Rep. Pfeiffer: Senate Bills

We’ve entered the part of the legislative session where the House is hearing Senate measures in committee and the same is happening for House measures in the opposite chamber.

In the House, we have until April 9 to pass measures out of initial policy committees and Appropriations and Budget subcommittees. Those that pass will move to oversight committees or full A&B. At the same time, we are working to finalize our state budget. House and Senate budget leaders have come to an agreement with the governor. We will soon present budget bills in House and Senate Committees and then in each legislative chamber. I’ll provide more details on the budget in my next column.

Last week, I presented several Senate bills in House committees. These included:

Senate Bill 1238 in the House Criminal Judiciary Committee. This would increase the minimum punishment for persons convicted of domestic abuse in the presence of a child for the first offense from six months to one year in prison to a minimum of one to five years in prison as a Class B5 felony.

Senate Bill 1246 would update environmental permitting requirements and procedures for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. This would require the department to create an Electronic Environmental Permit Application Docket where applicants and the public can find documents related to a permit application and  can subscribe to receive notifications about a pending application. It would update public notification requirements, requiring electronic notice of public participation opportunities. It would require public meetings to happen more quickly and for DEQ to file responses to public comments more quickly; and it would require DEQ to hold prehearing conferences more quickly.

Also last week, I hosted Courtney Koeppen, a resident of Tonkawa, as the Nurse of the Day in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Nurse Koeppen began her healthcare journey as a certified nurse aide, advancing into a supervising charge nurse role where she has served with distinction for the past decade. She has played an important role in supporting charting and documentation audits, strengthening compliance practices, and promoting quality improvement initiatives. She further expanded her expertise by obtaining wound care certification, enhancing her ability to support complex resident needs and mentor team members in best practices. She is currently completing her bachelor of science in nursing. Her reputation for thoughtful decision-making, ethical practice and team support has made her a trusted resource and role model within her organization and particularly to the ICF/IID community through Billings Fairchild Center. It was a pleasure to have her serve the house for a day.

It’s an honor to serve the folks of House District 38. As always, if you have concerns about bills, or problems I can assist you in solving, please reach out to me at john.pfeiffer@okhouse.gov or call my office at 405-557-7332.