intent to deliver an abortion-inducing drug to someone who plans to use it to terminate a pregnancy. And the penalty is up to $100,000 in fines, 10 years in prison or both. But recently a group called Repro46 offered an analysis of this measure and they say it's not a dramatic change to current law.
LAYDEN: Education reporter Beth Wallis, we don't have time to get to all of it, but give us some education-related highlights from this session.
WALLIS: So there was an update to the state's Strong Readers Act with Senate Bill 1778. It's a $26 billion bill. And one of the top line issues was that it brings back third grade retention. So third graders who do not meet those reading targets with their literacy test at the end of the year would have to be held back unless they might meet a good cause exemption like they are English language learners or maybe there are certain students on IEPs, individualized education programs. It also includes measures to get to those kids before they hit third grade. So first and second graders who are not meeting those targets could be put in transitional grades or maybe they move up to the next grade, but then they have to be with targeted pullouts. I think the other two big ticket items in the legislature this year, the teacher pay raise. So teachers saw a $2,000 pay raise. And currently, Oklahoma ranks 45th in the nation for minimum salary. And so this moves it up from about 39,600 to 41,600. But this was a pretty controversial bill because it was tied to the passage of another bill. And that bill raised the cap on the parental choice tax credit. And so it was capped at $250 million. Now it's at $275 million. I think it's important to point out that since this program has been enacted, tuition at private schools in Oklahoma has actually raised by 61%.
LAYDEN: Thank you, Beth Wallis, Jillian Taylor, Chloe Bennett-Steele. For StateImpact, I'm Logan Layden.
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