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. Shawn, the new year began with several bills becoming law. What stands out in that group of new laws?
Shawn Ashley: Twelve bills took effect on New Year's Day and three of those focus on modernizing Oklahoma's criminal code. You may recall a task force worked for several years to classify or group similar crimes together into classes that would then have similar punishment parameters. The first of those bills was House Bill 1792, which passed in 2024. Its effective date was delayed to January 1st of this year to allow lawmakers and other stakeholders to evaluate the bill's impact and implement any needed adjustments. Those adjustments were reflected in House Bills 2104 and 2105, which also took effect on New Year's Day. And it appears that work is continuing. Some of the new bills being filed for the 2026 legislative session propose additional adjustments to the classifications and grouping of crimes.
Dick Pryor: And the 2026 legislative session begins in less than a month. There was a surge in bill filings over the holidays.
Shawn Ashley: From the end of May when the legislature previously adjourned until January 3rd, just over 230 new bills and joint resolutions were filed for consideration in the 2026 legislative session. What really surprised me was that 115 of those, about half, were filed over the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s. So, the idea that not much work was done those last two weeks of the year really doesn't hold true for lawmakers and the legislative staff who draft and file those bills.
Dick Pryor: Turnpike expansion - specifically in central Oklahoma - has been an ongoing controversial story for a few years now. And on Tuesday, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority voted to begin condemnation of some properties near the proposed East-West Connector and near the Turner Turnpike. Where are the properties in the Norman area, and what does this action tell us about the status of this process?
Shawn Ashley: The properties are along Indian Hills Road, which will become the East-West connector. Some are just east of West 48th Avenue Northwest, and others are just west of 48th Avenue Northwest. And there are also a group of properties that are located North of Indian Hills Road on I-35, where Indian Hills Road crosses, and these are on the east side of the interstate.
Todd Gore, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority's Director of Right-of-Ways, said each property owner has received multiple notifications with the authority's first offer for the property's purchase, but the agency has not received a counteroffer from those property owners. ”It's a timing situation with construction,” Gore said. “We need to start the process.” Now, he noted that the condemnation process can be long, and he also pointed out the agency is still open to further negotiation with landowners as that process moves along. And since the property owners were given notice that the board would consider whether to condemn their properties, Gore said multiple owners are reaching out to his team.
Dick Pryor: A state representative has filed a bill proposing a constitutional amendment that would allow the legislature to freeze funding for a particular higher education institution in the state. How is this proposed legislation significant?
Shawn Ashley: Except for occasional special projects, the legislature usually does not appropriate money to individual higher education institutions. Those allocations are made by the Regents for Higher Education. So, the proposed constitutional amendment would really have two effects. It would allow the legislature to cut funding to a specific institution, while at the same time, undoing what the higher regents had done in terms of funding that school.
Dick Pryor: Does the proposed constitutional amendment provide the terms under which the legislature could take that action?
Shawn Ashley: It does not. It only requires that the resolution proposing the action list the college or university, the percentage of funding to cut and the length of time that the funding would be cut. I would suspect, however, a lawmaker proposing such a thing would have to explain their reason for requesting it on the floor of the House or the Senate.
Dick Pryor: Are there any other constitutional amendments being proposed in bills filed so far?
Shawn Ashley: Yes, there are a handful, some relate to property taxes, others relate to legislative pay, and one would prohibit the courts in the state of Oklahoma from using international law, particularly Sharia law, in their decision-making process. The deadline for filing new bills and joint resolutions is on Thursday and we'll likely see more proposed constitutional amendments among those that will be filed.
Dick Pryor: All right, thank you, Shawn.
Shawn Ashley: You're very welcome.
Dick Pryor: For more information, go to quorumcall.online. You can find video of Capitol Insider segments on the KGOU You Tube channel and look for Capitol Insider where you get podcasts. Until next time, with Shawn Ashley, I'm Dick Pryor.
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