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Cantrell
The Oklahoma House of Representatives will gavel in for the Second Regular Session of the 59th Legislature onMonday, February 5.
The House completed bill filing on January 18 with 1,210 House Bills, 12 House Joint Resolutions, and one House Concurrent Resolution.
A joint resolution is similar to a bill but is mainly used as legislative referenda placed on statewide ballots. These are typically constitutional amendments submitted for the people to vote on, but sometimes legislators will send a proposed change in statute to the ballot voluntarily.
Once session begins, bills are first and second read in their chamber of origin, which typically takes place the first week of session. Then, they can be assigned to committees.
Committees must approve each bill before it can be heard on the House floor. We have until the end of February to pass bills out of subcommittees and until the first week of March to pass bills out of regular standing committees.
Not all bills that pass in committee are heard on the House floor. In March, we will finish passing bills off the House floor and then begin considering Senate bills.
Once a bill passes in both chambers, it is sent to the governor. If the governor signs a bill, it becomes state law. If the governor vetoes a bill, it does not become state law unless the Legislature overrides the veto. A two-thirds vote is needed in each chamber to override a veto.
I want to highlight an exciting opportunity for high school juniors andseniors:theOklahomaHouseof Representatives High School Page Program.
Pages are assigned for one week, Monday through Thursday, during the legislative session, which runs from the first Monday in February through the last Friday in May. Students serving as pages work in the House Chamber during daily session, assist representatives and House staff with tasks, and participate in the House Page Mock Legislature on the floor of the House Chamber.
Students serving as a Page work in the House Chamber during daily session, assist representatives and House staff with tasks, and participate in the House Page Mock Legislature on the floor of the House Chamber.
Hotelaccommodationsandchaperones are provided for all students. House Pages are transported daily to and from the Capitol and are always closely supervised.
The Page Program is an excellent opportunity for students to see how state government works. I encourage any interested students to submit their applications as soon as possible, as a limited number of spots are available every week.
To submit an application or learn more about the Page program, visit https://www.okhouse.gov/ pageintern-program or contact my office for more information.
Again, thank you for electing me to serve District 49. It is truly an honorandprivilegetorepresentyou at the State Capitol. Please do not hesitate to contact me at 405-5577383 or josh.cantrell@okhouse.gov.
Rep. Josh Cantrell, a Republican, serves District 49 Oklahoma House of Representatives, which covers Carter, Love and Marshall counties.