House members have finished hearing bills in committee, and we have moved to voting on those that remain active on the House floor. We started this year with 1,960 bills and resolutions filed by House members. Of that number, 486 made it through the two-step committee process in the House. By mid-week last week, 331 measures remained on general order. I’m told this is the lowest number of bills remaining after the committee process in the last seven years. It would appear the oversight committee process worked as intended this year.
Personally, I am always looking for places to remove laws from the books. My House Bill 1205 is an example of legislation that does just that. It would remove an obsolete tax credit that has been sitting on our books for 12 years since its expiration.
There were several bills passed last week in the House that I believe are good for our state. House Bill 1215 would strengthen laws against human trafficking. The bill adds some definitions and penalties, including that anyone convicted of these crimes would be listed on state and federal watchlists and that those who commit such a crime against a minor would face a longer prison sentence.
House Bill 2164 would strengthen the state’s bidding and purchasing laws to ensure public officials are prohibited from using their positions for personal gain. It would add penalties for violations, including making the crime of public corruption a felony. It better defines conflict of interest and requires disclosures for those conflicts, and it would add ethics training for state officers. The bill’s author worked in conjunction with the District Attorneys Council and the state attorney general’s office on this bill, which came after an interim study delved thoroughly into the matter this past year. The attorney general praised the bill saying it would create a level playing field for businesses seeking to contract with the State of Oklahoma.
Locally, Durant High School will be receiving a grant for the Tango Flight Program from the Oklahoma Aerospace and Aeronautics Commission.
This is great news. The school’s aviation students already are building an aircraft, and this will allow them to expand and enhance their curriculum. Aerospace and aviation is the state’s second largest industry with $44 billion in annual economic activity.
I’m glad to see these resources that can be used to help prepare students for careers in this growing field. This will benefit not only these young people but our entire community and state.
Cody Maynard serves District 21 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes parts of Bryan and Marshall counties.
