Session draws to close

by Jessica Garvin

We’re entering the final stretch of this year’s session, following our last major deadline this past Thursday, which was when the House and Senate had to complete work on bills from the opposite chamber. Between the two legislative bodies, more than 400 bills are moving forward either to the governor’s desk, to their original chamber for further consideration of amendments or to conference committee. Conference committees give the House and Senate the opportunity to save a bill by crafting language agreeable to both chambers, so it can get to the governor’s desk.

I’m thrilled to tell you that five of my Senate bills have been signed into law so far and another one is on Governor Stitt’s desk. SB 1119 removes the 270-hour limitation adjunct teachers may teach per semester in a classroom. These are educators who have distinguished qualifications in their field, such as accountants or journalists, who don’t have to meet the standard certification requirements given their professional background, but can be authorized by the local school board to teach a subject related to their field of expertise. As our state continues to struggle to fill critical teaching positions, schools need to be able to utilize these willing professionals as much as necessary. The new law will go into effect on July 1, 2022, in time for the upcoming school year.

Beginning Nov. 1, 2022, SB 1163 will authorize district attorneys to develop a multidisciplinary team to investigate and prosecute elderly and vulnerable adult abuse in coordination with the District Attorneys Council. We’ve seen dramatic improvements since the creation of the multidisciplinary child abuse teams in the number of reported and prosecuted child abuse cases, and we want to do the same thing for these adults.

SB 1224 raises the allowance for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) special maintenance projects from $500,000 to $1 million for projects that can be performed and carried out by state special maintenance crews.

Their special maintenance allowance hasn’t been increased since 2014, so this will help adjust for inflation. They estimate that this change will bring about savings of 5-10% per project due to the increased level of production and being able to make investments and purchases easier and quicker. 

SB 1278 simply repeals the advisory committee to the Oklahoma Science and Technology Research and Development Board because it is no longer needed. OCAST has switched its focus more to economic and workforce development through proven scientific strategies.

SB 1462 will require anyone licensed to practice medicine and surgery in Oklahoma or duly licensed as Advanced Registered Practice Nurses, like Certified Nurse-Midwives, to provide infant CPR and basic first aid, including contact information for training programs and cord blood banking and donation information to pregnant mothers. This will go into effect Nov. 1, 2022. Hopefully, this will provide parents the tools and knowledge they need to save their infant in a moment of crisis, so they don’t have to suffer like our dear friends the Frizzell’s did when they were unable to help baby Ava.

I want to thank Bre again for her incredible bravery in publicly sharing her family’s heartbreaking story to help other Oklahoma families. That courage is going to save many lives in the future.

The next two weeks are going to be interesting as work continues to finalize the largest state budget in Oklahoma’s history. I’ll keep you updated as negotiations move forward.  

If you have any questions or concerns on legislative matters, please contact me at the Capitol. Please write to Senator Jessica Garvin, State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. Room 237, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105, email me at Jessica.Garvin@oksenate.gov or call (405) 521-5522.