Brief Blogging Bullets: a news recap

It's been a busy spring for me, and I'm rather behind on my blogging. I have literally dozens of press releases in my inbox waiting for publication, and since it's just not realistic to get them all published, I'm bringing back a Brief Blogging Bullets recap to try and catch up on some of the recent political and legislative news in Oklahoma.

Some notable pieces of legislation:

• The Legislature has passed a $12.8B state budget (largest in state history) at an uncharacteristically early date: House leadership  and Senate leadership comments. Look in-depth at the appropriations: House budget portal, Senate budget dashboard. Includes another $2,000 teacher pay raise. Here's more on the other budget bills that fill in the details from the main bill.
• Conservative State Rep. Jim Shaw got national attention for a brief question that blew the cover off HB 3660, which would legalize procedures for composting of human bodies. The authors of the bill are presenting it as a cheaper funeral choice...
• Of particular interest to the Muskogee/Fort Gibson area: the Senate unanimously passed SB 1319, directing the Corporation Commission to establish a process for homeowners to receive remediation assistance if their property is contaminated by a substance under the commission’s jurisdiction. This was a local story after a family in Fort Gibson had to leave their home after it was infiltrated by a leak from an abandoned well.
• SB 1778, which authors hope will lead to improving reading scores in Oklahoma schools, passed the House. 
• SB 640 advanced through a House committee. This measure is aimed at addressing abandoned and improperly maintained medical marijuana grow operations. This is a problem I see throughout rural areas in particular where the scourge of the medical marijuana industry has been so thick.
• HB 4153 has advanced to the Senate. This measure would reinstate an eighth-grade reading requirement for minors seeking a driver license that was bizarrely removed in 2022.
• HB 3075, the 'Common Cents Act', was unanimously passed by the House and sent to the Senate. This measure would allow and later require certain public cash transactions (think county office, state agency, etc.) to be rounded to the nearest nickel.
• SB 80 was passed by the Senate, reversing authorization for 21 unbuilt turnpike projects.

In other news:

• In a bizarre story that just about tops all bizarre stories from the Capitol over the past two decades... let me just give you the headline and link from NonDoc: After sending woman AI kissing video, Rep. John Waldron resigned as Democratic Party chairman
• Speaking of NonDoc, they have a good write-up on the contested races for the State House and State Senate.
• Former State Rep. Jason Murphey has a great post over at his Substack (well worth following, by the way): Introducing Oklahoma's Most Shameless Politician
• At least two debates have been held for the Republican candidates for Governor: one by the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus (watch it here, read their press release announcing no-show Gentner Drummond as the 'clear loser' of the debate), one by CBS affiliates News 9/News On 6 (watch it here). Another forum was held in March at Randall University (watch it here).
• Oklahoma budget leaders say Medicaid expansion threatens school funding. By leftist design, Medicaid expansion was put into the state constitution in order to handcuff the legislature from making any reforms, and now the entire thing threatens to bankrupt the state as costs soar.

That's all for moment. I'll try to get more posted in the coming days and weeks!