By Chancen Flick
Last week at the State Capitol was the end of the 59th Legislature’s first session. This week looks to be the close of the first special session of the 59th Legislature. With everything wrapping up, we wanted to offer a report on the final status of OPEA’s priority legislation.
Below is a list of all the regular session bills and their current status. Because the Legislature runs on a two-year cycle, any bill that was not signed into law this year will be eligible to be reconsidered next year at the same point that it stalled in the legislative process. Additionally, OPEA will be considering new platform planks at the August Business meeting to add to the 2024 agenda.
Two bills from the special session have become law without the Governor’s signature. Those are HB 1027, which increases the annual leave cap to 640 hours and allows 640 hours to be paid out when leaving state service, and SB 16, which creates six weeks of paid maternity leave for state employees.
More information will be coming out next week regarding OPEA’s position on certain priority bills that stalled this year. Until then, please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns to Chancen Flick at chancenf@opea.org
| HB 1277 | McCall, Charles(R) | Provides for a 2% cost-of-living adjustment increase in benefits for various state retirement systems; EMERGENCY. |
| Last Action: | 3- 9-23 H Dormant pursuant to the rules |
| HB 1290 | McCall, Charles(R) | Provides for a 4% increase in benefits for various public retirement systems; EMERGENCY. |
| Last Action: | 3- 9-23 H Dormant pursuant to the rules |
| HB 1396 | Hasenbeck, Toni(R) Floyd, Kay(D) |
Provides for an increase to court reporter compensation and maximum salary and creates an annual equipment allowance; EMERGENCY. |
| Last Action: | 5-22-23 G Signed by the Governor (Chap: 263) |
| HB 1407 | Culver, Bob Ed(R) Stewart, Jack (F)(R) |
Provides for two one-time increases to state employee flexible benefit allowances in 2024 and 2025. |
| Last Action: | 4-14-23 S Dormant pursuant to the rules |
| HB 1790 | Banning, Chris (F)(R) | Permits state employees to donate up to twelve hours of time per year for volunteer administrative leave at certain charitable organizations or public schools. |
| Last Action: | 3- 3-23 H Dormant pursuant to the rules |
| HB 1794 | Osburn, Mike(R) Pugh, Adam(R) |
Specifies the responsibilities of the Human Capital Management Administrator within the Civil Service and Human Capital Modernization Act. |
| Last Action: | 5-10-23 G Earliest Effective Date: 11/01/2023 |
|
|
Establishes a system to gradually increase state employee pay to the level of 90 percent of comparable private sector positions by 2026 and maintain that threshold moving forward. |
| Last Action: | 5-18-23 H Referred to House conference committee HCC: Rules |
| HB 2020 | Wolfley, Max(R) Montgomery, John(R) |
Increases certain retirement benefits adjustment for the 2024 tax year. |
| Last Action: | 4-14-23 S Dormant pursuant to the rules |
| HB 2026 | Wolfley, Max(R) Pemberton, Dewayne(R) |
Requires the Office of Management and Enterprise Services to provide an association representing state employees with a monthly reconciliation report with information related to opted in members. |
| Last Action: | 5-12-23 G Earliest Effective Date: 11/01/2023 |
| HB 2171 | Hilbert, Kyle(R) Montgomery, John(R) |
Provides for a conditional one-time retirement benefits increase for various state retirement systems for beneficiaries who have been retired for more than two years; EMERGENCY. |
| Last Action: | 4-28-23 S Dormant pursuant to the rules |
| HB 2279 | Echols, Jon(R) Montgomery, John(R) |
Raises retirement benefits across several different public employee retirement plans. |
| Last Action: | 3-23-23 H Dormant pursuant to the rules |
| HB 2375 | Kannady, Chris(R) Thompson, Roger(R) |
Extends the duration of the Workers’ Compensation Court of Existing Claims’ single judge to July 1, 2027 and adjusts various provisions related to workers’ compensation; EMERGENCY. |
| Last Action: | 5-18-23 S Senate appointed a conference committee: R. Thompson, Treat, McCortney, Daniels, and Floyd |
| HB 2596 | Hays, Neil (F)(R) Stephens, Blake (F)(R) |
Permits park rangers who are certified peace officers to carry out law enforcement duties anywhere in the state when a crime is committed in their presence. |
| Last Action: | 3-23-23 H Dormant pursuant to the rules |
| HB 2749 | Miller, Nicole(R) Stanley, Brenda(R) |
Authorizes the Tourism and Recreation Dept. to create a state employee information and promotion program for state employees to enjoy amenities at discounted rates that do not inhibit facility operation. |
| Last Action: | 4-14-23 S Dormant pursuant to the rules |
| HB 2770 | Munson, Cyndi(D) | Makes state employees with minor dependents qualify for the Child Care Subsidy program administered by DHS. |
| Last Action: | 3- 3-23 H Dormant pursuant to the rules |
| HB 2834 | Deck, Jared (F)(D) Coleman, Bill(R) |
Provides compensation rates for on-call state employees during their on-call time periods. |
| Last Action: | 3- 3-23 H Dormant pursuant to the rules |
| HB 2853 | Wallace, Kevin(R) Montgomery, John(R) |
Creates the Oklahoma Rebate Pass-Through and PBM Meaningful Transparency Act of 2023 which adjusts various responsibilities and regulations on Pharmacy Benefit Managers. |
| Last Action: | 4-28-23 S Dormant pursuant to the rules |
| HB 2854 | Wallace, Kevin(R) Thompson, Roger(R) |
Terminates the state defined contribution plan, transferring participants into the standard Public Employees Retirement System with service credits to be purchased, such changes to be defined as non-fiscal under legislative requirements. |
| Last Action: | 4-14-23 S Dormant pursuant to the rules |
| SB 65 | Stanley, Brenda(R) Echols, Jon(R) |
Provides for one additional personal holiday each year for permanent state employees to be taken on one of several selected holidays or on the employee’s birthday. |
| Last Action: | 3-23-23 S Dormant pursuant to the rules |
| SB 87 | Garvin, Jessica (F)(R) Archer, Nick (F)(R) |
Beginning in FY-24, provides one-half of the flexible benefit allowance amount as taxable compensation to state employees opting out of the state basic health and dental plan options; EMERGENCY. |
| Last Action: | 3- 3-23 S Dormant pursuant to the rules |
|
|
|
Directs the Director of the Human Capital Management Division of OMES to develop and promulgate rules for “Hazardous Duty Pay” for job duties assigned to positions which can be considered high-risk. |
| Last Action: | 3- 3-23 S Dormant pursuant to the rules |
