Rep. Jeff Boatman

The Second Session of the 59th Legislature adjourned on Thursday, May 30th. I wanted to take a moment to look back on the work that was done for our great state. Session started with more than 2,673 eligible House and Senate measures. Ultimately, we passed 483 pieces of legislation to the Governor for him to consider.

At this point, 438 bills have become law either through the Governor's signature or through a veto override by the Legislature. I was very glad to see that seven of the House Bills I authored and two of the Senate Bills I carried in the House will become law this year.

HB3014: removes the requirement that the IT director of the courts be selected by a three-member committee. It also deletes obsolete language related to the funding the Oklahoma Supreme Court Information System. There are hundreds of instances of ineffective bureaucratic red tape in Oklahoma Statutes, and HB3014 will help streamline this hiring process.

HB3015: revises the practicum requirement from 2 years to 3,000 hours of postgraduate experience in the related field for certain types of licensed social workers. I ran this measure to make Oklahoma more competitive with other states in the region for social workers looking to complete their supervision requirements.

HB3449: establishes the "University Hospitals Authority Behavioral Health Workforce Development Fund." This fund will help implement pilot programs at behavioral health facilities aimed at supporting behavioral health workforce development and facilitating access to those professionals. Oklahoma is facing a critical shortage of these professionals, and HB3449 represents an important step toward addressing that shortage.

HB3450: replaces the term "child prostitution" with the term "child s*x trafficking" throughout all Oklahoma Statutes. This language was outdated and technically incorrect, and I was proud to work with the Oklahoma Coalition Against Human Trafficking on this measure.

HB3451: outlines amendments to the Oklahoma Mental Health Law, providing definitions for some key terms and clarifying other terms. Among these important changes is the expansion of the legal definition of "person requiring treatment" to include those who have shown signs of severe deterioration over a 72-hour period and who pose a risk of harm to themselves or other people. This updated language will help prevent a crisis from intensifying while also upholding the dignity of people struggling with mental illness or substance abuse.

HB3643: addresses the creation and maintenance of official state records, the destruction of nonrecord materials, and the reproduction of records. The bill updates the statute to reflect changes in storage technology, including digital media. These changes were necessary to clarify that records not regulated by the Records Management Act may be destroyed without the approval of the State Records Administrator, eliminating another instance of unnecessary red tape.

SB1740: stipulates that first responders and providers cannot be held liable for civil damages arising from their actions, barring cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct in administering opioid antagonists. It's important we provide some liability protection in certain circumstances for first responders so they're not hindered from doing their jobs to the best of their abilities.

SB696: updates the membership of the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth (OCCY) by removing one position and extending the tenure of all members. Additionally, it requires the Office of Planning and Coordination to work with the Parent Partnership Board to prepare a State Plan for Services to Children and Youth. The bill authorizes the use of funds from the Children's Endowment Fund for certain purposes and expands the terms of members on post adjudication review boards. These were needed changes to help OCCY run more smoothly while fulfilling their mission to provide important oversight and accountability of children in state custody.

I want to thank you all for allowing me to serve House District 67 since 2018. It has been an honor and privilege to support each and every one of you as you have supported me.

A measure establishing a pathway to fund a pilot program designed to expand opportunities to invest in Oklahoma's mental health workforce has been signed into law. Read more: https://www.okhouse.gov/posts/news-20240515_2

Thank you teachers!

Thank you to all of Oklahoma's teachers and their continuous dedication to inspiring future generations!

Rep. Jeff Boatman, R-Tulsa, authored House Bill 3015 to make Oklahoma more competitive with other states in the region for social workers. Read more: https://www.okhouse.gov/posts/news-20240425_1

Legislation aimed at modernizing data retention practices across Oklahoma has been signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt. Read more: https://www.okhouse.gov/posts/news-20240422_1

The Oklahoma House of Representatives has approved legislation updating language in state statutes from "child prostitution" to "child s*x trafficking." Read more: https://www.okhouse.gov/posts/news-20240306_1

Legislation establishing a pathway to fund a pilot program designed to expand opportunities to invest in Oklahoma's mental health workforce passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Read more: https://www.okhouse.gov/posts/news-20240306_5

Tulsa lawmaker presses for free school lunches Rep. Jeff Boatman's bill would ensure children from households under 250% of the federal poverty line can get free lunches for two years. For a family of four, that would mean an annual income of up to $75,000.

The First Session of the 59th Legislature adjourned sine die on Friday, May 26. I was very glad to see numerous bills I authored become law this year, as I believe each of them addresses a vitally important policy area.

Session started with more than 1,901 House Bills and 1,116 Senate Bills filed ahead of deadline. Ultimately, we passed 416 of bills to the governor, in addition to 52 bills filed in our concurrent special session, which we called to consider bills related to the FY24 budget and federal COVID relief appropriations.

At this point, 337 number of bills have become law either through the Governor's signature or through a veto override by the Legislature, which requires a 2/3 vote in each chamber.

Seven bills I authored or carried in the House became law this year. Five of these were signed directly into law, and the remaining two Senate bills I carried in the House had their vetoes overridden by the Legislature, so they will take effect as well.

HB 2005: Authorizes a guardian to authorize their coguardians to act on that guardian's behalf by giving written permission, in the case that there are more than two guardians.

HB 2036: Creates the Oklahoma State University Medical Authority Behavioral Health Workforce Development Fund, overseen by the OSU Medical Authority. The fund will be utilized for a pilot program for behavioral health workforce development and access to behavioral health professionals, including facilities renovations, additional beds, and creating a behavioral health trauma fund for intensive home and community-based services.

SB 481: Makes it a misdemeanor to use an electronic communication device to knowingly make personal information, also known as doxing, of an election officer public to create a reasonable fear of death or injury.

HB 2004: Allows a county treasurer to forgo the issuance of a tax warrant for delinquent personal property taxes when the amount owed is less than $25.

SB 254: Ensures Oklahomans have access to mental and behavioral health care in a timely and more affordable manner by requiring insurers to arrange care quickly with an out-of-network provider if such care is unavailable in-network.

SB 711: Directs the Dept. of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to provide emergency opioid antagonists to the Dept. of Corrections and county jails subject to federal funding and develop an opioid overdose education program to be used by DOC and county jails.

SB 772: Requires charitable organizations that are incorporated, organized, has its principal place of business in Oklahoma, or has assets located in Oklahoma with a fair market value of more than $500,000 and has engaged in solicitation of contributions in Oklahoma for one year to give notice to the Attorney General no later than 45 days before:
• Dissolution or termination of the charitable organization;
• Disposition by the charitable organization of all or most of the assets of the organization;
• Removal of the charitable organization or all or most of its assets from the jurisdiction of Oklahoma;
• Consummation of a merger, consolidation, or conversion of the charitable organization; and
• Change in the governing document that describes the purpose of the charitable organization and the use and administration of its assets.

The State Chamber thanks Representative Jeff Boatman. 👏 Rep. Jeff Boatman

MARCH UPDATE FROM THE CAPITOL

Today, I had the distinct honor and privilege to present Jacob Lieberman from Tulsa, OK, with a citation for his research and abstract on anti-fungal therapies. He was one of twenty-two scholars selected to present his findings at the 28th Annual Research Day at the Capitol as a part of the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research — a great honor!

Earlier this month, we hosted Leadership Bixby Day at the Capitol, where a large group came to learn about the legislative process and its proceedings. We always thoroughly enjoy having others come visit our place of work and practice civic engagement!

Also earlier this month was our Tulsa Community College Leadership Day where we accommodated more than twenty Tulsa Community College students. Anything we can do to support the next generations of working Oklahomans is worth it — we are looking forward to the next opportunity to do just this!

Finally, I had a phenomenal time presenting “Fish” the sheep at the Oklahoma Youth Expo with Chandler a student from Jenks High.

My office suite-mate Rep. Jeff Boatman and I are wearing purple today to support the Alzheimer's Association’s annual advocacy day.

Looking back on what a great year it was. In 2022, we were proud to honor five legislators of the year: Sen. Lonnie Paxton, Rep. Jeff Boatman, Rep. Scott Fetgatter, Rep. Ryan Martinez for State House District 39 and Senator John Michael Montgomery. This award is given to legislators who lead by example in the Oklahoma legislature to support Oklahoma businesses by prioritizing pro-growth initiatives. We look forward to working with these outstanding legislators again in 2023!

Grateful to the Oklahoma State Chamber. I appreciate their partnership throughout session, as well as their support for sustainable growth of Oklahoma’s important businesses and developing economy.

TGA is grateful to Oklahoma State Rep. Jeff Boatman for meeting our Open World Leadership Center delegation from Poland this morning to discuss legislation against human trafficking at the Ross Group.

I enjoyed celebrating the transformation of student lives through the advanced academics and alumni outcomes with the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics Foundation.
Thank you for your service to our State!

Happy Friday, everyone!

I spent my afternoon at Tulsa Community College’s TRIO/Educational Opportunity Center Program’s 20th Anniversary.

TCC-TRIO/EOC is a federally-funded, pre-college assistance grant program serving in Creek, Osage, and Tulsa Counties assisting individuals 19 years or older who are low-income, first generation, veterans, and people with disabilities in obtaining a high school equivalency certificate or enrolling in a post-secondary education program.

This was a great opportunity to meet their team, visit with alumni, and learn how TCC-TRIO/EOC has made a difference in the past 20 years. Look forward to what they will do in the next 20 years!

SPECIAL SESSION

During the past two days, we’ve returned to the State Capitol to complete the Second Special Session of the 58th Legislature. Our focus was on appropriating the $1.8 billion we’ve received through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and $250 million appropriated from the Progressing Rural Economic Prosperity (PREP) Fund.

I commend members of the bipartisan, bicameral Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding and our phenomenal Capitol staff who have spent countless hours thoroughly vetting the 1,400 requests totaling $18 billion that were submitted to meticulously develop around 50 projects that will make key investments in Oklahoma’s mental health programs, water infrastructure, broadband, workforce development, and so much more. Indeed, with respect to broadband, we’ve now invested over $1 billion to ensure that 95 percent of Oklahoma will have access to high-speed Internet within the next five years.

For Southwest Oklahoma specifically, we’ll receive the following investments:

✅ $20 million for the Fires Innovation Science and Technology Accelerator (FISTA).

✅ A portion of the $25 million from the Rural Hospital Rebuild Grant Program will go toward the rural hospital in Frederick.

✅ $18 million for the Waurika Lake Project, $10 million for Lake Ellsworth, $500,000 for Medicine Park's Gondola Lake project.

✅ Approximately $8 million for Marie Detty Youth and Family Services.

✅ $269,761 for Great Plains Technology Center’s nursing program.

✅ $110,000 for Cameron University’s nursing program.

Two members of “The Quad” (Rep. Jeff Boatman and Rep. Brian Hill HD47) presented a couple of the ARPA bills. This hasn’t been an easy decision-making process, but tremendous effort has been placed on considering how these one-time ARPA funds can lead to more growth and success. Without a doubt, the ARPA investments that the legislature have passed provide a strong foundation for Oklahoma to move forward in the 21st century.

Now that the Second Special Session of the 58th Legislature has concluded, we’ll turn our focus on conducting more interim studies and preparing for the 59th Legislature.

As always, I can be reached via email at [email protected] and phone at 405-557-7374.

For Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom’s Ag Book Week, I read to Ms. Evans’ 3rd grade class at Jenks East Elementary.

Thank you, Ms. Evans, for the opportunity to speak the next generation of leaders!

September is Su***de Prevention Awareness Month, which is a dedicated time to come together with collective passion and strength around this urgent issue.

According to the CDC, 869 lives in Oklahoma were lost to su***de in 2020 alone. Nationwide, su***de is the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 10-14 and 25-34, as well as the 3rd leading cause of death for people ages 15-24.

We can all benefit from honest conversations about mental health conditions and su***de — because just one conversation can save a life.