Law & Principles
Staff | June 15, 2020
OCPA legislative scorecard: 2020 final bill list
Staff
Below is the final list of the 60 bills that are factored into OCPA’s scorecard for Oklahoma’s 2020 legislative session at the state Capitol:
House Bill 1160—Support
Would provide a $2,500 education expenses tax credit for Oklahoma families
House Bill 1230—Oppose
Mandates public disclosure of information that could be used to personally identify Oklahoma children—children with disabilities, or in foster care or adopted from foster care—and families who receive the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship
House Bill 1247—Oppose
Would add burdensome regulations on schools that serve Oklahoma children from low-income families who receive scholarships via the state's Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship program, potentially discouraging schools from serving those children
House Bill 1453—Oppose
Would have increased income tax rates on Oklahomans
House Bill 1455—Oppose
Would impose a capital gains tax on many Oklahoma entrepreneurs and employers—including many farmers, ranchers and small businesses—for sale of in-state property
House Bill 1946—Support
Would empower teachers, as opposed to teachers unions, by requiring all public school districts in Oklahoma to periodically hold secret-ballot elections for school employees to recertify union representation
House Bill 1985—Support
Would create the Educators' Professional Liability Insurance Program, providing Oklahoma teachers with state-funded insurance coverage to protect them against frivolous lawsuits for classroom discipline
House Bill 2511—Support
Would have created an income tax incentive for physicians to practice in rural areas within Oklahoma
House Bill 2621—Support
Would have raised the cap on Oklahoma's Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship program, allowing more lower-income children in the state to access quality schools and increasing the tax incentives for Oklahomans to contribute directly to traditional public schools; similar to SB 407
House Bill 2749—Oppose
Preserves state matching funds for donations for in-state colleges and universities that create new "endowed chair" positions for professors, often with little or no teaching responsibility
House Bill 2750—Oppose
Authorizes hundred of milllions of dollars in new debt to pay for "endowed" chairs at in-state colleges and universities, even though many of these positions involve little or no classroom teaching responsibility
House Bill 2908—Support
Would have altered upward the age requirement for attendance in kindergarten
House Bill 2910—Oppose
Would have grown the state tax credit for donations to public schools without addressing the needs of Oklahoma children stuck in low-performing schools
House Bill 3006—Oppose
Called for an unfunded increase in retirement benefits for many state and municipal government employees, increasing state taxpayer liabilities by hundreds of millions of dollars
House Bill 3011—Support
Would have created the Sales Tax Simplification and Fairness Reform Act of 2020
House Bill 3042—Oppose
Would have increased income tax rates on working Oklahoma families and entrepreneurs
House Bill 3094—Support
Would create a process to eventually make most state government workers "at will" employees, like their private-sector counterparts, allowing swift promotion of good employees and firing of problem employees with less red tape
House Bill 3138—Oppose
Would have increased income tax rates on Oklahoma families and entrepreneurs
House Bill 3315—Oppose
Would have imposed a new, 44% tax on the sale of vaping devices by defining them as tobacco products
House Bill 3321—Support
Would have made children of incarcerated parents eligible to receive the state's Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship, providing those children with the type of educational opportunities that can break multi-generational cycles of poverty, incarceration and dependency
House Bill 3339—Oppose
Would have made it illegal for virtual charter schools to notify parents of the availability of online education options
House Bill 3350—Oppose
Provides a $776 million “cost of living adjustment” (COLA) to most retired state government workers and many retired municipal employees, paying for it by draining Oklahoma’s state pension systems, many of which are already financially unstable
House Bill 3390—Support
Caps the fees paid to contract attorneys hired by state government agencies by limiting the share of a financial award those attorneys may claim; similar to SB 1820
House Bill 3613—Support
Protects the privacy of Oklahoma citizens by banning state government entities from forcing nonprofits and citizen groups to publicly disclose the identities and personal information of supporters, as was attempted in 2018 by the state Ethics Commission; similar to SB 1491
House Bill 3921—Oppose
Would significantly expand Oklahoma’s existing tax credit for film and television productions, currently capped at $8 million in credits per year, by allowing up to $50 million in annual film tax credits
House Bill 4049—Oppose
Requires Oklahomans to go through a tag agent when renewing a car tag online, rather than through the state Tax Commission alone, slowing the renewal process for some consumers and running counter to one-stop modernization efforts in many states
House Joint Resolution 1003—Oppose
Would water down State Question 640, the taxpayer protection measure added to the state Constitution by Oklahoma voters in 1992, by making it easier for the state Legislature to pass tax increases while also simultaneously making it harder for the Legislature to reduce tax rates
House Joint Resolution 1011—Support
Would have put a proposal on the statewide ballot for Oklahoma voters to decide whether to make the office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction an appointed office and giving the Governor the ability to appoint that position
House Joint Resolution 1017—Support
Would have allowed Oklahoma voters to decide whether to redirect future payments by tobacco companies into the state's Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust fund, rerouting those funds toward improving health care access in rural areas of Oklahoma
House Joint Resolution 1033—Support
Would have placed on the statewide ballot a measure allowing Oklahoma voters to decide whether to abolish the state's Judicial Nominating Commission
Senate Bill 11—Support
Would require a child to turn four years old by August 1 to enroll in pre-kindergarten and require a child to turn five years old by August 1 to enroll in kindergarten
Senate Bill 210—Support
Increases election security and deters voter fraud in Oklahoma by requiring that absentee ballots be notarized or be submitted along with a copy of a valid ID; followed a May 2020 state Supreme Court ruling removing the requirement that absentee ballots be notarized
Senate Bill 300—Support
Provides limited protection from frivolous lawsuits for employees treating Covid-19 patients during a declared health emergency
Senate Bill 407—Support
Would have raised the cap on Oklahoma's Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship program, allowing more lower-income children in the state to access quality schools and increasing the tax incentives for Oklahomans to contribute directly to traditional public schools; similar to HB 2621
Senate Bill 605—Oppose
Would have adopted Obamacare's Medicaid expansion for Oklahoma, making hundreds of thousands of able-bodied adults eligible for taxpayer-funded health care
Senate Bill 707—Support
Would empower teachers, as opposed to teachers unions, by requiring all public school districts in Oklahoma to periodically hold secret-ballot elections for school employees to recertify union representation
Senate Bill 750—Support
Would provide Oklahoma classroom teachers with state-funded liability insurance coverage to protect them against frivolous lawsuits for classroom discipline
Senate Bill 1166—Support
Would have removed the state requirement of a cosmetology license for entrepreneurs and employees who are merely shampooing hair or hairbraiding
Senate Bill 1404—Support
Would make membership in the Oklahoma Bar Association voluntary; currently, Oklahoma attorneys are not allowed to practice law unless they join the state Bar Association; 18 states currently do not require attorneys to join or pay money to a bar association to practice law
Senate Bill 1405—Support
Would give the governor and legislative leaders the ability, at any time, to remove any individuals they have appointed to any state government agency, board or commission
Senate Bill 1442—Oppose
Would open up additional revenue streams to finance the state’s already expansive film production tax credit
Senate Bill 1472—Support
Would remove statutory language regarding approval of a student transfer by the receiving public school district
Senate Bill 1476—Support
Would allow certain public-school student transfers to be granted if applications are filed by established deadlines
Senate Bill 1480—Support
Would allow public school employees who opt out of a union to represent themselves independently in negotiation with their employer, the public school district
Senate Bill 1491—Support
Protects the privacy of Oklahoma citizens by banning state government entities from forcing nonprofits and citizen groups to publicly disclose the identities and personal information of supporters, as was attempted in 2018 by the state Ethics Commission; similar to HB 3613
Senate Bill 1501—Support
Would require state agencies to include details on federal funding—and associated regulations—when submitting budget requests to the Legislature, while also requiring county and municipal governments to publicly post information on their use of federal funds
Senate Bill 1540—Support
Would have repealed state law requiring 600 hours of training and state licensure before an entrepreneur or employee is allowed to remove hair using only cotton threads
Senate Bill 1646—Support
Would require medical providers to give a good-faith total cost estimate to patients before medical procedures or services; providers who failed to do so would be prohibited from pursuing financial actions against patients, such as debt collection or adversely affecting credit scores
Senate Bill 1651—Support
Would require the Oklahoma Supreme Court to make its docket public; Oklahoma is one of the only states in which that practice is not routine
Senate Bill 1714—Support
Would remove regulatory red tape on home businesses and other small businesses that make food products locallly; would do so by lifting the $20,000 annual gross sales limit placed on such businesses
Senate Bill 1716—Support
Would empower teachers, as opposed to teachers unions, by requiring all public school districts in Oklahoma to periodically hold secret-ballot elections for school employees to recertify union representation; similar to SB 707 and HB 1946
Senate Bill 1724—Support
Would require public school employees in Oklahoma to sign a document affirming they understand they do not have to be a union member as a condition of employment; would bring Oklahoma into compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 Janus decision
Senate Bill 1780—Support
Would have, over time, made most state government employees in Oklahoma "at will" positions, eliminating red tape that prevents the firing of bad employees and impedes promotion of good employees
Senate Bill 1793—Support
Creating the Mobile Food Vendor Act
Senate Bill 1801—Support
Would make the state's Judicial Nominating Commission subject to the state's Open Meetings Act; Oklahoma is one of the few states in which the judicial nomination process, including interviews and commission votes, is handled entirely in secret
Senate Bill 1820—Support
Caps the fees paid to contract attorneys hired by state government agencies by limiting the share of a financial award those attorneys may claim
Senate Bill 1891—Support
Would allow an occupational license or certificate issued in another state to be recognized as valid in Oklahoma if the holder moves to Oklahoma and is not facing any disciplinary action related to the particular profession in another state
Senate Bill 1946—Support
Provides Oklahoma businsses with limited protection against frivolous lawsuits related to Covid-19
Senate Bill 1947—Support
Provides Oklahoma businesses with limited protections against frivolous lawsuits related to Covid-19 when a business shifts to manufacturing products such as hand sanitizer or protective face masks
Senate Joint Resolution 40—Support
Would allow Oklahoma voters to restore caps on vague "noneconomic damages" awarded in lawsuits; the same caps were in place for most of the past decade, until the state Supreme Court threw out the provision as unconstitutional in 2019
Staff