Christian Employers Alliance

Joe Newhouse

This bill allows the Oklahoma State Board of Examiners of Psychologists to establish reciprocity agreements to issue licenses to psychologists licensed in other states, if the other states' licensing requirements are "substantially equal" to Oklahoma's.

Reducing Employment Barriers and Improving Access to Healthcare by Allowing Licensing Reciprocity for Psychologists.

This bill increases the maximum earnings that retired teachers may earn by returning to work while continuing to receive retirement benefits (aka "double dip"). Under the bill, the maximum earnings amount is increased from $15,000 to $30,000 for retirees under 62, and from $30,000 to $55,000 for retirees 62 or older. According to the bill's fiscal note, this is estimated to increase unfunded liabilities by $53 million.

Hiking Unfunded Pension Liabilities by $53 Million by Increasing the Ability of Retired Educators to "Double Dip".

This bill extends the timeframe in which multiple thefts of merchandise from stores may be combined. Previously, if a person committed theft three or more times within 90 days, the value of the stolen items could be combined to determine the severity of the offense (ex. for a first offense, if the value is $1,000 or more, it is a felony). This bill extends the timeframe to 180 days.

Strengthening Public Safety by Extending the Timeframe for Combining Multiple Retail Theft Offenses.

This bill eliminates the state sales tax for "retail sales of food and food ingredients." This does not include certain items, such as alcoholic beverages, dietary supplements, or prepared food. Local sales taxes are not affected, but future sales or excise tax increases submitted to voters for approval must "provide that the increased rate does not apply to "food and food ingredients".

Promoting Economic Growth by Eliminating the State Sales Tax on Grocery Items.

This bill allows homemade food producers the option of listing a registration number on product labels instead of their name, phone number, and the address where the product was made. The registration number requires a fee of $15 annually.

Increasing Food Freedom and Protecting Privacy of Homemade Food Producers Through an Optional Alternative to Listing Personal Information on Product Labels.

This bill amends the Landowner's Bill of Rights to include the right of first refusal or first offer to purchase property that was seized by the state through eminent domain, if the government later sells the property. Under the bill, a property owner whose property was seized, and their "first generation of heirs," may purchase the property at the current value or the compensation paid when the property was seized, whichever is less.

Strengthening Property Rights by Providing Property Owners the First Opportunity to Purchase Back Their Property Seized by Eminent Domain.

This bill, "Corinne's Law," requires all health insurance policies offered in the state to provide coverage for "standard fertility preservation services" for individuals with cancer, if a necessary treatment may cause infertility. The bill also prohibits preauthorization requirements for such coverage. The bill does contain a provision allowing religious employers to submit an exemption request. However, each and every health insurance mandate prevents an individual from selecting a plan with just basic or customized coverages to fit their specific needs. As a result, health insurers are forced to only offer costly plans loaded with coverages that most individuals do not need. This can result in lower-income or younger individuals choosing to purchase no insurance plan at all due to the high cost.

Increasing Health Insurance Premiums by Mandating Policies Provide Coverage for Fertility Preservation for Individuals with Cancer.

This bill amends the "Choosing Childbirth Act," which provides funds to a "grant-supervising entity" that provides grants to organizations for pro-life services, such as healthcare services for women and infants. This bill allows the Department of Health to now also provide grants "both directly to the private organizations and to one or more grant-supervising entities." The bill also expands the eligible uses of grant funds to include additional services, such as ultrasounds and mental healthcare, and provides that postpartum services to reduce mortality rates extend for 3 years postpartum.

Protecting Life by Expanding Pro-Life Grants Under the "Choosing Childbirth Act".

This bill, the "Oklahoma Five Major Sports Leagues Rebate Program Act," establishes a fund to provide rebate payments to professional sports teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS. Under the bill, a team is eligible to receive up to $10 million annually, based on the number of full-time equivalent employees. A team must have a total payroll of at least $10 million annually and at least 80% of the employees must be full-time equivalent positions, work an average of at least 30 hours per week, and be subject to state income taxes. The rebate payments are funded using income tax revenue.

Expanding Cronyism Through a New Fund to Provide Millions of Dollars to Professional Sports Teams Based on the Number of Employees.

This bill prohibits school districts from requiring "employees to meet, communicate, listen to, or otherwise interact with an employee organization or statewide professional educators' association." School districts are also prohibited from "Distributing communications or membership solicitations on behalf of" such groups.

Strengthening "Right to Work" Protections for Teachers by Prohibiting School Districts from Forcing Employees to Attend Union Presentations.

This bill prohibits the state and local governments from imposing certain regulations on digital assets (such as Bitcoin and others). Under the bill, the state may not prohibit or restrict the use of digital assets for purchases or impose taxes specific to payments made with digital assets. The bill also declares the right "to participate in home digital asset mining" and to operate "a digital asset mining business" in industrial-zoned areas. Local governments may not impose sound pollution restrictions that do not apply generally, and may not "impose any other requirements" that do not also apply to data centers. The bill also contains other protections related to digital assets, such as ensuring a money transmitter license is not required.

Strengthening Property Rights by Protecting the Right of Individuals and Businesses to Mine Digital Currency.

This bill declares that "The World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the World Economic Forum have no jurisdiction in this state" and that "requirements or mandates issued by" those groups may not serve as the "basis for action" or be used to impose requirements that violate state law, such as those related to "masks, vaccines, or medical testing."

Protecting Individual Liberties and Reducing Government Overreach by Declaring that United Nations, World Health Organization, and World Economic Forum Mandates Are Unenforceable in the State.

This bill, the "Out-of-Network Ambulance Service Provider Act," sets minimum allowable reimbursement rates for out-of-network ambulance services under health care benefit plans. Under the bill, the rate is to be set by localities. If a locality does not establish a minimum rate, the rate is equal to 325% of the Medicare rate, or the amount charged by the ambulance service, whichever is less. Additionally, the bill imposes price controls, providing that any cost sharing, such as a deductible, coinsurance, or copayment, may not be greater than for in-network ambulance services.

Hiking Health Insurance Premiums by Establishing Minimum Reimbursement Rates for Out-of-Network Ambulance Services and Restricting Cost Sharing.

This bill repeals the certificate of need requirement for psychiatric and chemical dependency facilities, which prohibited any "psychiatric or chemical dependency facility or unit" unless a certificate was issued. Certificate of need laws prevent individuals from opening or expanding healthcare facilities unless they can prove to the government there is a "need" for the expansion and additional competition.

Expanding Access to Mental Healthcare by Slightly Reforming the State's Draconian Certificate of Need Laws.

This bill, the "Women's Bill of Rights," establishes a legal definition of "sex" for use in statutes and state code. The bill defines "sex" as "a natural person's biological sex at birth." The bill provides that the state and local governments "shall not be prohibited from establishing distinctions between sexes when such distinctions are substantially related to an important government objective," such as "biology, privacy, safety, or fairness." All individuals - regardless of their sexual identity - should be treated with respect and have the same freedoms, rights and opportunities under the law. This bill helps strengthen safety and privacy in restrooms and locker rooms at educational facilities, prisons and other locations across the state.

Reducing Frivolous Litigation Under State Non-Discrimination Law by Clarifying the Definition of "Sex" as One's Biological Sex at Birth.

This bill creates the offense of "organized retail crime." Under the bill, this applies if two or more conditions are met, such as "The property is taken for resale," "Such property is taken by two or more persons acting jointly," and "The persons taking such property have a means of getaway to evade capture or arrest." The bill provides for a sentence of up to 5 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $1,000, if the value of the items taken is less than $15,000. The maximum sentence is increased to 8 years if the value is greater than $15,000. Additionally, the bill extends the timeframe in which multiple thefts of merchandise from stores may be combined. Previously, if a person committed theft three or more times within 90 days, the value of the stolen items could be combined to determine the severity of the offense (ex. for a first offense, if the value is $1,000 or more, it is a felony). The bill extends the timeframe to 1 year. Finally, the bill also establishes the Oklahoma Organized Retail Crime Task Force to advise lawmakers and the Governor.

Strengthening Law and Order by Creating the Offense of Organized Retail Crime and Extending the Timeframe for Combining Multiple Retail Theft Offenses.

This bill appropriates $18 million to the Oklahoma Historical Society for the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture. An additional $18 million must be raised from other sources before the funds may be used. Taxpayers should not be forced to fund wasteful and unnecessary initiatives which do not pertain to the core functions of government.

Fueling Wasteful and Out-Of-Control Spending Through $18 Million for the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture.

This bill expands the scope of "False making or embossing of credit or debit card" and includes gift cards by including a "similar card containing a magnetic strip capable of storing data." Additionally, the bill provides that possessing at least three cards "containing cloned or altered data" creates a rebuttable presumption of "intent to defraud." The bill provides that possession of five or fewer cards is punishable by 2-5 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $5,000, with increased penalties for possession of 6-20 cards (5-10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000) or 20 or more cards (10-20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $100,000). 

Strengthening Law and Order by Expanding Credit and Debit Card Fraud to Include Gift Cards.

This bill strengthens property rights by allowing homeowners to have an unauthorized individual removed by law enforcement from their property if the homeowner provides a sworn affidavit. Additionally, the bill creates penalties for falsifying real estate documents claiming to be a lease agreement or deed. The bill also criminalizes unlawfully occupying a home and intentionally causing $1,000 or more in damage, if the person is removed through the provisions in the bill.

Strengthening Property Rights by Creating New Penalties for Falsifying Real Estate Documents and Establishing a Legal Process for Property Owners to Remove Squatters.

This bill prohibits any "unauthorized camp" on state property. A warning is issued for the first violation, and a subsequent violation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 15 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $50. A citation may only be issued if "the person refuses any assistance offered to them by the arresting officer," such as "transportation to a shelter, food pantry, or other place where resources are made available to assist the indigent and homeless." Homeless encampments on sidewalks and streets present many health and safety concerns, including increased crime rates, open drug use, and sanitary concerns.

Strengthening Public Safety by Prohibiting Homeless Encampments on State Property.

This bill extends the rebate for the sales tax exemption for broadband equipment "to establish or expand broadband services in underserved or unserved areas." Previously, the exemption only applied to purchases made in 2022 and 2023. Under this bill, the tax credit is available annually. This measure forces taxpayers to enrich woke corporations such as Comcast for infrastructure which may soon be unnecessary due to significant advances in satellite technology from Comcast's competitors, such as Elon Musk's Starlink.

Enriching Comcast and Other Woke Corporations by Forcing Taxpayers to Continue to Provide "Broadband Equity" Through a Government Central Planning Scheme.

This bill establishes a rebuttable presumption against bail for individuals who are arrested for committing a "violent crime," such as murder, kidnapping, or child abuse, while already released on bond for another "violent offense."

Strengthening Public Safety by Establishing a Rebuttable Presumption Against Bail for Violent Offenses Committed While on Bond.

This motion overrides the Governor's veto of a bill that prohibits health benefit plans or networks from refusing to provide coverage for prescribed durable medical equipment and supplies," which includes items such as wheelchairs and oxygen systems. This includes healthcare providers who are in-network or out-of-network, unless an in-network provider is available within 15 miles. Out-of-network providers must also be reimbursed at the same rate as in-network providers. Each and every health insurance mandate prevents an individual from selecting a plan with just basic or customized coverages to fit their specific needs. As a result, health insurers are forced to only offer costly plans loaded with coverages that most individuals do not need. This can result in lower-income or younger individuals choosing to purchase no insurance plan at all due to the high cost.

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