May 7, 2011

• January 01, 1970
  
  

  This past week the Oklahoma Legislature completed the 13th week of the legislative session. This week also marked the first week of Conference Committees, with bills being assigned to standing House Conference Committees, and with the State Senate establishing Conference Committee members for each bill.
  Remaining Legislative Deadline
  May 2011
  May 3 – HOUSE – Deadline to Reject Senate Amendments to House Bills
  May 25 – HOUSE – Deadline for filing Conference Committee Reports
  May 27 – House and Senate – Sine Die Adjournment, no later then 5:00 p.m.
  Redistricting
  The House released their redistricting proposal, available below. The House will likely vote on this statewide proposal on Monday, and the bill will then head to the Senate for confirmation. The Senate is also working on its own redistricting proposal, which will likely be released soon.
  If lawmakers and the governor cannot agree on new lines for the House and Senate districts by the end of this year’s session, a commission would take over the task.
  State House Redistricting Proposals:
  • Statewide Redistricting Map
  • Canadian County Redistricting Map
  • Cleveland County Redistricting Map
  • Enid, Lawton and Stillwater Redistricting Maps
  • Oklahoma County Redistricting Map
  • Tulsa County Redistricting Map
  • Urban Insets
  Click here for individual district maps.
  By law, the Legislature must redraw its district and congressional boundaries to reflect changes in population every 10 years immediately following the decennial Census. According to 2010 Census figures, the state’s population increased by 8.7 percent in the past decade. As a result, the ideal population for each state House district will be 37,142 citizens, an increase of 2,977 people compared to the last round of redistricting. 


  Oklahoma lost one congressional seat in the last reapportionment process, but will retain its five congressional seats for the 2012 election cycle and the next decade. According to the most recent figures, the ideal congressional district population will now be 750,270, an increase of 60,139 per district compared to the last round of redistricting.

  State budget agreement near
  Some of the heavy lifting has yet to be done as lawmakers enter the final weeks of the legislative session.
  Budget: The Tulsa World reported that House Appropriations and Budget Committee Chairman Earl Sears, R-Bartlesville, said he hopes to announce a budget this week. Cuts will likely range from just below 3 percent to possibly 10 percent, Gov. Mary Fallin said. Lawmakers expect to have about $500 million less to spend in crafting a fiscal year 2012 budget than they had in building a budget for fiscal year 2011. Sears said he wanted to get the budget agreement announced well before the May 27 adjournment. “We are very close to having a budget agreement,” said House Speaker Kris Steele, R-Shawnee. The House and Senate have reached an agreement, Steele said. Fallin has offered a counterproposal, he said. “There is not a lot of difference,” Steele said.
  Workers compensation reform: “Workers comp is still a work in progress,” said Senate Pro Tem Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa. The final product will reduce the costs to the system, Bingman said.
  Immigration reform: It was a hot topic during the campaign season in which Republicans gained control of statewide offices and increased their numbers in the Legislature. House Bill 1446, which is in a House conference committee, is expected to be the vehicle used to advance the issue.
  Hospital fee: House Bill 1381 would allow hospitals to assess a 2.5 percent fee on net patient revenue to draw down federal matching dollars to reimburse participating hospitals for patient care. The measure is awaiting House action.
  Closing fund: House Bill 1953 creates a fund aimed at helping the state attract businesses. It is called the Oklahoma Quick Action Closing Fund. The measure is in a conference committee.
  Insurance exchange: Senate Bill 971 creates a state insurance exchange that is designed to help consumers compare and find health insurance coverage. The measure comes after the state turned back a $54 million federal grant to set up an insurance exchange in response to federal health-care reform. It is in a Senate committee.
  Measures passed
  Despite the items left on the list, lawmakers have pushed through a number of measures supported by GOP leadership.
  Lawsuit reform: Fallin signed House Bill 2128, capping pain and suffering damages in civil actions at $350,000. It does not apply to wrongful death suits or to damages awarded for lost wages, future income or medical bills.
  Education reform: Fallin has signed four measures billed as education reform. Senate Bill 346 requires third-graders to be proficient in reading before moving on to the fourth grade. House Bill 1456 sets a grading system for schools based on an A-to-F scale. House Bill 2139 removes the State Board of Education’s power over the Oklahoma State Department of Education. House Bill 1380 eliminates a teacher’s right to appeal a firing in district court, a process called “trial de novo.”
  Abortion: Fallin signed House Bill 1888, which bans abortion after 20 weeks based on the assertion that a fetus can feel pain.

  Bond Talk…….
  There are several bond proposals that are being discussed in the final weeks of the legislative session. It appears there is no absolute agreement on the proposals listed below, but wanted you to be aware what is being discussed.
  Transportation Bond
  In efforts to protect the state eight-year construction work plan for the state’s roads and bridges, bond projects up to $75 million to $100 million are being discussed for transportation projects. The bonds would ensure state funding remains at a level where no planned projects are cut from the current eight-year road and bridge construction work plan. This proposal is largely being discussed because of a fourth year of decreasing state revenues and budget holes that must be filled.
  OK Pop Museum
  Legislative leaders are also discussing a $40 million bond issue to fund a state Museum of Music and Popular Culture in Tulsa. The museum, which has been given the nickname “OK Pop,” will be a 67,000-square-foot facility celebrating the music and pop culture contributions of the area to the nation. It is projected the museum’s construction and the first year of operation would have a $56.5 million economic impact on the area and would create hundreds of jobs. The Oklahoma Historical Society, which would build and operate the museum, wants a $40 million state bond issue to match $8 million in private funding for the project. The historical society projects the museum would draw 100,000 paying customers a year and be self-supporting after the bond is paid off. The historical society has a creative financing plan that would mean the state could sell bonds early next year, and not face its first payment until fiscal year 2014. Under that plan, the museum would open in 2015.
  Native American Indian cultural center
  The Native American Cultural and Educational Authority is asking for an additional $38.5 million in state bond money. The $170 million project is located at the intersection of Interstate 35 and Interstate 40 in OKC. The museum, which is to highlight Indian culture from Oklahoma and across the country, has received $66.3 million in state bond issues. Federal grants for the project amount to $14.5 million, including the $6 million in stimulus money in October 2010. Private donors, including tribes across Oklahoma, have contributed $4.2 million (as of Fall 2010).
  Weigh stations for state highways
  There is discussion of a $45 million bond to expedite the need for weigh stations completion in order to protect road and bridge quality from overweight freight traveling through the state. It is anticipated this will also result in increased revenues from fines and fees resulting from increased monitoring of overweight commercial traffic. The debt service for the bond would come from the transportation user fee from the Petroleum Storage Tank Indemnity fund. The proposed weigh stations will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week checking trucks’ weight, cargo and drivers. Most of the state’s current seven stations are outdated and aren’t open full time. Officials say less than 10 percent of commercial trucks now operating on Oklahoma highways are being inspected or weighed.
  Veterans Affair facility
  There is a $43 million bond issue to move Veterans Affairs from a 75-year-old building just west of the state Capitol into a new structure planned near NE 32 and N Lincoln Boulevard. It would also house other state agencies, whose lease payments would be used to make service the bond payments.
  Various State Building Repairs
  A $45 million bond issue that would generate up to $3 million a year for 15 years to pay for maintaining the State Capitol and other state-owned buildings is a part of the bond discussions. It’s estimated nearly $200 million is needed for state building repairs. State Officials say the state has no money set aside for emergency repairs. For example some water pipes are rusted, some electrical wires are insulated by cloth, and water leaks into various state facilities. A cooling tower at the Agriculture, Food and Forestry Department’s building is in danger of collapsing. Repairs at the Capitol, built in 1917, alone are estimated to cost up to $90 million.
  Tim Martin, state bond adviser, said in Mid-March to the Oklahoman that the state is below its bonding capacity, but it’s up to the Legislature and the governor to determine how much debt the state can assume. Payments this fiscal year for the state’s approximately $2 billion in various outstanding bond issues total about $188 million, or about 4 percent of the state’s general fund appropriations of about $4.6 billion. That debt includes the attorney general’s building, the nearly completed criminal appellate court and state Supreme Court building and $425 million for building improvements at state college and universities. Oklahoma is below many states in outstanding tax-supported debt, Martin said.

  Collective Bargaining
  Gov. Mary Fallin signed a bill into law that takes away collective bargaining rights from nonuniformed municipal employees in most of Oklahoma’s largest cities. House Bill 1593 also repeals a state law that prohibits nonuniformed city workers from striking. The measure takes effect Nov. 1. The law doesn’t apply to county or state employees.
  For more information, please see the following stories:
  • Oklahoman: Oklahoma governor signs bill that lifts collective bargaining requirement

  Pension
  The House approved a bill that would require the Legislature to fully fund cost-of-living adjustment increases for those on the state’s pension system. House Bill 2132 is a major part of the Legislature’s effort this year to shore up an underfunded state pension system that has an unfunded liability of more than $16 billion. HB 2132 passed 64-24. It now goes to the Governor.

  Healthcare
  Physician Loan Repayment Program: Governor Fallin has signed House Bill 2017 by Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove, and Senator Brian Crain, R-Tulsa, into law. If funding available, the measure allows for a “physician loan repayment program” for physicians serving rural and underserved areas of the state.
  Abortion-inducing drugs: The House has approved Senate amendments to a measure that would put restrictions on the use of abortion drugs. House Bill 1970 by Senator Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Randy Grau, R-Edmond would require physicians to administer abortion-inducing drugs, including RU-486, in accordance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines. The bill has been sent the Governor.

  Lawsuit Reform
  The House approved Senate amendments to House Bill 2023, and it now goes to the Governor. HB 2023 outlines procedure for unpaid medical bills for personal injury cases. For example, if a person had a $1,000 bill and only paid $800, they could not claim wrongs were committed on the full $1,000 bill because they only paid $800. The amount claimed would be based on what was paid.

  Agriculture
  House Bill 1957 by Rep. Skye McNiel, R-Bristow, and Senator Rob Johnson, R-Kingfisher, is headed to the Governor’s desk. The House has approved Senate amendments to the bill, which restricts certain sized swine feeding operations’ locations and requires them to be at least three miles from any camp or recreational site owned or operated by a nonprofit organization.

  Energy
  Exploration Rights Act of 2011: House Bill 1821 by Rep. John Trebilcock, R-Broken Arrow, and Senator Bryce Marlatt, R-Woodward, has been sent to the Governor. The House has approved Senate amendments to HB 1821, which creates the Exploration Rights Act of 2011. It requires a wind energy developer to provide, to the oil and gas operator or lessee, at least 30 days notice of intent to construct a wind energy facility. It also requires the wind energy developer to publish the notice in the legal section of a qualified newspaper in the applicable county.

  Education
  Governor Mary Fallin has signed two education measures into law. Senate Bill 346 will end social promotion by targeting children unable to read at appropriate grade levels. House Bill 1456 will create a grading system for public schools, rating them with letter grades so parents and patrons easily can see how their schools are performing.
  For more information, please see the following stories:
  • Governor’s Press Release: Governor Fallin Signs Key Education Reform Measures into Law
  • Oklahoman: Oklahoma governor signs bill intended to end social promotion in public schools
  • Tulsa World: Gov. Fallin signs education reform bills in to law

  Oklahoma Equal Education Opportunity Scholarship Act:
  The Senate has approved Senate Bill 969, which will allow students whose families meet certain income requirements or who live in low-performing school districts to be eligible for taxpayer-subsidized scholarships to private schools. Contributions from individuals are eligible for a 50 percent annual tax credit up to $1,000. Corporations could receive a 50 percent tax credit on contributions up to $100,000. Contributions eligible for tax credits are capped at $5 million. SB 969 is heading to the Governor’s desk.
  For more information, please see the following stories:
  • Senate Press Release: Senate advances measure to provide scholarships to low income students
  • AP: Oklahoma Senate OKs tax credits for scholarships
  • Oklahoman: Proposed tax credit in Oklahoma for private school scholarships could go to wealthy

  Tulsa World: Senate approves private-school scholarship bill

  Teacher Retirement:
  The House passed Senate amendments to House Bill 1648 by Rep. Tom Newell, R-Seminole, and Senator Steve Russell, R-Oklahoma City. HB 1648 would stop retired teachers or teachers who go to work for a union or association from continuing to earn service credits in the Teachers’ Retirement System. HB 1648 now heads to the Governor’s desk.

  Corrections
  The House of Representatives has approved House Bill 2131, which among other things would expand both the use of community sentencing programs and the electronic monitoring of low-risk, nonviolent inmates. The bill intended to relieve prison overcrowding and reduce the strain it places on the state budget. HB 2131 is on the way to the governor.
  For more information, please see the following stories:
  • House Press Release: Corrections Reform Goes to Governor
  • Oklahoman: Prison reform bill heads to Oklahoma governor
  • AP: Oklahoma House passes corrections legislation
  • Tulsa World: Prison reform bill headed to governor

  Review Weekly Bill Track
  Please see the below listing of all action taken on legislation being tracked for you in this 13th week of the first session of the 53rd Oklahoma Legislature. Please thoroughly review the bill track and let me know of any concerns or any additional comments or insight you have about any legislation you see listed. If you have any questions, concerns or want to discuss a specific piece of legislation that has been filed, please contact me. If you have bills of interest you wish added to your track or any legislation you would like deleted, please let me know at your earliest convenience.
  Thank you and have a great week.
  Jami

  SPIRITBANK AERO TRACKING REPORT 5/7/11
  05-07-2011 – 11:29:04
  ________________________________________

  HB 1285

  Dank
  Mazzei
  Creates the Task Force for the Study of State Tax Credits and Economic Incentives; outlines the membership and duties of the task force; EMERGENCY.
  Bill History: 04-06-11 S Passed/Adopted (Vote: Y: 45/N: 0)
  04-25-11 H Laid out for consideration in the House
  04-25-11 H House refused to concur in Senate amendments
  04-25-11 H House appointed a conference committee: GCCA
  05-04-11 S Senate appointed a conference committee: GCCA
  HB 1953

  McNiel
  Mazzei
  Establishes the Oklahoma Quick Action Closing Fund which will be used by the Governor for economic development and infrastructure development; EMERGENCY.
  General Remarks: Deal Closing Fund
  Bill History: 04-27-11 S Passed/Adopted (Vote: Y: 41/N: 3)
  05-03-11 H Laid out for consideration in the House
  05-03-11 H Conference committee requested.
  05-03-11 H House appointed a conference committee: Conference Committee
  on Insurance and Economic Development
  05-05-11 S Senate appointed a conference committee: GCCA
  HB 1990

  Sullivan
  Newberry
  Creates the “Oklahoma Multi-modal Transportation Authority Act”; which allows establishment of public trusts by certain entities.
  General Remarks: Oklahoma Multi-modal Transportation Authority Act
  Bill History: 04-13-11 S Passed/Adopted (Vote: Y: 25/N: 14)
  04-25-11 H Laid out for consideration in the House
  04-25-11 H House refused to concur in Senate amendments
  04-25-11 H House appointed a conference committee: Conference Committee
  on Insurance and Economic Development
  04-27-11 S Senate appointed a conference committee: Newberry,
  Stanislawski, Treat, Crain, Eason McIntyre, Laster
  SB 154

  Mazzei
  Dank
  Changes the cutoff date for incentive payments to July 1, 2003; makes an exception for a change of control event pursuant to the Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program Act.
  Bill History: 04-26-11 H Passed/Adopted (Vote: Y: 67/N: 24)
  05-02-11 S Senate refused to concur in House amendments
  05-02-11 S Conference requested- conferees to be named later
  05-03-11 S Senate appointed a conference committee: GCCA
  05-03-11 H House appointed a conference committee: GCCA
  SB 593

  Brinkley
  Quinn
  Account procedures for the Port Authority are required to be the same procedures enforced by the State Treasurer for state funds under the Treasurer’s office; EMERGENCY.
  General Remarks: Port Authority bill
  Bill History: 04-06-11 H Voted from committee – Do Pass as substituted House A&B
  04-19-11 H Set on the House Floor Agenda
  04-19-11 H Laid out for consideration in the House
  04-19-11 H Passed/Adopted (Vote: Y: 91/N: 5)
  04-19-11 H Emergency failed (Vote: Y: 51/N: 29)
  All Track
  Total Bills: 5 0

  - End of Report -

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