TRANSCRIPT
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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. Bill filing for the first session of the 60th Oklahoma legislature is over. The deadline was Thursday. And Shawn, legislators have a lot of things on their mind.
Shawn Ashley: It seems they do. Nearly 3,200 measures were filed for possible consideration when the legislative session resumes on February 3rd.
Dick Pryor: Over the last several years, the trend has been to see an increase in the number of bills filed. Why are so many bills getting filed these days?
Shawn Ashley: Well, you're right. The 3,200 bills and joint resolutions are a new record. It beats by more than 100 measures the record set in 2023 before the first session of the 59th Legislature, which topped the record set in 2021 prior to the first session of the 58th Legislature. During the 57th Legislature, 1990 to 2000, a total of only 3,481 bills were filed for two regular and one special session. Now, I think there are a couple of reasons there are so many. First, different people have different ideas about how to address an issue both within a party and from the opposite party. And then the other reason is technical. In the House specifically there are a lot of shell bills. Those bills have no language in them that indicate someone might be looking to change the tax system, hunting laws or something else. It looks like each committee chair filed several bills for their committee and there are more than 20 House committees. And then House Speaker Kyle Hilbert filed several shell bills for each of the state’s more than 90 titles of law. So those add up quickly.
Dick Pryor: It's probably too early to identify themes, but what stands out so far?
Shawn Ashley: Taxes are a very big issue, particularly for Republicans and specifically the individual income tax. There are several bills that would end it immediately. There are others that propose phasing it out over time by gradually reducing the rate. And then a variation of that phases out of the individual income tax over time based on revenue growth, a position Governor Kevin Stitt favors.
Dick Pryor: There's one bill that will definitely get noticed. House Bill 2292 by Speaker of the House Kyle Hilbert. It was filed late Thursday and concerns the rights of President-elect Donald Trump. What does this bill do and what problem is it purporting to fix?
Shawn Ashley: The bill, which affects only current and past U.S. presidents, waives Oklahoma's law that prohibits someone serving a felony sentence from voting and grants immunity to those individuals from criminal prosecution under state statutory language that prohibits any person convicted of a felony from owning or carrying a firearm. President- elect Trump, of course, was convicted of falsifying business records in the state of New York, a felony. Speaker Hilbert said, “We want to send a clear message that every American, and especially the president of the United States, is afforded their full rights and protections in Oklahoma, regardless of political attacks elsewhere.”
Dick Pryor: Now, something we need to remember is that early in the session in particular, there are bills filed that are intended to get noticed and make headlines.
Shawn Ashley: That's right. Former Senator Jessica Garvin noted in a tweet that not every bill filed gets a hearing. And that's true. Hilbert's bill and all the others still need at least two floor votes before they can go to Governor Stitt for his consideration, and most will have to go through at least three committees before being heard on the House and Senate floors.
Dick Pryor: Before Christmas, Governor Stitt issued an executive order requiring state employees to work in their offices rather than from remote locations. What concerns are some lawmakers expressing about that executive order and its effect?
Shawn Ashley: Senator Adam Pugh said he is concerned that younger workers see remote work and flexible scheduling as a benefit and they will have to be paid more to work 9 to 5 at a desk in an office, which could increase agencies’ budgets. He also wondered whether agencies will need more funding for additional office space, further increasing their budgets. This looks like an issue that's going to be talked about more and more in the budget process.
Dick Pryor: Thanks, Shawn.
Shawn Ashley: You're very welcome.
Dick Pryor: For more information, go to quorumcall.online and find audio and transcript at kgou.org. Until next time, with Shawn Ashley, I'm Dick Pryor.
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