Special session to set new congressional, legislative districts begins today

The session currently is limited to consideration and passage of legislation related to adoption of new legislative and congressional districts. That work normally is completed during the spring regular session, but pandemic-related delays in 2020 Census data caused it to be postponed until fall.

Because of the delay, the special session is expected to also temporarily alter candidate residency requirements. State law requires legislative candidates be a resident and registered voter in the district they seek to represent for at least six months prior to filing.

In a normal year, that would be mid-October. Because of the delay in redistricting, however, legislators are being asked to move that back to Dec. 31 for the 2022 elections only.

Capitol renovations, meanwhile, will cause to the House and Senate to meet outside their respective chambers. The Senate will convene in a fifth-floor meeting room, while the House will be in a former art gallery on the first floor.

Neither location is large enough for the public; the sessions will be live-streamed on the House and Senate websites.

Some have called for the session to be expanded to deal with vaccine mandates, and two House bills banning such mandates have been filed, but Gov. Kevin Stitt and legislative leadership have shown little interest in taking up the matter.

While some objections may arise to the new districts, particularly the boundaries of the 5th Congressional District, and some members may want to bring up other matters, the session is expected to proceed relatively smoothly.

Eight bills were filed for the special session, two of which cannot be heard unless the session call is amended.

House Bill 1001x, by Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, and Rep. Ryan Martinez, R-Edmond, sets the final districts for the state House of Representatives and extends the residency deadline to Dec. 31, 2021. It also allows current members to move to remain in the district they represent.

Reportedly, one House member — Rep. Trey Caldwell, R-Lawton — was drawn out of his district by the current maps.

HB 1002x, by McCall and Martinez, sets the new congressional district boundaries. Under the new configuration, Tulsa County would remain wholly within CD 1. Washington and part of Wagoner County would shift to CD 2, while CD 1 would pick up Sapulpa and more of eastern Creek County.

Senate Bill 0001x, by Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, and Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, sets the state Senate districts for the next decade and extends candidate residency requirement to Dec. 31, 2021.

SB 0002x, by Treat and Paxton, deals with residency requirements of county commission candidates.

SB 0003x, by Treat and Paxton, deals with registration requirements for legislative and county county commission candidates.

SB 0004x, by Treat and Paxton, deals with county commission elections.

HB 1003x, by Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, would ban just about all public health mandates. It cannot be heard without amending the special session call.

1004x, by Gann, would outlaw vaccination mandates. It cannot be heard without amending the special session call.

Schedule

Under the state constitution, passage of bills through both chambers requires at least five legislative days.

Thus, the week's schedule calls for special session legislation to be introduced, or "first read," in chambers of origin on Monday.

Bills will be heard in committee on Tuesday, acted upon by the full bodies and first read in opposite chambers on Wednesday.

On Thursday, bills will be heard in committee of the opposite chambers, with final action on Friday.

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