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Oklahoma Bar Journal

Legislative Monitoring Committee Prepares for New Session

By Shanda McKenney

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            As in years past, the Legislative Monitoring Committee is working hard to gather and summarize information for the OBA membership regarding matters expected to come up in the 2023 legislative session. Hopefully, you were able to attend our annual Legislative Kickoff event on Friday, Jan. 27. For those who missed this valuable networking opportunity, a replay of pertinent portions is available on the OBA website.

            A special thank you to all the presenters at Legislative Kickoff – the event is not possible without their willing participation! There is no substitute for having subject-matter experts speak on legislation directly impacting their respective areas of practice, and their time and dedication to this project are highly valued. If you would like to be a presenter for next year’s event, please reach out to Alisha Davidson at alishad@okbar.org.

ISSUES OF INTEREST FOR 2023

            Because 2023 is the first year of a new term, no bills were carried over from 2022. As a result, there will likely be fewer bills up for consideration than there were last year; although certain topics may be revisited with a new title and number. A substantial number of bills have been introduced dealing with the funding, curriculum and administration of public schools, as well as several addressing water rights and other natural resources.

            Several pieces of legislation seek to regulate pharmaceuticals, insurance and other health-related issues. There are bills that address the use and privacy of electronic data and still others that seek to extend the sunset dates for various licensing boards. There is more than one proposed increase of the minimum wage, and there are a variety of suggestions for dealing with daylight saving time.

IMPORTANT LEGISLATIVE DATES

            For a complete list of all bills, dates and deadlines, agendas, a map identifying your personal representative and senator and more, please take some time to review all the resources available at www.okhouse.gov. You can also review the text of all introduced legislation and set up an alert feature to notify you of actions taken on bills of particular interest to you.

  • Jan. 19: Deadline for introduction of bills, 4 p.m.
  • Feb. 6: Session begins, noon
  • March 2: Deadline for House bills and House joint resolutions to come out of committee
  • March 23: Deadline for passing bills in chamber of origin
  • April 27: Deadline for passing bills in opposite chamber
  • May 26: Sine die adjournment, 5 p.m.

Author’s Note: The views expressed therein are those of the author individually and are not the views of State Farm.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shanda McKenney practices in Oklahoma City. She chairs the OBA Legislative Monitoring Committee.

Originally published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal – OBJ 94 Vol 2 (February 2023)