Houses Spends Hours on Floor Debating Senate Bills

April 18th, 2019

After last week’s committee deadline, the House has spent hours each day on the floor to consider remaining Senate bills. Among those bills were several that I served as House author of, and all three successfully passed the House floor.

One bill I presented was Senate Bill 881, which requires telecommunication providers expanding into a new area to notify all political subdivisions with jurisdictional boundaries in the service area. Sometimes broadband internet companies hit water lines when laying fiber, and if municipalities had been notified the company was coming to the area, these inconvenient and costly incidents could have been avoided. The bill passed the House floor unanimously and is now available to be signed by the Governor.

On Tuesday, I presented SB990 to the House. This bill requires rate increases for Medicare supplement policies occur only during the open enrollment period and cannot be raised throughout the year. This is an important bill to aid our senior citizens so their rates will not increase multiple times throughout a year. SB990 also passed unanimously and is now headed to the Governor to consider signing into law.

The third bill is SB589, which gives the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police the responsibility of conducting compliance reviews for the Municipal Law Enforcement Agencies upon a recipient of complaint or reasonable cause to believe the agency failed to comply with safety and liability policy requirements currently in statute. This bill is now available to be considered by the Governor.

A bill I filed in the House passed the Senate floor unanimously this week. HB1911, which amends qualifications to serve as a member of the Oklahoma State Board of Examiners for Long-Term Care Administrators, unanimously passed both the House and Senate.

Governor Stitt signed into law two more of my bills this week, HB1909 and SB853. HB1909 allows judges to deposit monies recovered on behalf of a minor after a settlement into the Oklahoma College Savings Plan Account, with the minor designated as the beneficiary. SB853 increases the monthly travel allowance reimbursement rate for county elected officials by $100 a month. The current reimbursement rates have not been adjusted in over 12 years.

Monday evening, I visited with Jay Johnson, CEO of Duncan Regional, and Kean Spellman, CEO of Grady County Memorial Hospital, at the Oklahoma Hospital Association reception to discuss healthcare issues Oklahomans face. We are very blessed to have them leading our District 51 hospitals!

On Tuesday morning, I attended the Oklahoma City Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast with the Stephens County GOP delegation. This is always a wonderful and uplifting event and I appreciate the invitation to attend! Later Tuesday, I met with fourth grade students from Marlow Elementary as well as their teachers and parents who were visiting the State Capitol and had the chance to introduce them before the House of Representatives while they were in the gallery that day.

Wednesday was 4-H day at the Capitol, and I visited with Kale Kennedy, who lives in District 51 and attends Amber-Pocasset Public Schools. That afternoon, I presented a State Citation to Sibbie Oglesbee for placing third in a statewide ODOT art contest. Sibbie is a fifth grader at Bridge Creek. District 51 is home to so many thoughtful and talented students! On Thursday evening, I attended the Grady County Farm Bureau’s Annual Legislative Dinner and had the opportunity to meet with many of their members and give a brief update on what’s happening at the Capitol.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and fulfilling Easter weekend with their families. We are blessed to live in a country founded on the principles of religious freedom, where we can worship freely. Easter is my favorite Holiday of the year; as it is a special time to celebrate the resurrection of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Luke 24:6-7.

The end of session is nearing, and I encourage my District 51 constituents to contact me with questions or concerns about legislation. You can reach me at (580) 641-3153 or brad@bolesforok.com. God bless!

Rep. Brad Boles