Rep. Cody Maynard
The deadline for House bills and joint resolutions to pass out of oversight, Appropriations and Budget or rules committees was March 5.
We started the Second Regular Session of the 60th Legislature with a total of 1,578 House bills and 50 House joint resolutions filed. We’ve cut that to about 500 measures eligible for third reading in the House.
A few measures have already been approved by the full membership of the House, but the next three weeks will be devoted to hearing those that remain. Bills must pass in both the House and Senate before they are sent to the governor for his consideration of signing them into law.
Here’s a look at my bills that passed in committee during the week.
HB3548 passed the full House Appropriations and Budget Committee on Tuesday. The measure would exempt sales tax for businesses owned and operated primarily by individuals who are under the age of 18. The exemption would extend only if the business receives limited assistance from adults and if the business generates gross revenue of less than $1,000 during the calendar year. This will give youth a great way to get some business experience without being regulated or taxed by the government. If children want to run a lemonade stand for a week, neither they nor their parent should have to purchase multiple permits for them to sell lemonade in their front yard.
House Bill 3552 passed in the Health and Human Oversight Committee. This would give childcare providers the flexibility to bridge the gap between subsidy reimbursement rates and their standard tuition rates, while protecting the federal funding they receive through the Department of Human Services. Oklahoma is one of ten states that do not allow this. It would help providers stay financially viable so they can continue serving families in our communities.
Also during the week, I had the pleasure of introducing Dr. Jantzen J. Faulkner as the Doctor of the Day for the House of Representative. Dr. Faulkner is an osteopathic family medicine resident physician in Durant, where he practices at Alliance Health Durant Hospital and the Durant Family Medicine Clinic. He is a native Oklahoman who grew up in Ardmore and pursued a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at Oklahoma Baptist University and achieved his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Presently, he serves as the resident member of the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association Board of Trustees and is in the process of completing his residency training with OSU Center for Health Science Durant Family Medicine Program. Upon graduation, he plans to pursue a fellowship in hospice and palliative care before returning to practice in rural Oklahoma. He aspires to provide quality and specialized care for the underserved and rural population of Oklahoma.