Senate Review by Sen. George Burns

We are only a few short weeks away from the beginning of the 59th Legislature, and our workload has remained steady as we prepare for the session. Various appropriations subcommittees have been holding meetings and hearing from state agencies on their budget needs for Fiscal Year 2024. I am proud to serve as co-chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Regulatory Services. In our recent meetings, we heard from 11 of the 13 state entities whose appropriations we are responsible for.

We have a very tough job ahead as each agency provides necessary resources to Oklahomans and needs funding to continue these provisions.

Luckily, we have put fiscally conservative policies in place that have allowed us to have record-breaking revenue and the largest state savings in history. The initial certification from the Board of Equalization (BOE) was released in December and determined we would have just over $13 billion to appropriate for the FY ‘24 budget. The BOE will meet again in February to make any necessary adjustments to that figure based on changes in revenue collections.

I was honored to attend the inauguration of Governor Stitt and eight other elected state officials. Following the prayer service and ceremony, the governor spoke about the accomplishments of our state. I look forward to seeing legislation in the upcoming session that will further benefit our citizens and contribute to efforts to become a top ten state.

I have filed multiple pieces of legislation that I truly believe will help our people. Senate Bill 187 increases the amount of living and transportation expenses that can be paid on behalf of a birth mother through the adoption process. The limit is currently $1,000, but this measure would increase it to $3,500. All expenses have increased in recent years. This is a reasonable adjustment to better support birth mothers and help ensure more children can be placed in safe and loving homes.

SB 120 repeals a statute that allows Oklahoma to enter into agreements with multistate voter list maintenance organizations, including the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Thankfully, our state is not currently a member of ERIC, but we need to eliminate the possibility of it happening in the future. It is simple, we do not need to give personal voter information to a non-profit. We must stand for fair and secure elections and protect citizens’ private information.

I have also filed SB 3, SB 19, SB 20, and SB 201. I look forward to sharing with you how these bills will make improvements across the state, and within state agency processes.

I was also able to attend the Southeast

Oklahoma Higher Education Legislative Tour. We were able to hear from representatives from Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU), Carl Albert State College, East Central University, Eastern Oklahoma State College (EOSC), Murray State College, and Seminole State College. We heard remarks from EOSC President Janet Wansick, EOSC Student Trent Fronterhouse, Dean McCraw from SOSU and Chancellor Garrett with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE). Following these phenomenal speakers, we were able to hear the budget needs of OSRHE for Fiscal Year 2024. We have some outstanding colleges and universities in the southeast portion of the state, and we must make it a priority this session to address their needs. They need our support as they expand workforce development efforts, including addressing the statewide teacher shortage. If you have a college-bound high school student, I encourage you to tour the colleges in SE Oklahoma and explore the educational programs and opportunities they have available.

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 email at George.Burns@ oksenate.gov or by phone at 405-521-5614.