OML Advocate Legislative Bulletin 5-26

First Major Deadline Has Come and Gone

The first legislative deadline has come and gone. What was five weeks seemed like 47 weeks with the enormous amount of bills that were heard in committees. The bills that were not heard in their committees of origin are considered to have failed for this Session. We are still sorting through bills, but we know that we have gone from 5,000 eligible measures to 2,000. OML Priorities crossed their hurdles and are moving along.

The focus will shift to the House and Senate Floors for the next three weeks as we move towards the next deadline of bills being passed through their chamber of origin.

OML Priority/Sales Tax Exemption/Public Trusts: HB 4178 by Clay Staires (R-Skiatook) and Sen. Christi Gillespie (R-Broken Arrow) expands a sales tax exemption for a public trust, organized pursuant to the provisions of Section 176 et seq. of Title 60 of the Oklahoma Statutes, with a municipality or public trust.

The bill passed the House Appropriations & Budget Committee with the title stricken and emergency removed on Wednesday by a vote of 25 to 0. The bill moves to the full House.

OML Priority/Sales Tax Exemption/Public Trusts: HB 4304 by Rep. Rande Worthen (R-Lawton) and Sen. Kelly Hines (R-OKC) modifies the sales tax exemption for cities, towns, counties, rural water districts, public trusts and school districts and authorizes a political subdivision or agency to designate by contract an agent to make purchases of personal property wherein such sale would be exempt. The exemption applies to sales to the organization as well as to sales to any person with who the organization has duly entered into a construction contract, necessary for carrying out such contract or to any subcontractor to such a construction contract.

The bill passed the House Appropriations & Budget Committee on Wednesday by a vote of 24 to 0. The bill moves to the full House.