It’s the time of the legislative session when the House is finishing hearing Senate bills, and the Senate is completing the process of considering House bills. The governor also continues to sign bills that have made it to his desk.
Last week, he signed Senate Bill 2118 into law. This will allow county sheriffs to use surplus funds from unspent commissary accounts for jail operations, inmate care or other jail-related expenditures. This will be a help to our sheriffs.
The House, meanwhile, passed Senate Bill 137, which would remove DUI with great bodily injury from the list of crimes eligible for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections’ GPS monitoring. People who injure others while driving under the influence deserve to spend their time of incarceration inside a prison and not at home on an ankle monitor. I’m a coauthor of this bill and worked with the bill’s principal authors and with the attorney general and the District Attorney’s Council. It has been sent to the governor.
The House also amended and passed Senate Bill 1257, which would update language regarding tet-rahydrocannabinol, THC, adding it to the list of Schedule I controlled substances to model federal guidelines. This is an attorney general request. The bill now moves back to the Senate for final consideration.
Also dealing with THC, Senate Bill 3 passed the House unanimously. It now heads back to the Senate for final consideration as it was amended in the House. This bill would eliminate the sale of intoxicating hemp-based marijuana being sold in our state. It moves the state definition of hemp to the definition the federal government has adopted, which will be effective in November. The reason for the state definition is that there are a lot of folks trying to push the federal definition back. This would put a max .4 milligrams of total THC in any package sold as hemp, eliminating the intoxicating effects of hemp. These products that come with a hemp label are being sold in convenience stores and other places where they can easily be purchased by kids. This bill will help us put a stop to this and help us better protect our youth.
The Senate, meanwhile, amended and passed House Joint Resolution 1023 that would approve the proposed medical provider fee schedule for the maximum workers’ compensation rates as updated by the Workers’ Compensation Commission. This is something that is done every two years. We’ve received the Senate amendment, which is just restoring the title and the resolving clause, and should hear this resolution on the House floor in the coming week.
The Legislature will continue hearing bills next week as we try to wrap up this year’s legislative session.
It is a privilege to serve House District 15. My family and I are proud to have this opportunity. If I can help you in my capacity as your representative, please do not hesitate to contact me at the Capitol. My office phone is (405) 557-7375, and my email is tim.turner@okhouse.gov.
