Status of legislation before Oklahoma Legislature

The status of some of the major legislation in the 2003 session of the 49th Oklahoma Legislature as of Feb 21: <br><br>HB 1106 by Balkman _ Beer License Fees. Would increase license fees for low-point

Friday, February 21st 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

The status of some of the major legislation in the 2003 session of the 49th Oklahoma Legislature as of Feb 21:

HB 1106 by Balkman _ Beer License Fees. Would increase license fees for low-point beer retailers from $10 to $100 a year and dedicate revenue to community-based substance abuse clinics. Passed by House Commerce, Industry and Labor Committee; sent to full House.

HB 1122 by Hiett _ Teacher Income Tax Credits. Would create income tax credits of up to $500 a year for public school teachers who spend their own money on classroom materials, equipment and supplies. Committee substitute passed by House Revenue and Taxation Committee; referred to full House.

HB 1153 by Pettigrew _ School Consolidation. Would provide financial incentives for Oklahoma's more than 540 public school districts to consolidate. Passed by House Common Education Committee; referred to full House.

HB 1278 by Kirby _ Oklahoma Lottery for Education Act. Would schedule a vote of the people to create a statewide lottery to support public education. Committee substitute passed by House Revenue and Taxation Committee; referred to full House.

HB 1385 by Ferguson _ Fuel Taxes. Would set up a statewide vote of the people on a plan to raise state fuel taxes by 5 cents a gallon on gasoline and 7 cents a gallon on diesel fuel with the revenue dedicated to transportation needs. Amended and passed by House Revenue and Taxation Committee; referred to full House.

HB 1406 by Toure _ Wrongful Conviction. Would authorize claims under the Government Tort Claims Act for wrongful criminal felony convictions resulting in imprisonment and limiting recovery to a maximum of $200,000. Amended and passed by House Judiciary Committee; referred to full House.

HB 1436 by Smithson _ Standard Tax Deduction. Would amend the amount of the state standard tax deduction to match the federal tax deduction to compute state income taxes. Died in House Revenue and Taxation Committee.

HB 1559 by Calvey _ Would offer in-state tuition at state colleges and universities to resident aliens who are in the process of seeking American citizenship. Committee substitute passed by House Higher Education Committee; amended and passed by full House; referred to Senate.

HB 1748 by Nations _ College Tuition. Would authorize Oklahoma's two comprehensive universities, the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, to set tuition based on the average charged by schools in the Big 12 Conference. Other colleges and universities would set tuition based on the average of state-supported institutions in adjacent states and other methods. Passed by Higher Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee; passed by House Appropriations and Budget Committee; referred to full House.

HJR 1010 by Vaughn _ Cigarette Excise Tax. Would schedule a statewide vote of the people on a plan to increase the excise tax on a pack of cigarettes by $1 per pack to $1.23, and dedicate the additional revenue to tobacco use prevention and cessation programs and health care. Died in House Revenue and Taxation Committee.

SB 18 by Pruitt _ Sexually Oriented Businesses. Would permit county commissioners to regulate sexually oriented businesses and enforce regulations by civil action. Died in Senate General Government Committee.

SB 211 by Crutchfield _ Sales Tax Holiday. Would create a sales tax holiday during the first weekend in August that would exempt the state sales tax on articles of clothing that sell for less than $100 and providing for counties, cities and towns to create similar sales tax holidays. Died in Senate Finance Committee.

SB 252 by Wilcoxson _ Volunteer Immunity. Providing protection from liability to volunteers, even if they perform similar services to the public for a fee. Died in Senate Judiciary Committee.

SB 415 by Snyder _ Income Taxes. Would create a mechanism for reducing the state income tax rate. Died in Senate Finance Committee.

SB 550 by Coffee _ Income Tax Exemption for Retirees. Would exempt retirement pay from state income taxes. Died in Senate Finance Committee.

SB 829 by Shurden _ Cockfighting. Would authorize a county-option mechanism to permit voters in select counties to suspend the statewide prohibition against cockfighting in those counties. Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee; withdrawn by author.

SB 835 by Shurden _ Cockfighting. Would decrease the penalty for cockfighting from a felony to a misdemeanor. Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee; withdrawn from Senate Judiciary Committee and referred to Senate Appropriations Committee; amended and passed by Public Safety and Judiciary Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee; committee substitute passed by Senate Appropriations Committee; referred to full Senate.

SJR 11 by Johnson _ School Taxes. Would create a constitutional amendment to authorize elections within local school districts on a plan to raise the cap that can be levied for local support of schools. Amended and passed by Education Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee; amended and passed by Senate Appropriations Committee; referred to full Senate.

SJR 21 by Hobson _ Smoking. Would prohibit smoking in restaurants and most other public places. Committee substitute passed by Senate Human Resources Committee; referred to full Senate.