Rep. John George

This week's look-back at bills that passed this past legislative session include those approved by the House Alcohol, To***co and Controlled Substances Committee. Here are several that were signed into law.

House Bill 4454 requires edible medical ma*****na products to clearly indicate the number of servings of THC in each package and the amount of THC in each individual serving to better educate and protect consumers. More importantly, the bill prohibits edible medical ma*****na products from being made in the shape of humans, cartoons or animals, or in a form of commercially available candy. This is hoped to keep children from accidentally ingesting these often potent products.

Senate Bill 65 authorizes any person to possess and acquire emergency opioid antagonists and administer those to anyone believed to be suffering from an opioid overdose. Any person acting in good faith shall not be subject to criminal or civil liability. This is designed to expand public access to life-saving opioid antagonists, such as Narcan, and empower individuals to act in emergency overdose situations when seconds count and could save lives before first responders can arrive on the scene.

Senate Bill 444 authorizes an ultimate user who lawfully obtained a controlled dangerous substance to deliver it to an authorized person for destruction. If a person dies while lawfully possessing such a substance for personal use, any individual entitled to dispose of the decedent’s property may also deliver it for destruction. For hospice patients, an employee may handle the controlled substance if they complete and submit a required form signed by the employee and a witness. This just protects people who are trying to legally dispose of controlled substances that come into their possession.

Senate Bill 1257 expands the definition of ma*****na to include tetrahydrocannabinols (THC), neutral compounds and their corresponding acids, and synthetic substances. This classifies THC as a Schedule I controlled dangerous substance, aligning state law with federal law and mirroring the existing classification of ma*****na, the plant from which THC is derived. The state's attorney general said for too long, drug traffickers have exploited a gap in our state law to downgrade serious felony crimes into misdemeanors simply by processing ma*****na into THC products. This closes that loophole, ensuring that criminals who traffic THC products face the same consequences as those who traffic the plant itself. Aligning state and federal law will help law enforcement officers do their jobs more effectively.

On a separate note, the new Oklahoma National Guard Museum opened in Oklahoma City last week. This space recognizes the service and history of all of Oklahoma’s Soldiers and Airmen, expanding on the original 45th Infantry Division Museum. I served in the Oklahoma National Guard for five years, and I'm thrilled to have this new museum to help tell the stories of all who served our great state in this capacity. I attended the ribbon cutting ceremony and toured the new museum, and it’s definitely something for which Oklahomans can be proud.

Please reach out with any thoughts or concerns on legislation. I can be reached at (405) 557-7322 or at [email protected].

It's an honor to serve the people of District 36.

In a continuing look at bills that passed through various House committees this past legislative session, this week I'm turning focus on the House Agriculture Committee. Following is a look at several of the measures that were signed into law.

House Bill 3720 updates the Homemade Food Freedom Act, renaming the measure the Local Food Freedom Act and modifying the gross annual sales of prepared food threshold for a local food establishment from less than $75,000 to less than $250,000. This expands opportunities for small, local food producers. The bill's author said this makes it easier for these small producers to grow or produce without being buried in government red tape, while keeping commonsense protections in place for consumers.

Senate Bill 1509 authorizes the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to adopt specific spacing for permitted, not domestic water wells, to better fit each type of aquifer basin, whether alluvial or bedrock, for the purpose of establishing a maximum annual yield.

Senate Bill 2028 gives Oklahoma dairy producers more freedom to sell and advertise the sale of raw milk on their farms. It also raises the monthly sales cap, enabling producers to sell up to 1,500 gallons of raw milk per month. This expands opportunities for direct-to-consumer raw milk sales as demand for the product continues to grow, entrusting Oklahomans to make their own informed decisions on this product without undue government interference.

In the same vein, Senate Bill 2110 allows farm-produced eggs to be sold at the farm, at a farmers' market or directly to consumers. Producers of ungraded eggs are limited to sales of no more than 150 dozen eggs per month.

Senate Bill 2117 grants he State Board of Agriculture the power to issue stop-sale orders for contaminated grain and to require remediation or destruction of such grain.

On a separate note, I was grateful to receive recognition this week for earning a 100% voting record on Select Oklahoma's 2026 economic development priorities' scorecard.

Select Oklahoma is a statewide professional association uniting more than 200 economic development professionals who are dedicated to growing Oklahoma's economy. These professionals represent economic development organizations, utilities, non-profits, tribes and higher education institutions.

The group's scorecard this year evaluated key legislation tied to business attraction and retention, infrastructure investment, workforce readiness, innovation and other economic development tools aimed at job creation, attracting investment and supporting Oklahoma’s long-term growth. Scores were given for legislative support for policies that strengthen Oklahoma’s economy, encourage business growth, support workforce development and improve the state’s competitiveness. It's an honor to be noted for my 100% voting record on these issues that are important to our residents.

Remember, even though the Legislature is not in session, my Capitol office remains open. Please feel free to continue to reach out with any thoughts or concerns on legislation. I can be reached at (405) 557-7322 or at [email protected].

It's an honor to serve the people of District 36.

During the interim, I'll be taking a look at some of the bills that passed through various House committees. This week, I'm starting with our House Administrative Rules Committee.

This committee is tasked with reviewing all of the rules from various state agencies that are directed to be drafted through different pieces of legislation. The committee's work is often quite tedious but important, because once agencies draft rules and they are approved by the Legislature, they have the same force as state law. What committee members must remain vigilant of is to ensure agencies have not drafted rules that exceed the scope of legislative intent or that create statute where none exists.

We took important steps last year to improve the administrative rules process, implementing he Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act through House Bill 2728. The bill ensures that state agency regulations receive greater legislative review before taking effect. We also passed Senate Bill 995, which clarifies that any agency rule not explicitly approved by the Legislature is considered disapproved, reinforcing that administrative rules cannot carry the force of law without legislative consent. Also enacted was Senate Bill 1024, which prohibits the adoption of a proposed rule by an agency unless the agency receives approval of scope from the governor or the appropriate cabinet secretary. This additional step ensures that the agency has statutory authority to propose the rule.

This year the Administrative Rules Committee passed resolutions approving rules by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (House Joint Resolution 1099 and Senate Joint Resolution 52), the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (House Joint Resolution 1100), the Oklahoma Medical Ma*****na Authority (Senate Joint Resolution 53), the State Department of Education, the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability, the State Regents for Higher Education, the Teacher's Retirement System, the Statewide Charter School board and the Department of Career and Technology Education (House Joint Resolution 1088), as well as many more state agencies.

Like I said, most of these rules can be tedious to read through. At more than 26,000 pages, the Oklahoma Administrative Code is technical and dense. The rules mentioned above touch on covered inpatient hospital services for those on the state's SoonerCare program, the authorization procedure for those using vehicles in the state fleet, a required registry of recommending physicians and patient licenses for medical ma*****na, and much more.

But I'll reiterate, this is important work as these rules affect how agencies implement the laws enacted through the legislative process. Now that these resolutions have resulted in permanent rules, those will be posted later this month or early next in the Oklahoma Register. This can be accessed online at: https://rules.ok.gov/home. For those who want a deep dive into state government, enjoy!

One important bill that passed through this committee this year is Senate Bill 1433. This requires state agencies subject to Articles 1 and 2 of the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) to electronically submit on a quarterly basis all guidance documents to the secretary of state. The secretary must then publish these documents in an electronic, indexed and searchable form. State agencies exempt from all or part of the APA must maintain and make available for public inspection guidance documents at their principle places of business or website associated with the agency.

This increases transparency and accountability in state government, ensuring Oklahomans have clear access to agency policies and interpretations. The bill's author said with this legislation, Oklahoma becomes the first state in the nation to enshrine guidance document transparency into law.

Remember, even though the Legislature is not in session, my Capitol office remains open. Please feel free to continue to reach out with any thoughts or concerns on legislation. I can be reached at (405) 557-7322 or at [email protected].

It's an honor to serve the people of District 36.

In this week's column, I'm continuing to review some of the work accomplished during this year's legislative session.

In last week's column, I wrote about increased funding for education and how that will go toward teacher pay raises, increased insurance benefits, a cost-of-living adjustment for retired teachers and more.

In addition to more funding, there were several important policy successes for public school students. One is Senate Bill 1778, the Strong Readers Act. This will strengthen early literacy efforts through early reading screenings, targeted interventions grounded in the science of reading, additional training for teachers, stronger accountability measures and improved communication with parents. Reading is the most important skill we can teach our children to help them thrive in school and in their future careers.

Senate Bill 1360 is still awaiting the governor's action. This would create an Office of Mathematics Improvement within the State Department of Education to improve math instruction in elementary grades. The director must have experience teaching math and as an elementary mathematics specialist or coach. Behind literacy, math is the second most important skill we can help our students develop.

We also made the bell-to-bell cellphone ban permanent in state public schools. Parents and teachers say students are thriving without the distraction of their phones during the school day. Academic achievement is improving, as is student interactions with peers and educators.

In the area of public health care, we appropriated money to add a Level 1 Trauma Center in Tulsa under the Oklahoma State University Medical Authority. This will match the center the University of Oklahoma already has in Oklahoma City. We put money toward expanding and refurbishing residence halls and classrooms under the University Hospitals Authority. This will strengthen our healthcare workforce pipeline.

We dedicated funding to establish an Insulin Access and Affordability Program and to conduct more research in ALS.

The budget also includes funding for the Department of Mental Health to support efforts with the ongoing consent decree. This is to reduce wait times for defendants awaiting competency restoration treatment so they can stand trial for crimes committed.

We've also increased funding to the Department of Human Services for the Advantage Waiver. This provides alternatives to placement in a nursing facility for older adults and adults with disabilities, helping them stay independent and close to family and friends.

Funding also will go to childcare teacher recruitment and retention.

We're continuing our crackdown on the fentanyl crisis and strengthening drug awareness efforts. One of these bills is House Bill 1484, which creates Rain's Law, requiring age-appropriate fentanyl abuse prevention and drug poisoning awareness education in schools.

There's much more to report. I'll be tackling other areas of the state budget and policy changes in future columns.

Remember, even though the Legislature is not in session, my Capitol office remains open. Please feel free to continue to reach out with any thoughts or concerns on legislation. I can be reached at (405) 557-7322 or at [email protected].

It's an honor to serve the people of District 36.

Now that the legislative session is adjourned, it's time to look back at some of the work we accomplished this year.

The biggest task each year is to pass a balanced budget. We did that earlier this year than anyone can remember in recent history.

About 51% of the state appropriated budget went to education, with about $4.2 billion planned for kindergarten through 12th-grade education. This is a $232 million increase over the current fiscal year and a 73.7% increase over the past decade. This budget included funding to give teachers a $2,000 raise and $23.7 million for increased health insurance benefits for educators. This also includes about $80 million for reading and math programs to help improve student learning.

The budget also includes a cost of living adjustment for most state retirees, including teachers, firefighters, law enforcement, judges and others. This ranges from a 3% increase for those retired 10 to 20 years, and a 6% increase for those retired 20 years or more.

Transportation, health and mental health care, public safety and other areas received important funding as well to provide needed services for Oklahomans.

Aside from the budget, we passed a number of significant reforms this session.

One of the largest issues for my constituents has been the concern over large data centers and the potential effect on local residents. With this in mind, we passed House Bill 2992, creating the Data Center Consumer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026. This requires data center developers and other large energy users to provide notice to the Corporation Commission, local county commissioners, and neighboring property owners within 60 days of buying land for a project. This legislation requires data centers to cover their electricity and infrastructure costs, and those costs cannot be passed onto Oklahoma ratepayers.

Senate Bill 259 would require data centers to use the closed loop system for water cooling, which should alleviate a lot of the water usage concerns. This bill has been sent to the governor. I'm hopeful he'll sign it into law.

We also adopted a number of public safety initiatives. One is Senate Bill 137, which excludes inmates convicted of driving under the influence that results in an accident with great bodily injury from eligibility in the ankle monitoring program by the Department of Corrections. The prevailing thought of the bill's authors is that those who commit this crime deserve to spend their time of incarceration behind bars where they can't be a threat to the public.

House Bill 4454 requires edible medical ma*****na products to clearly indicate the number of servings of THC in each package and the amount of THC in each individual serving to better educate and protect consumers. More importantly, however, the bill prohibits edible medical ma*****na products from being made in the shape of humans, cartoons or animals, or in a form of commercially available candy. This is hoped to keep children from accidentally ingesting these often potent products.

There's a lot more to look at from this session, I'll unpack additional bills in future columns.

In the meantime, even though the Legislature is not in session, my Capitol office remains open. Please feel free to continue to reach out with any thoughts or concerns on legislation. I can be reached at (405) 557-7322 or at [email protected].

It's an honor to serve the people of District 36.

On May 8, I presented citations to state FFA degree recipients at Harrah FFA. Obtaining this degree takes hours of study and being able to demonstrate experience and knowledge in agriculture and leadership as well as participation in official functions and community service. It was an honor to help recognize these recipients who have worked hard for this achievement.

This week, I attended a sendoff celebration at Jones High School to cheer on their Special Olympic athletes as they loaded the bus to Stillwater for the Special Olympic Summer Games. These athletes worked so hard to earn their spot, and they exhibit such joy. It was great to be a part of this ceremony as well.

At the Capitol, the Second Session of the 60th Legislature adjourned sine die Thursday, May 14.

One of the last actions taken in the House was to adopt amendments on House Bill 1370, which should lead to lower gasoline prices here in the state, giving taxpayers some relief. President Donald Trump earlier this week asked Congress to suspend the federal gas tax. An obscure provision in our state law would have required Oklahoma’s state fuel tax to automatically raise by the same amount as any federal tax reduction. The amendment repeals that provision. The bill now moves to the governor with the hopes he will quickly sign this into law.

He already has signed multiple bills into law. Others have become law without his signature.

House Bill 3262 is one of the latter. This would allow sheriffs to increase the fee charged for warrant services from $50 up to $100 if needed. This fee has remained flat for 20 years. With rising costs associated with these services, it was time to allow this increase.

House Bill 3265 is another that became law without the governor's signature. This defines who qualifies as a mental health specialist for the purpose of determining eligibility for disability benefits in the Oklahoma Police Pension Retirement System.

I'm also an author on House Bill 3985, which was signed into law by the governor. This will allow property owners in municipalities with populations over 130,000 to submit compensation claims if a local government fails to address public nuisances or enforce laws against illegal public camping, obstructing public thoroughfares, loitering, panhandling, public urination or defecation, public consumption of alcohol, possession or use of illegal substances or shoplifting. Property owners will be able to claim compensation for a decrease in their property's fair-market value due to these issues.

I am the House author of Senate Bill 1405. This, too, became law without the governor's signature. This re-authorizes the income tax checkoff for donations made to the Oklahoma Wildlife Diversity Fund to support wildlife conservation efforts such as habitat restoration, species protection and public education programs.

It's an honor to serve the people of District 36. Please feel free to continue to reach out with any thoughts or concerns on legislation. I can be reached at (405) 557-7322 or at [email protected].

The governor is signing bills into law as the Legislature keeps sending measures to his desk.

My House Bill 3269 has been signed by the governor. This bill allows arrest warrants to be issued by phone or electronic communication in addition to being issued in person by a judge. This mirrors what already is allowed for search warrants. It will help law enforcement get criminals off the street faster.

House Bill 3262 was amended by the Senate and returned to the House for final passage. This would allow sheriffs to increase the fee charged for warrant services. This fee has remained flat at $50 for 20 years, even while costs associated with serving these have greatly increased. I initially requested sheriffs be allowed to charge up to $150, but the Senate amendment changed that to $100. The bill passed the House and has been sent to the governor.

House Bill 3265 has been sent to the governor. This would define who would qualify as a mental health specialist for the purpose of determining eligibility for disability benefits in the Oklahoma Police Pension Retirement System.

Silas Emrich, a senior at Christian Heritage Academy, paged in my Capitol office this week. He is the son of Bob and Felicia Emrich. He is a National Merit Scholar and a recipient of the Oklahoma Rising Scholars Award. He plays violin in the Oklahoma Youth Orchestra and is a member of his school's track and field team. His plans after high school are to attend Oklahoma Christian University to study pre-medicine and biology.

While serving in the Capitol, Silas was able to attend legislative sessions and took part in a mock session with pages from across the state. He's a really sharp young man. I enjoyed giving him the opportunity to learn more about state government. We had a busy week trying to finish our work in both chambers, so this was a good one for Silas to attend.

On a final note, several of our district Main Street programs were recognized during Main Street Day at the Capitol this week. Luther Main Street set up a booth in the Second Floor Rotunda alongside other participants from across the state. Workers shared pictures of the community then and now as well as information on Luther Market Days, held the third Saturday April through October, featuring local vendors, food trucks and music. They also advertised the Luther Fire Department Annual Soapbox Derby, which is scheduled for Saturday, June 6, 2026, on Main Street. The free community event features child and adult racing, vendors and food, with proceeds benefiting the local fire department.

Choctaw, East End Oklahoma City and Edmond Main Streets were recognized as Network level programs added since May 2025. The Oklahoma Main Street Center, a division of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, helps revitalization efforts in local downtowns and historic commercial districts, generating greater public and private investment, leading to new jobs, expansion of small businesses and increased economic development.

It's an honor to serve the people of District 36. Please feel free to continue to reach out with any thoughts or concerns on legislation. I can be reached at (405) 557-7322 or at [email protected].

In the Legislature this week, we are finishing up hearing Senate bills in the House, while the Senate considers remaining House bills. Those that pass both chambers move to the governor for his consideration of signing them into law.

My House Bill 3269 is one that has been sent to the governor. This bill would simply allow arrest warrants to be issued by phone or electronic communication in addition to being issued in person by a judge. This already is allowed for search warrants and would help law enforcement get criminals off the street faster.

In the House, I passed Senate Bill 1405. This bill re-authorizes the income tax checkoff for donations made to the Oklahoma Wildlife Diversity Fund. This supports wildlife conservation efforts such as habitat restoration, species protection and public education.

We passed several other significant bills in the House this week.

Senate Bill 201 would give teachers and other certified school personnel a $2,000 pay raise beginning with the next school year. Raises will not apply to school administrators. The bill was amended in the House, so it returns to the Senate for final passage before it moves to the governor.

House Bill 1276 would require public school districts to permanently adopt a policy prohibiting students from using cell phones on campus during the school day. We adopted this for the current school year, and teachers, administrators, parents and students all report success. Students learning is improving. Students are interacting with each other. It's been positive, and I'm glad to see this move to make this permanent. The bill has been sent to the governor.

Something of interest in our House district might be House Bill 3147, which authorizes the creation of the Route 66 Centennial License Plate. The new plate commemorates the 100th anniversary of U.S. Highway 66, established Nov. 11, 1926. In 2026, Route 66, often called the Mother Road, is being celebrated nationwide throughout the year. A portion of the historic highway runs through our House district and draws a number of visitors. We expect to see an increase this year as we celebrate the centennial. The measure became law without the Governor’s signature after passing unanimously in both the House and Senate.

Also this week at the Capitol, we celebrated Ag Day. Exhibitors from all across the state visited showing some of the products and programs they offer. Agriculture is one of Oklahoma's leading industries, providing nearly 200,000 jobs, and contributing more than $28 billion to our state's economy. Between our farmers and ranchers and our food and fiber producers, our agriculturalists touch every aspect of life in our state. It's always good to have our agriculture producers visit the seat of state government.

It's an honor to serve the people of District 36. Please feel free to continue to reach out with any thoughts or concerns on legislation. I can be reached at (405) 557-7322 or at [email protected].

April 19 was the 31st anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing. I think everyone in Oklahoma and most of the nation is aware of the events of that terrible day in 1995, when 168 innocent people, including 19 children, were killed by a brutal act of domestic terrorism.

We observed this anniversary in the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Monday. We recognized several people who served as first responders. Among those was a doctor who served as part of a team that performed an amputation on a woman who was trapped in the rubble of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, just an hour and a half after the bombing.

I was working as an Oklahoma City police officer at the time of the bombing and went to the site that morning. I was not part of the search and rescue efforts; I was instead assigned to a specialized unit at the time. But the courage of the first responders and others who performed truly heroic acts to rescue people that day and who aided in the recovery over the following weeks is worthy of our honor.

It's important that we not forget the events of this day, and that we teach the next generation. I'm glad for the efforts of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum toward this goal. They are visiting all 77 counties, planting seedlings from the Survivor Tree and sharing their Journey of Hope and Better Conversations with students.

It was fitting that I had a page serve in my House office this week to take part in this observance. Rory Joseph, a senior at Jones High School, is the daughter of Casey Joseph and Jessica Grigsby. Rory is top 10 in her class and a member of the National Honor Society with a 3.9 grad point average. She's an FFA officer, a 4-H county officer and class vice president. She a member of Jones Against Drugs, MU Alpha Theta, which is the National High School and Two-Year College Mathematics Honor Society, and Key Club. She serves on the yearbook, plays golf, is on the Science Museum Teen Board and a member of Youth Action Health Leadership, a Kids Against To***co program sponsored by the To***co Settlement Endowment Trust.

After high school, she wants to either attend Oklahoma State University to major in veterinary medicine or go to the University of Colorado in Boulder to study radiology.

Rory was a great addition to my Capitol office this week. She got to participate in a mock legislative session and attend our regular House sessions. She also was at the Capitol for Route 66 Day and 4-H Day.

Route 66 runs right through our House District, and this is the centennial year for the Mother Road, so it's a big deal to celebrate all this road has to offer, including some new attractions in our district like the 30-foot Luther Route 66 sign.

4-H, meanwhile, is a terrific organization that helps our youth develop life skills, show animals, participate in agriculture projects, learn to express their creativity and so much more.

In the Legislature, we're passing the remainder of our budget bills. Thursday is the deadline for all bills from the opposite chamber to be passed out of oversight committees. We'll hear more of those bills on the House floor in the coming week. The Senate will continue hearing our House bills.

It's an honor to serve the people of District 36. Please feel free to continue to reach out with any thoughts or concerns on legislation. I can be reached at (405) 557-7322 or at [email protected].