OKLAHOMA STATE SENATE / From the desk of Sen. Jessica Garvin
Between meetings and events in the district and work at the Capitol, I’ve had a busy schedule in recent weeks. We’re currently focused on getting through the dozens of interim studies that were approved this year. These provide us more time to fully research important, complicated issues than we have during the four-month regular legislative session.
Several studies have already been completed in the Senate and we have many more scheduled prior to the Nov. 3 deadline. Some of the studies that have been conducted so far looked at the benefits to the state and agriculture community of expanding Oklahoma’s industrial hemp production; efforts underway to stop invasive woody species like the Eastern Red Cedar that are a major fire hazard and also an extreme allergen for many Oklahomans; and best practices for legislation relating to DUIs for medical marijuana. Committees have also looked into deputy sheriffs’ salaries and department shortages; ways to better support women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs, as well as workforce development overall; Oklahoma’s housing crisis and steps being taken to increase the number of affordable rentals and single-family homes; and Oklahoma Tax Commission fees, fines, and penalties and how those are affecting taxpayers and small business owners.
On October 23, our Tourism and Wildlife Committee will examine why our state’s turkey population is declining and what actions can be taken to increase their numbers. Then on October 25, our committee will be provided with a cost analysis of reauthorizing Hugo Lake as a state park and transferring it back under the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department as it was around a decade ago.
On October 24, we’ll get an overview of county purchasing procedures in the General Government Committee and how those might be improved. We’ll also look into government accountability and President Biden’s 30x30 executive order, which seeks to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
No resolution came from special session regarding an income tax reduction, but I want you to know that work has been underway in the Senate for quite some time. We have a tax reform working group that has been studying our tax structure for more than a year now, along with fiscally responsible ways to provide tax relief to all Oklahomans while protecting our state services.
This is a complicated issue that can’t be addressed overnight as we must consider both current and future state and national economic trends. While we all would like to pay fewer taxes, we have to remember that those revenues support the budgets of more than 60 state agencies and hundreds of public services that our families and neighbors depend on like safe roadways, nutrition programs for seniors, mental healthcare, disability services, public education, and so much more. Let’s also not forget the thousands of hardworking state employees and teachers that make those services possible every day either.
I’m looking forward to reviewing the working group’s tax reform proposals in the coming regular session.
If you have any questions or concerns on legislative matters, please contact me at the Capitol. Please write to Senator Jessica Garvin, State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. Room 237, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105, email me at [email protected] or call 405-521-5522.
