House Media

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. John George, R-Newalla, passed two bills in committee today that would improve public safety for Oklahomans.  House Bill 1591  would move three crimes into the 85% sentencing category. Anyone convicted of domestic abuse by strangulation, domestic assault and battery with a deadly weapon, and aggravated assault and battery upon a law officer would be required to serve not less than 85% of their prison sentence before being eligible for consideration for parole. They would not be allowed to earn credits to reduce their sentence below 85%. "These criminals are among our most violent offenders," George said. "Our citizens deserve to know that if someone commits this aggravated type of assault or abuse they will be held to a higher level of punishment." House Bill 1592  would create the crime of organized retail theft and authorizes a task force at the state attorney general's office to investigate these crimes across multiple jurisdictions throughout the state. It also lowers the threshold for felony theft of this nature from $1,000 to $500. "Organized theft rings have been a huge problem around this state and throughout the country. They create an enormous amount of loss for our retail businesses and force prices up for consumers," George said. "These rings pose a serious threat to the public safety of our citizens and have run rampant for far too long. Participants in this type of crime should face stiffer penalties." The bills now will be eligible to be heard in the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight. 

The Oklahoma House Administrative Rules Committee has approved legislation aimed at reforming the state’s administrative rulemaking process—the system through which state agencies implement laws by drafting and proposing regulations. House Bill 2728 , authored by Rep. Gerrid Kendrix, R-Altus, would establish the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2025, modeled after similar federal legislation introduced in Congress last year. Kendrix described the REINS Act as a crucial first step toward increasing transparency and oversight in what he referred to as an attempt by the unelected bureaucracy to create an unconstitutional "fourth branch of government." "Administrative rules allow agencies to impose regulations without being approved by the legislative branch," said Kendrix, who chairs the House Administrative Rules Committee. "Once approved, these rules carry the force of law and take effect by default, largely bypassing the Legislature's ability to intervene. House Bill 2728 provides a critical opportunity to create a more balanced and accountable administrative rulemaking process, ensuring that those elected by Oklahomans have greater oversight of the regulations impacting our state." After the Legislature passes a law, state agencies draft and propose the regulations necessary for its implementation. Agencies submitted 266 packets this year, totaling thousands of pages. The Legislature then reviews these rules and can disapprove them by passing a resolution. Once a rule takes effect, it has the same legal weight as a law. However, unlike other legislative measures, lawmakers can only reject rules in part or in whole but cannot amend individual rules. If the Legislature takes no action, the rules advance to the governor, who follows the same process. If the governor doesn’t address them, they automatically go into effect. “We all talk about the concern of growing government, and yet our current process allows that to happen by default,” Kendrix said. If HB2728 is enacted, all proposed rules would be submitted with an economic impact statement, while proposed rules with a projected fiscal impact of at least $1 million over the first five years would require separate proactive legislative approval. The bill would also establish the Legislative Economic Analysis Unit (LEAU) within the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) to provide independent reviews of agencies' economic impact statements to ensure accuracy and completeness, with all analyses made available online. This is modeled after many states that have put in place this third-party evaluation system for administrative rules, which has saved millions in cutting excess red tape and ensuring legislative intent is followed. "I want to thank Chairman Kendrix and the members of our caucus who have worked to put in place this thoughtful process that will ensure lawmakers have a say in how the laws we create are implemented at the agency level," said Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow. "It's the Legislature's duty to ensure that the rules governing our people are practical and accountable. The REINS Act is a crucial first step toward a better system, and I appreciate Chairman Kendrix’s efforts to drive meaningful reform." HB2728 passed the committee 12-1.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene, today passed a measure in committee that would expand a program to eradicate harmful trees and shrubs in certain watersheds statewide. House Bill 2162 would create the Terry Peach Watershed Restoration Act. The act would build on  House Bill 2239 enacted in 2023, which created a pilot program focused on the North Canadian Watershed with the goal of exploring solutions to the infestation of red cedars and other invasive species. "These trees and shrubs create a great fire danger, and they draw away crucial amounts of water in already drought-stricken areas of our state," Dobrinski said. "Expanding this program statewide will help protect our environment – including grazing lands and wildlife habitats – and boost our economy." HB2162 would remove the pilot status of the program and would create a revolving fund to be administered by the Oklahoma Conservation Commission to accomplish the goals of the program. The estimated cost of expansion is $10 million, which would have to be approved through the appropriations' process. Dobrinski said the return on investment to the state should be greater than this initial investment. The bill today passed the House Agriculture Committee and now is eligible to be heard in the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Oversight. Dobrinski said the pilot program created previously has already proven enormously successful, with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission eradicating many invasive species in the initial watershed area and around housing developments and critical infrastructure. The commission also has provided training and support for rural fire departments and burn associations to continue the work. Trey Lam, executive director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission has said in the past that the rapid growth of cedar brush intensifies drought, reduces water levels and fuels intense wildfires every year. While there is no one single short term solution, a three-prong approach of research, eradication by utilizing prescribed burning and mechanically creating brush-free zones around communities and rural infrastructure has been utilized effectively and is the basis for the new legislation.