Oklahoma Senate advances and passes a package of bills on voting, public safety, health and administrative matters

The Oklahoma State Senate passed a series of bills on third reading during its floor session, advancing measures on emergency absentee ballots for uniformed service members, bail eligibility for repeat DUI offenders, insurance coverage rules for anesthesia services, and a set of administrative and policy changes affecting education, health licensure compacts and local elections reporting.

The measures, presented by multiple senators and recorded on the floor, included several emergency declarations and ranged from unanimous passage to closer votes. The bills were advanced with little floor debate in most cases and were voted on in roll calls recorded in the transcript.

Senate Bill 814: Emergency absentee ballots for uniformed service voters Senate Bill 814, presented by Senator Gollihar, requires that a uniformed service member deployed after the absentee ballot request deadline be eligible to request an emergency absentee ballot in person from the county election board. The Senate recorded 42 ayes and 0 nays and declared the bill passed; the sponsor asked that the vote be considered the vote on the emergency, and the chair so ordered.

Senate Bill 981: Bail eligibility for repeat DUI felony convictions Senate Bill 981, explained by Senator Gollihar, authorizes a court to deny bail if a person charged with driving under the influence has two previous felony DUI convictions. The bill passed on final passage with 43 ayes and 0 nays.

Senate Bill 1019: Prohibition on insurer limits for anesthesia time Senate Bill 1019, presented by Senator Thompson, prohibits insurers from enforcing policy time limits on covered anesthesia services or excluding payment of anesthesia time. The Senate recorded 44 ayes and 0 nays on final passage.

Senate Bill 96: Meat Consumer Protection Act Senate Bill 96, presented by Senator Hamilton, creates definitions (including cell-cultured meat and insect protein food product) and seeks accuracy in labeling of certain food products and supplements. The bill passed, 44 ayes and 0 nays.

Senate Bill 603: Venue for real property suits Senate Bill 603 clarifies venue for civil suits over real property by locating suit venue in the county where the real property is located; the bill passed unanimously on final passage, 44 ayes and 0 nays.

Senate Bill 799: Alternate adult for homeless child under McKinney-Vento Senate Bill 799, a request bill from the Oklahoma Commission for Children and Youth and presented by Senator Peterson, allows an alternate adult (a McKinney-Vento homeless liaison or a designated case manager of a homeless shelter) to act in lieu of a parent or guardian for a homeless child. The bill passed 41 ayes and 2 nays and was declared an emergency measure.

Senate Bill 202: Insure Oklahoma premium assistance eligibility Senate Bill 202, presented by Floor Leader Daniels, allows an excluded group of public employees to participate in the Insure Oklahoma premium assistance plan; the bill passed and was treated as an emergency measure after a subsequent change to the recorded vote (final emergency tally recorded as 43 ayes, 0 nays).

Senate Bill 494: Repeal of CompSource references Senate Bill 494, presented by Floor Leader Daniels, repeals references to CompSource in Oklahoma statutes. The measure passed on final passage, 42 ayes and 0 nays.

Senate Bill 890: Move municipal and school board campaign filings to ethics commission Senate Bill 890 transfers municipal school board and technology board campaigns and elections reporting into the ethics commission’s system for filing and procedures; the bill passed, 43 ayes and 0 nays.

Senate Bill 706: Carryover penalties and state Department of Education Senate Bill 706, presented by Senator Pew, relates to carryover penalties; the sponsor said carryover penalties currently go back to the State Department of Education and noted a multi-year waiver has affected the flow of those funds. The bill passed 44 ayes and 0 nays and was declared an emergency measure.

Senate Bill 805: Dietician licensure compact Senate Bill 805 permits Oklahoma to enter the dietician licensure compact; the measure passed 35 ayes and 8 nays on final passage.

Senate Bill 921: Impaired Driver Accountability Program timing Senate Bill 921 (listed on the agenda as a change to IDAP administration-fee timing) moves certain payment windows related to the Impaired Driver Accountability Program; the bill passed 45 ayes and 0 nays and was advanced as an emergency measure.

Senate Bill 1089: Competency restoration services extension and reporting Senate Bill 1089 adds an additional two-year period for competency restoration services prior to civil commitment, requires additional reporting to the court by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health, and requires notice to the district attorney before releases or transfers with an opportunity to object. The bill passed on final passage, 42 ayes and 0 nays.

Votes recorded on the floor are reflected in the transcript roll calls for each measure.

Ending: The Senate adjourned the session and set the next floor meeting for Thursday, March 13 at 9 a.m., per the floor announcements in the session record.