Rep. Duel: Final days of legislative session

The House on May 7 adjourned to a call of the chair after completing all of the legislative work possible. The Senate chose to adjourn early May 6 without hearing remaining House bills on their calendar. That chamber could reconvene any day until May 14, and there is hope they do, so that remaining bills can be passed and several of the governor’s vetoes can be overridden.

If nothing new happens, both chambers will be adjourned by 5 p.m. May 14. This would conclude the second session of the 60th Legislature.

This session, I was able to secure the governor’s approval on two House bills and one Senate bill on which I am the House author. These have been signed into law. Three additional House bills are on the governor’s desk awaiting his consideration. Another bill faces final Senate action.

Signed into law are: House Bill 3497, which clarifies when the state or a municipality can appeal pretrial orders in criminal cases.

House Bill 3499, which allows special judges to hear applications involving the issuance of the title for motor vehicles, manufactured homes, vessels or other titled property. This helps reduce unnecessary delays and eases the workload on district courts.

Senate Bill 2184 merges multiple versions of state statutes that have been amended and repeals duplicate sections. The measure does not create new law.

Sent to the governor are: House Bill 3498, which would modernize Oklahoma’s corporate code to better reflect a free-market, pro-growth, pro-business legal framework. The purpose of this update is to strengthen freedom of contract, increase legal certainty and ensure Oklahoma remains competitive with other states for jobs and investment. This should help us attract new investments and support hardworking Oklahoma businesses that create jobs in our communities.

House Bill 3500 would clean up statute regarding transfer-on-death deeds, which allow property to be transferred outside of the probate process, avoiding unnecessary legal fees. This would remove the requirement that a beneficiary affidavit be filed within nine months of the grantor’s death. 

House Bill 3501 would allow the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission to issue multiple licenses for manufacturing beverages on the same premises. The bill would still require separate licenses for brewing, distilling or winemaking, but currently these can’t be done under the same roof. This would cut some unnecessary red tape and regulation, allowing all three to be done on the same premises if the applicant is in good standing with ABLE and the Oklahoma Tax Commission. 

Amended in the House and returned to the Senate for final action is Senate Bill 1224. This would allow victim notification of any action by the Pardon and Parole Board to the last-known email and mail address provided by the victim.

As always, it is an honor to serve you. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at (405) 557-7350 or collin.duel@okhouse.gov if I can ever be of service to you.