Oklahoma lawmakers have filed several bills, including minimum wage increases and a tax-free weekend for school supplies
Oklahoma City: Lawmakers are busy filing bills that could change things up in the state. They’re looking at raising the minimum wage and even allowing sports betting.
There’s a deadline for filing bills coming up on January 16, so expect more to roll in soon. Let’s break down some of the key proposals already on the table.
One bill, Senate Bill 23, aims to ban smoking in cars with kids inside. If you get caught, you could face a $100 fine. The money would go to help with tobacco prevention efforts. Senator Brenda Stanley, who’s behind this, really wants to protect children from secondhand smoke.
Then there’s the push for minimum wage hikes. Senate Bill 35 wants to bump it up to $15 an hour starting November 1. Senator Carri Hicks believes this is a fair request to help fight poverty in the state.
Another bill proposes a gradual increase to $15 by 2029, tied to the cost of living. Right now, the minimum wage is stuck at $7.25 an hour, which many think is too low.
There’s also a bill that would let disabled veterans drive on turnpikes for free. Plus, they want to add school and art supplies to the list of items that are tax-exempt during the back-to-school sales tax holiday.
Senator Shane Jett has filed a bill to show judges’ party affiliations on ballots, which comes after some recent controversies. And there’s even a proposal to bring back a Ten Commandments monument at the Capitol.
Other interesting ideas include exempting tips from taxable income and creating a grant program to help with spaying and neutering pets. There’s also a renewed effort to legalize sports betting, which has been a hot topic for a while.
The legislative session kicks off on February 3, so it’ll be interesting to see how these bills progress.
