PERSPECTIVE February 23, 2024
Legislative update: 2024 legislative session kicks off with state of the state, poultry bill and water discussions he 2024 Oklahoma legislative session kicked off Monday, Feb. 5, with Gov. Kevin Stitt’s annual State of the State address before the combined Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate. Highlights of Stitt’s speech as it relates to Farm Bureau policy included a call for strengthening education for Oklahoma students, increased jurisdictional clarity in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 McGirt ruling, and mention of the progress made in reining in bad actors in Oklahoma’s medical marijuana industry. Stitt also underscored his resolve to pass tax cuts for hardworking Oklahomans, including the elimination of the state income tax. While Farm Bureau members have long supported lowering taxes, OKFB maintains a strong stance against new or increased ad valorem taxes, which inequitably impact farmers and ranchers, to recoup any lost revenue incurred from lowering or eliminating other taxes. The state house and senate have spent the weeks since the opening day of the second session of the state’s 59th legislature in committee meetings as they wade through the thousands of bills
proposed at the beginning of session. The deadline for bills to be passed out of committee in their chamber of origin is Thursday, Feb. 29. Already, a major bill of interest to Farm Bureau members was approved by the house and will now move on to the senate. HB 4118 by Rep. David Hardin of Stilwell and Sen. Brent Howard of Altus provides liability protection for poultry growers who are in compliance with a nutrient management plan that has been approved by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. The bill is in response to lawsuits filed against poultry growers in eastern Oklahoma who were in compliance with their approved nutrient management plan, but who were yet targeted by groups with civil lawsuits under the premise of water quality. OKFB advocated for passage of the bill, sharing the progress Oklahoma has made, due in large part to the work of farmers and ranchers, in increasing water quality in watersheds throughout eastern Oklahoma. OKFB members were asked to contact their legislators through OKFB’s textmessage-based action alert system, helping the bill to pass off the house floor
by a margin of 62-28 on Monday, Feb. 19. Members can sign up for OKFB action alerts online at okfb.news/takeaction. Two major pieces of legislation have emerged dealing with water measurement and water usage that OKFB continues to monitor. HB 3194 by Rep. Carl Newton of Cherokee would require all groundwater wells permitted by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to have “flow meters or an alternative measuring system as defined by the Board.” SB 1341 by Sen. Brent Howard would require all permitted water wells to have “metering or measuring” in place. The bill would also create several new concepts in Oklahoma water law for the OWRB to utilize in an effort to reduce the amount of water permitted users can access. These bills are expected to undergo changes as all stakeholders, including OKFB, engage in the process. Other highlights from the opening week of session include the Senate republican caucus electing Sen. Greg McCortney of Ada as president pro tempore designee, making him the successor to the post currently held by Greg Treat of Edmond.
Don’t forget to join OKFB’s Public Policy department for weekly legislative updates every Friday during session at noon via Zoom. Contact your OKFB field representative for information on joining the calls.