The legislative session commenced on Feb. 5. However, preparations at the State Capitol have been underway throughout the entire month leading up to it. With his annual State of the State address, Gov. Kevin Stitt began the second session of the 59th Legislature.

In his speech, he emphasized the Success Sequence, which says you should finish high school, find a job, and then get married before having kids. He argued that following these steps can offer a reliable approach to preventing families from slipping into poverty, stressing the importance of teaching strong family values in Oklahoma.

During the speech, I noticed that in 1970, just 10% of children were born out of wedlock, but today, 40% of children are born to single mothers. As an advocate for strong communities, I believe in supporting our single-family households and finding ways to reduce that statistic.

The governor also tackled the issue of civil asset forfeiture, where law enforcement can confiscate someone’s property, like money or a car, even without pressing charges. Frankly, I firmly oppose the idea of seizing a person’s possessions, especially after they’ve been acquitted. It’s not right, and we must ensure it’s not happening in our State.

We spent the remainder of the week first and second reading bills, then we heard bills in committee.

House Bill 3073, which I authored, passed in the House Judiciary Criminal Committee. It criminalizes publishing or distributing digitized representations of someone else’s name, image, voice, or likeness without their written consent and with the intent to harm.

The bill’s goal is not to regulate artificial intelligence but to ensure that its application is not weaponized against individuals. We live in a tech-driven world, and we must commit to protecting the public from the dangers of online deception. It’s now eligible to be considered by the full House. I’ll keep everyone updated on it throughout the legislative process.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any concerns at 405-557-7302 or neil. hays@okhouse.gov.

Rep. Neil Hays, a Republican, serves District 13 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which covers Mc-Intosh, Muskogee and Wagoner County.