Committees

OKLAHOMA CITY — Legislation, authored by Rep. Emily Gise, R-Oklahoma City, aimed at modernizing Oklahoma’s vehicle identification number inspection process has passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives and now heads to the Senate for further consideration. House Bill 3148 passed the House floor this week by a vote of 83-11. The measure previously received unanimous approval in both the House Public Safety Committee and the House Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight Committee. Gise said she developed the legislation after hearing from several businesses in her district who described delays and unnecessary regulatory hurdles caused by the state’s current VIN inspection process. "Oklahoma families and businesses deserve a government that works for them, not one that slows them down," Gise said. "House Bill 3148 cuts unnecessary bureaucracy while keeping consumer protections in place. When regulations stop serving the people, it’s our job to get government out of the way." HB3148 would modernize the state’s VIN inspection system by removing outdated requirements and allowing qualified sellers and licensed operators to conduct VIN inspections at the point of sale. The bill would clarify who may perform vehicle inspections, update outdated procedures and establish accountability measures for fraud or noncompliance. Gise says the goal of the legislation is to streamline vehicle transactions while maintaining important safeguards against fraud. "I’m grateful to my colleagues in the House for their thoughtful consideration and support of this bill as we work to prevent fraud," Gise said. "This is a practical step that reduces unnecessary red tape while still protecting consumers." HB3148 now moves to the Senate, where Sen. Paul Rosino, R-Oklahoma City, is the Senate author.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Legislation aimed at protecting Oklahoma families and small businesses from higher utility bills tied to new data center infrastructure is now eligible for consideration on the House floor. House Bill 2992 , the Data Center Consumer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026, authored by Rep. Brad Boles, R-Marlow, passed unanimously in both the House Utilities Policy Committee and the House Energy and Natural Resources Oversight Committee. The measure now advances to the next step in the legislative process. "I’m very encouraged to see this legislation move forward with such strong support," Boles said. "As Oklahoma continues to grow and attract new industry, we have to make sure the cost of that growth does not fall on hardworking families and small businesses. This bill is about fairness and making sure Oklahomans are not forced to subsidize the infrastructure needs of large data centers." Rep. Boles' Data Center Consumer Ratepayer Protection Act would set guidelines for how electric suppliers and regulators address the rising energy demands of large data centers, cryptocurrency mining operations and artificial intelligence facilities. The bill defines "large load customers" as new facilities adding 75 megawatts or more of demand and clarifies that residential, commercial and traditional industrial customers are not included in that classification. The legislation aligns with the recent Ratepayer Protection Pledge Proclamation issued by President Donald Trump. Under the pledge, several leading technology companies agreed that as energy demand grows alongside new data center construction, American households should not bear the cost of building the necessary infrastructure. Instead, the pledge calls for the companies developing and operating data centers to build, bring or purchase the energy required to power their facilities and to cover the full cost of associated infrastructure. "The White House is taking steps to make sure Americans are not left footing the bill for massive data center expansion, and Oklahoma is proud to take steps alongside them to protect our ratepayers," Boles said. Several lawmakers from both parties have signed on as co-authors of the measure, including Senate author Sen. Grant Green, R-Wellston; Rep. Rusty Cornwell, R-Vinita; Rep. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene; Rep. Clay Staires, R-Skiatook; Rep. Derrick Hildebrant, R-Catoosa; Rep. Mickey Dollens, D-Oklahoma City; Rep. Amanda Clinton, D-Tulsa; Rep. Mark Chapman, R-Broken Arrow; Rep. Max Wolfley, R-Oklahoma City; and Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore. The bill is now eligible to be heard on the House floor.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Jim Grego, R-Wilburton, on Wednesday passed a bill in the Oklahoma House of Representatives that is hoped to recruit more mental health professionals to serve rural residents. House Bill 2947 would credential behavioral health clinical interns to provide services that are eligible for Medicaid reimbursement under the state's Medicaid plan, provided they operate within their clinical scope of practice under the supervision of a licensed behavioral health provider. The bill also would create a small income stream for clinics to be able to attract interns through financial incentives such as mileage reimbursement, small stipends or hourly wages.  "Our rural areas are struggling for licensed mental health care providers," Grego said. "This legislation would provide some relief for clinics trying to attract graduate students and new professionals. With so many of our behavioral health workforce retiring, this kind of measure is essential to strengthen our capacity to serve Oklahomans who live in our rural areas." Grego reported that 37% of Oklahoma's population lives in rural areas, and almost 90% of the state's landmass is considered rural. "Recruiting behavioral health professionals to these areas is a high priority for our state," he said. Research shows the return on the state's small investment should be strong, Grego said. The hope is that between 30% and 60% of graduate students serving in rural areas will stay to begin their first post-graduate jobs within 100 miles of those locations. He said he examined new data showing that at least four Oklahoma counties currently have no licensed providers, and 10 counties have five or less. Grego said providing services as a clinical intern is a common part of their graduate level training. To ensure the highest level of oversight, these interns would only serve in clinical sites that are also national accredited or certified through the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health. Under the bill, behavioral health clinical intern providers must only provide services that are billable through accredited clinical sites in good standing. On-site supervisors may only supervise up to six behavioral health clinical interns at any time. The bill passed the House on a vote of 81-8. It now moves to the Senate where it is authored by Sen. Tom Woods, R-Westville.