The Fifty-fifth Oklahoma Legislature was the 2015 meeting of the
legislative branch
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...
of the
government of Oklahoma, which began with an organizational day on January 6, 2015. The first session met in February 2015 in the
Oklahoma State Capitol
The Oklahoma State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the building that houses the Oklahoma Legislature and executive branch offices. It is located along Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City and contains 452,5 ...
in Oklahoma City during the first year of the second administration of
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Mary Fallin
Mary Fallin (; née Copeland; born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was elected in 2010 and reelected in 2014. She was the first and s ...
. After the
2014 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2014.
* 2014 United Nations Security Council election 16 October 2014
Africa
* 2014 Algerian presidential election 17 April 2014
* 2014 Botswana general election 24 October 2014
* 2014 Comorian presi ...
, the
Republican Party held more than two-thirds of the seats in the
Oklahoma Senate and the
Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Dates of sessions
*Organizational day: January 6, 2015
*First session: February 2-May 22, 2015
Previous:
54th Legislature • Next:
56th Legislature
Major legislation
Enacted
2015 Legislative Session
*Budget - HB 2244 contained the state budget that begins July 1, 2015 and ends July 1, 2016.
*Abortion - HB 1409 increased the time for voluntary and informed consent before an abortion from 24 to 72 hours and required abortion facilities with a website to link to the state's website, "A Woman's Right to know."
*Abortion - HB 1721 outlawed abortions in which doctors use forceps or other medical devices to dismember a living fetus in the womb, except when a dismemberment abortion is necessary to prevent a serious health risk to the mother.
*Criminal procedure - HB 1518 allows judges to impose shorter sentences for some nonviolent crimes.
*Criminal procedure - HB 1548 allows a judge to reduce the sentence of any inmate who was originally sentenced for a drug charge and ordered to complete the Drug Offender Work Camp at the Bill Johnson Correctional Facility if the judge is satisfied the best interests of the public will not be jeopardized.
*Drugs - HB 1948 requires doctors to check a Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) database before writing prescriptions for potentially dangerous and addictive drugs like oxycodone.
*Public safety - HB 1965 makes driving while texting a primary offense in Oklahoma with a fine of $100 for a first offense.
*Education - SB 782 allows public school districts the ability to create public charter schools.
*Education - SB 630 amended the state Reading Sufficiency Act to eliminate social promotion for students in the third grade who do not demonstrate reading proficiency.
*Public safety - HB 2168 allows state licensing agencies discretion in allowing individuals with felony convictions to receive a professional license.
*Corrections - HB 1630 allows the
Oklahoma Department of Corrections
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC or ODOC) is an agency of the state of Oklahoma. DOC is responsible for the administration of the state prison system. It has its headquarters in Oklahoma City, across the street from the headquarters ...
to negotiate with county jails to house state prisons before transfer to private prisons.
*Budget - SB 189 requires state agencies to use performance-informed budgeting when submitting annual budget requests.
*Taxation - HB 2181 establish an Incentive Evaluation Commission which is required to review all tax credits offered to businesses at least once every four years.
*Taxation - SB 806 requires all future business tax incentives to contain measurable goals.
*Voting - SB 313 allows citizens with a driver's license to register to vote over the internet.
*Unions - HB 1749 prohibits all state agencies from collecting union dues for its employees via payroll deductions.
*Taxation - SB 498 eliminates the property tax exemption for wind energy production facilities.
*Taxation - SB 502 eliminates tax credits for wind energy companies.
*Religion - HB 1007 prevents religious leaders from being compelled to performance marriage ceremonies which contradict their religious beliefs.
2016 Legislative Session
Failed
2016 Legislative Session
*Education - HB 2949 would have created a statewide school voucher program.
Major Events
Ervin Yen was sworn into the
Oklahoma Senate becoming the first
Asian-American legislator in
Oklahoma.
Leadership
![Oklahomacapitolandflag](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Oklahomacapitolandflag.jpg)
Since the
Republican Party holds the majority of seats in both the
Oklahoma Senate and
Oklahoma House of Representatives, they hold the top leadership positions in both chambers.
In Oklahoma, the lieutenant governor serves as President of the Oklahoma Senate, meaning that he serves as the presiding officer in ceremonial instances and can provide a tie-breaking vote.
Todd Lamb serves as the current
Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma. The current
President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate
The President ''pro tempore'' of the Oklahoma Senate is the second-highest-ranking official of the Oklahoma Senate and the highest-ranking state senator. The Oklahoma Constitution designates the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma as the highest-r ...
, who presides over the state senate on the majority of session days is
Brian Bingman
Brian John Bingman (born December 9, 1953) is an American Republican politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma serving as Secretary of State and Native American Affairs and was formerly the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate.
He cur ...
. He is aided by Majority Floor Leader
Mike Schulz.
[Senate Majority Leadership](_blank)
(accessed December 16, 2014) The Democratic
Minority leader of the state senate is Randy Bass. Paul Ziriax serves as the Secretary of the Oklahoma Senate.
The
Oklahoma House of Representatives is led by
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
Jeff W. Hickman. The Democratic
Minority leader is
Scott Inman
Scott Inman (born October 2, 1978) is an American attorney, banker, and former Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. He served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives as the Minority Leader
and Representative of State House D ...
. Joel Kintsel serves as Chief Clerk of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Membership
Senate
House of Representatives
References
External links
Oklahoma Legislature HomepageState of Oklahoma's Website{{Oklahoma Legislatures
Oklahoma legislative sessions
2015 in Oklahoma
2016 in Oklahoma
2015 U.S. legislative sessions
2016 U.S. legislative sessions