Status of major bills before Oklahoma Legislature

The status of some of the major legislation in the 2002 session of the 48th Oklahoma Legislature as of March 8: <br><br>HB 1923 by Paulk and Newport _ Don't Call. Oklahoma No-Call List Act. Would require

Saturday, March 9th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

The status of some of the major legislation in the 2002 session of the 48th Oklahoma Legislature as of March 8:

HB 1923 by Paulk and Newport _ Don't Call. Oklahoma No-Call List Act. Would require the attorney general to establish a no-call list of consumers who do not wish to receive unsolicited telemarketing calls and would make telemarketing calls to registered consumers a violation of the Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act. Passed by the House Utility and Energy Regulation Committee and full House; sent to Senate.

HB 2014 by Piatt _ Sales Tax Holiday. Would create a sales tax exemption for the sale of clothing and school supplies priced at less than $100 during a seven-day period in early August. Passed by House Revenue and Taxation Committee, sent to full House.

HB 2041 by Pope _ Tax Reform. Would lower the state's maximum 7 percent income tax rate to a flat 5 percent of federal taxable income and increase the 4.5 percent state sales to 6.25 percent. Committee substitute passed by House Revenue and Taxation Committee, sent to full House.

HB 2090 by Roach _ Moment of Silence. Would require local school boards to impose one minute of silence in each classroom when students would be allowed to meditate, pray or engage in any other silent activity. Committee substitute passed by House Rules Committee, sent to full House.

HB 2142 by Toure _ Oklahoma Cloning Prohibition Act. Would make it unlawful to perform human cloning and requires individuals who plan to perform human somatic cell nuclear transfer technology to register with the Commissioner of Health. Passed by the House Judiciary Committee, sent to full House.

HB 2216 by Morgan _ The Kristie LaGrange Act. Would permit a photograph of murder victims to be admissible evidence during the trial of the accused assailant to show the general appearance and condition of the victim while alive. Passed by the House Criminal Justice Committee and full House; sent to Senate.

HB 2635 by Toure _ Executing the Mentally Retarded. Would prohibit the state from sentencing mentally retarded defendants to death. Assigned to the House Criminal Justice Committee; withdrawn from the House Criminal Justice Committee and assigned to the House Judiciary Committee; committee substitute passed by the House Judiciary Committee; amended and defeated by the full House; held on notice to reconsider; reconsidered and passed by full House; sent to Senate.

HB 2748 by Nations _ Sales Tax Holiday. Would create a sales tax exemption on the sale of clothing and school supplies priced at less than $100 during the first weekend in August and making the exemption also apply to county and municipal sales tax, with the amount of the exemption being reimbursed by the Oklahoma Tax Commission. Passed by the House Revenue and Taxation Committee, sent to full House.

HB 2772 by Tibbs _ Voter ID. would require that proof of identity be presented when voting. Committee substitute passed by House rules Committee; amended and passed by full House, sent to Senate.

HB 2790 by Askins _ DNA Evidence. Would eliminate the statute of limitations for rape and other sex offenses when the case is reopened by biological evidence. Passed by the House Criminal Justice Committee; floor substitute amended and passed by full House, sent to Senate.

HB 2921 by Morgan _ Address Confidentiality Program. Would establish an address confidentiality program through the Office of the Secretary of State for victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking. Passed by the House Criminal Justice Committee and full House; sent to Senate.

SB 815 by Rabon _ Moment of Silence. Would require local school boards to require one minute of silence in public school classrooms each day for students to meditate, reflect or engage in any other silent activity. Passed by Senate Education Committee; sent to full Senate.

SB 816 by Crutchfield _ Sales Tax Holiday. Would provide for a three-day sales tax exemption during the first weekend in August for the sale of articles of clothing or footwear having a sale price of less than $100. Amended and passed by the Senate Finance Committee; passed by full Senate, sent to House.

SB 822 by Shurden _ Oklahoma Anti-terrorism Act. Would establish crimes and penalties for acts of terrorism, terrorism hoaxes, biochemical assaults and manufacturing a substance with the intent of terrorist activity. Amended and passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee; passed by full Senate, sent to House Homeland Security Committee.

SB 834 by Cain _ Income Taxes. Would increase the standard deduction for Oklahoma income tax purposes to equal the federal standard deduction. Amended and passed by the Senate Finance Committee; sent to full Senate.

SB 908 by Muegge _ Got Milk? Would designate milk as the state beverage. Passed by the Senate Agriculture and Rural Development Committee; passed by full Senate, sent to House Agriculture and rural Development Committee.

SB 992 by Rozell _ School Bullying Prevention Act. Would provide a comprehensive approach for public schools to create an environment conducive to the learning process by implementing policies for the prevention of harassment, intimidation and bullying. Passed by Senate Education Committee; passed by full Senate, sent to House Education Committee.

SB 1231 by Morgan _ Teacher Retirement. Would require benefit increases for members of the Teachers Retirement System of Oklahoma. Amended and passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee; sent to full Senate.

SB 1553 by Robinson _ No Smoking. Would ban smoking in any building where the public was ``invited,'' extending the current ban on smoking in public buildings. Committee substitute passed by the Senate Human Services Committee, sent to full Senate.

SB 1681 by Fair _ Oklahoma Congressional Redistricting Act of 2002. Divides the state into five congressional districts, beginning with the terms of members of the U.S. House at the November 2002 general election. Introduced.

SJR 30 by Milacek _ Fuel Taxes. Would schedule a vote of the people on whether to increase the gasoline tax over a four-year period from 16 cents to 21 cents per gallon and the diesel tax from 13 cents to 20 cents. Committee substitute passed by the Senate Finance Committee, sent to full Senate.

SJR 36 by Herbert _ High-Speed Rail Act of 2002. Amended and passed by the Senate Transportation Committee; passed by full Senate, sent to House.