SPARTANS ATTHE CAPITOL: LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

● Spartans at the Capitol Legislative Updates consist of strictly factual information, not to include information relative to support or opposition of legislation.The goal is to present the possible impact of legislation on public education, both positive and negative.

● “At a Glance” summary of education-related legislation being tracked by CCOSA this session.

● See here for the 2023 BPS + Bixby PLAC Legislative Goals!

Tips &Tools:

● Updated E-Mail Blocks

● Download the OK Legislature App! Apple Android

Coming Up

A full slate of floor sessions is expected again this week in both chambers.

It’s a great time to email your representative and senator share with them WHY a bold investment in public education is NEEDED and the IMPACT it would make for our students, teachers, and staff!

● April : Deadline for bills to be heard in opposite chamber

● May : Sine Die by p.m.

Supt.Walters&Gov.Stitt TheHouse TheSenate

Monday, / , Supt.RyanWalters was summoned to the House’s Committee on Appropriations and Budget after refusing a previous request to appear before a legislative committee to answer questions relative to the SDE’s budget priorities. The video of yesterday’s committee meeting can be viewed here.

On Wednesday, / , GovernorStitt vetoed Senate bills (unrelated to education) with the same veto message:

“Oklahomans elected me to advocate on their behalf and fight for the taxpayer. I take this responsibility seriously and so I cannot, in good faith, allow another year to go by without cutting taxes and reforming education, both of which we can absolutely afford with our $ . billion surplus and over $ billion in savings. Therefore, until the people of Oklahoma have a tax cut, until every teacher in the state gets the pay raise they deserve, until parents get a tax credit to send their child to the school of their choice, I am vetoing this unrelated policy and will continue to veto any and all legislation authored by Senators who have not stood with the people of Oklahoma and supported this plan."

The House shucked SB and inserted the teacher pay plan proposed by Gov. Stitt – this bill is tied to and only becomes law with the passage of HB and HB .

This bill passed and will be sent back to the Senate. In committee, the House also amended HB (overall ed funding – student fund and formula) and HB (Private income tax credits) to reflect Governor Stitt’s compromise education plan and passed those bills in conference committee.

Also passed, although in a greatly reduced state, was SB , by Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain. Originally a mandate for all libraries to “inventory” their materials and classify them according to age-appropriateness, the bill as amended Thursday would instruct the Oklahoma Department of Libraries to formulate “uniform procedures to be approved by the Legislature and adopted by school districts for the review and acquisition of collection materials.”

The bill calls for the proposed policies to be submitted to the Legislature next year.

The Senate passed on the floor five House bills with new language reflecting the Senate's new education plan.

Two of the most important bills include HB (teacher pay raise) and HB (parent choice tax credit). It is very important to note that these two bills are not linked, or tethered, to any other bills.

HB that dealt with part of the Reading Sufficiency Act allocation being spent on a Literacy Instructional Team, now is replaced with Pugh’s minimum salary increases from $ , -$ , . It appropriates $ million from the General Revenue Fund for the financial support of public schools to provide a minimum salary increase to teachers in the following amounts:

● $ , increase for years -

● $ , increase for years -

● $ , increase for years -

● $ , increase for years -

● $ , increase for years -

The measure additionally provides for a one-time $ , . stipend for certified personnel, and support personnel at public school districts and CareerTech instructional employees.