OKLAHOMA CITY — A key piece of medical marijuana legislation and a bill creating a new oversight office controlled by the Legislature survived the cut Thursday on the final day non-appropriation Senate bills could get third reading in the House of Representatives.
Those failing to get House approval by the final gavel Thursday afternoon are done for this session. Senate bills failing the deadline included the Education Opportunity Scholarship tax credit and a measure that would have allowed children under 12 to come into liquor stores with a parent or guardian.
The latter failed by a single vote on the House floor Wednesday and was not brought back for reconsideration Thursday. The bill was offered primarily as a concession to small retail liquor stores, who say they’ve been hammered since wine and strong beer sales became legal in grocery stores — where minors are allowed.
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But legislative leaders like to say this session is about big ideas, and two of the most far-reaching bills to make Thursday’s deadline were Senate Bill 1, by Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, and SB 1030, by Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle.
SB 1, as the number implies, is Treat’s No. 1 priority this session. It creates the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency to act as a sort of budget oversight and policy arm of House and Senate leadership.
House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, proposed a similar organization within the legislative staff, and some of his ideas may yet be incorporated into the final bill. The House passed it Thursday with the title off, indicating it’s headed to conference committee for further negotiations.
In concept, SB 1 has been floating around the Capitol for years, and has generally met with two objections: one, the state Auditor and Inspector’s office can already do what the new office would, and two, the new positions look suspiciously like high-priced empire building.
Rep. Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, who presented the bill Thursday, told House members neither is the case. He said the new office will be geared toward helping the Legislature shape policy while the auditor’s office carries out more traditional auditing functions.
Echols said the office is initially authorized for eight full-time employees at a cost of $1.7 million. He said he envisions eventually having about 15 employees.
Those employees would be hired and their activities directed by a committee consisting of 12 legislators, with at least four being members of the House and Senate minority parties.
SB 1030 is a much written and rewritten bill that sets the framework for municipal enforcement of the state’s medical marijuana laws. Its many provisions include instructions on how local law enforcement are to handle drivers in possession of marijuana without their medical marijuana licenses and limits on local zoning laws.
The bill also changes the tax structure for medical marijuana to eliminate most of the state sales tax on products. The 7% excise tax would be lowered to 6% and the 4.5% state sales tax to 1%. This gives local governments more room to add their own taxes.
Other measures of note passed by the House Thursday:
• SB 601, by Sen. Gary Stanislawski, R-Tulsa, which largely rewrites Oklahoma’s Reading Sufficiency Act by eliminating some of its more “high stakes” elements and emphasizing assessment and remediation in early elementary grades. Headed to the governor.
• SB 746, by Sen. Jason Smalley, R-Stroud, a bill sought by the Tulsa Regional Chamber that provides incentives for new software and computer engineering jobs.
Also headed to the governor are:
• SB 372, by Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City, giving the state board of education subpoena power. Returned to Senate.
• SB 21, by Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, designating the rib eye the state steak.
