Getting three of my bills approved by State Senate
I am pleased that three of my bills were approved by the Senate last week. Senate Bill 673 removes state park entry fees other than for motor homes and travel trailers.
SB 426 allows county election board secretaries to use GPS to ensure voters are assigned to the correct precinct.
SB 187 increases the amount birth mothers can receive during adoptions from $1,000 to $3,500 for costs like housing and utilities.
If you’d like to read more about these beneficial measures, I encourage you to visit our website, www.oksenate.gov. Here you can read legislation or look back on past press releases to see what actions we have taken so far this session. You also can subscribe to press releases so you can receive updates from the Senate. If you’d like to keep up with district news from my office, I also encourage you to follow my Facebook page, @SenatorGeorgeBurns.
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Looking ahead to the rest of the session, we have a few hundred bills left to hear before the next deadline on Thursday. We have until this date to hear Senate bills on the floor. If they are not heard by then, they will not be able to be considered again until next year. This past week was a short one due to Spring Break, so we will have our work cut out for us when we return on Monday. We’ll then start the process over and begin hearing House bills in our committees and then on the floor in the following weeks.
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As many of you know, and many of you have seen firsthand, marijuana is a growing issue in our state. Since the passage of medical marijuana, bad actors and illegal activity in the industry have been detrimental to public safety, rural water systems, farmland and more. Earlier this month, Oklahoma voted on State Question 820, which related to the legalization of recreational marijuana. Oklahomans said NO, and the question failed in all 77 counties.
At this point, we will continue to focus on legislation helping us crack down on illegal activity. There are currently thousands of grows and other marijuana businesses being investigated. Hopefully, this will result in operations who are not doing business legally to be shut down. This industry poses major threats to our livelihood with cartel activity and our farms being bought by foreigners. Thankfully, there are multiple measures moving through the Senate that will help regulate medical marijuana in Oklahoma.
For perspective, there are more dispensaries in our state than gas stations. I appreciate Sen. Jessica Garvin (R-Duncan), Sen. David Bullard, (R-Durant) and my other colleagues who are tackling this very pressing issue. I look forward to getting these measures to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk and truly reforming this industry to protect our people and benefit our state.
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Thank you for the opportunity to serve you. If you have any questions about legislation, or need assistance with an issue, please contact me by e-mail at George. Burns@oksenate.gov or by telephone at (405) 5215614.
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Burns serves District 5 in the Oklahoma State Senate. His district includes parts or all of LeFlore, McCurtain and Pushmataha counties.