LEGISLATIVE COLUMN Deadline Week

By State Rep. John George

This was deadline week at the Legislature. All bills had to be advanced from their chamber of origin by March 27 in order to stay active this session.

This meant some long days in the House, hearing between 40 and 60 bills each day leading up to the deadline. A few measures failed, but most are now engrossed to the Senate for consideration in committees and on the floor of that chamber. Next, House policy and Appropriations & Budget subcommittees will begin hearing Senate bills. We have until April 10 to complete this initial work, and then we have until April 24 to advance measures from oversight committees and full A&B.

At the same time, we’re working on our state budget for Fiscal Year 2026, which starts July 1. Achieving a balanced budget is the only constitutional requirement of the state Legislature each year. The 400 or so bills that get signed into law each year are just icing on the cake.

I was fortunate that most of my bills advanced to the Senate before deadline week. This meant I didn’t have to present them on days already packed with hearing dozens of other measures. This long days get a bit mind-numbing if I’m honest. We hear bill after bill, some that were amended at the last minute. We have to read those amendments to see how they change the language and intent of the bill. Then we hear questions and sometimes debate. It’s a fight to stay engaged, but it’s important we do.

This week, we passed legislation regarding setbacks for wind, solar, and other forms of energy. The hope is to ensure private property rights and appease those who don’t want a giant structure built right next to their property line.

We passed several education measures that we hope will improve the outcomes for students, including those in special education.

We passed several versions of a sports betting bill, including one that would be sent to a vote of the people.

These are just a few of the many measures we considered this week.

Things will quiet down in the House chamber for a few weeks as we work bills through the committee process. Then, we’ll be back for the marathon end run of passing Senate bills on the floor. Those that pass without amendments will move to the governor for his consideration of signing them into law. Those that are amended will go back to their chamber of origin for a final vote of approval. 

Remember that you can always watch the proceedings by going to the House website, okhouse.gov. Then look under News & Media for live proceedings or use the calendar feature on the left side to look for archived meetings. I encourage you to stay engaged in your government. 

As always, thank you for electing me to serve District 36. Please feel free to contact me with any thoughts or concerns about legislation. I can be reached at (405) 557-7322 or at john.george@okhouse.gov.

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