As legislators consider issues and possible legislation during interim studies, we thought it would be a good idea to discuss what they are and what to watch for.
TRANSCRIPT
Dick Pryor: This is Capitol Insider - taking you inside politics, policy, and government in Oklahoma. I'm Dick Pryor with Quorum Call publisher Shawn Ashley. Shawn, this time of year, legislative interim studies are in full swing at the Capitol. Today, let's start with some background. What are interim studies and what are they not?
Shawn Ashley: Well, interim studies give members an opportunity to dig more deeply into various issues related to legislation. Some studies look broadly at issues such as challenges faced by women in the workforce. Others are more specific, like whether Oklahoma would be a good place to expand nuclear power. Members often request studies to review the impact of existing laws, and in some cases lobbyists or other organizations ask lawmakers to request certain studies. Interim studies usually are not where lawmakers consider specific legislation or where bills are written or rewritten, although they are sometimes used to further explain or advocate for pending legislation.
Dick Pryor: Who decides which legislative studies will be considered?
Shawn Ashley: The House Speaker and Senate President Pro Tempore. House Speaker Charles McCall approved more than 80 of the 110 interim studies requested by members of the House and Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat approved 61 studies. The Speaker and President Pro Tem assign the studies to standing committees. And so there's another level of approval here because it is then up to the committee chairs to decide whether the studies will be heard. There was one Senate committee chair several years ago who was well-known for not holding study hearings. I think in the eight years he chaired a committee, he may have heard one study.
Dick Pryor: Some interim studies stand out. One of those was heard in September, and it was about initiative petitions. Where is that one heading?
Shawn Ashley: Well, the initiative petition process has been the focus of a lot of legislation in recent years, mostly proposals that would make it more difficult to bring state questions to a vote of the people. Representative Mickey Dollens went the other direction, suggesting ways the current process could be strengthened and improved, such as lengthening the 90-day signature collection window and requiring petition elections to appear on the general election ballot in November rather than some other time of year when fewer people traditionally vote.
Dick Pryor: What other interim studies are you keeping a close eye on?
Shawn Ashley: You know, education is the focus of a lot of studies every year, and this year is really no different. The Senate Education and House Common Education Committees each heard studies about the teacher pipeline - how to attract more teachers to Oklahoma classrooms. I think those may spur some legislation in the 2024 session. The Senate Education Committee also heard a presentation on how the state's A-F school report cards are determined. And that's another area where legislation might be filed. House Speaker Charles McCall submitted a study request of his own and approved it. Related to compacts with Native American tribes, he assigned it to a special committee made up entirely of the House. That one is yet to be heard. But given Governor Stitt's veto earlier this year of two compact bills and the legislature's overrides of those vetoes, I think that could be a very interesting study.
Dick Pryor: With Daylight Saving time ending in November, another interim study may be of particular interest right now - examining the merits of moving the state of Oklahoma permanently to Standard Time.
Shawn Ashley: Representative Kevin West, a Republican from Moore, said he requested that study to educate his fellow legislators about Standard Time – the time we experience from November to March, and its benefits. Jeffery Gentry, a professor of communications at Eastern New Mexico University who has studied Standard Time, testified before the committee, and said Daylight Savings Time, the March to November period, creates a circadian or sleep cycle deficit for eight months of the year in Oklahoma. He went on to say that it was unnecessary and called it, quote, “the worst insult to human sleep timing that modern life has produced.”
Dick Pryor: So that's the kind of thing you may hear at an interim study.
Shawn Ashley: Exactly.
Dick Pryor: Very quickly, which interim studies do you think are likely to inform legislation that will actually be filed?
Shawn Ashley: I think the Senate Appropriations Committee study on the state statute passed in 2022 that prohibits state and local governments from doing business with banks and financial services firms that boycott the oil and gas industry likely will result in legislation. There were a lot of concerns about that statute from how the restricted list of firms is created, own up to who's responsible for enforcing the bill if state entities are not following the law.
Dick Pryor: All right, Shawn, thank you.
Shawn Ashley: You're very welcome.
Dick Pryor: And that's Capitol Insider. For more information, go to quorumcall.online. You can find audio and transcripts at kgou.org and listen to Capitol Insider where you get your podcasts. Until next time, with Shawn Ashley, I'm Dick Pryor.
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