The 2022 session officially began this past Monday. After first convening in the Senate, we joined our counterparts in the House of Representatives to hear Governor Stitt’s fourth State of the State address outlining his priorities for the session. Under the Constitution, we have until 5 p.m. on the last Friday in May to consider and vote on policy legislation and the state budget.
By the time we reached last month’s deadline for filing bills, members of the Senate had filed nearly 800 pieces of new legislation. Once the bills are filed, the majority floor leader determines the appropriate committee to hear each bill.
In past years, those bills were still being assigned to committee during the first week of session. That delay could lead to backlogs, making for long days and sometimes long evenings as well. This year, the process was overhauled so that all bills were assigned before the session even began, enabling com mittees to hit the ground running.
As assistant majority floor leader, part of my job is to assist the floor leader in reading through every single measure and determining the appropriate committee for bill assignments. While some of those bills can be fairly simple and relatively short, others are extremely complicated and can actually be dozens, sometimes hundreds, of pages long. Again, this year, we completed that entire process before the session even began. This change will enable us to better manage the work-flow throughout the session and help us continue to increase transparency throughout the process.
My work as assistant floor leader isn’t just limited to bill assignments. I will work with the floor leader throughout the session to set daily agendas and help manage the progress and action of the floor during daily sessions.
I also will continue my work as chair of the Business, Commerce and Tourism Committee, which primarily handles legislative issues relating to occupational licensing, business and industry operating standards, alcohol licensing and regulation, state-sponsored recreation areas, and labor and employment practices. Our first meeting was on Thursday, and we hit the ground running with a full agenda.
In addition, I also serve on the Committees for Agriculture and Wildlife, Select Agencies, Judiciary, and Rules. But my responsibilities at the Capitol don’t end there.
I will also continue as cochair of the state’s Rural Broadband Expansion Council and co-chair of the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding’s Transportation, Infrastructure, and Rural Development Working Group. I was also named co-chair of the Senate’s Working Group on Marijuana, and I was appointed to the Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations, which is responsible for overseeing and approving agreements between tribal governments and the state.
It’s a very full plate, but it means having an even greater voice at the Capitol on behalf of Senate District 12, and as always, I am grateful for that opportunity.
The Capitol is fully open and visitors are welcome to come observe committees and floor sessions. To read or download committee or floor agendas, legislation, or to watch livestreams from our committees or the chamber, please go to oksenate.gov.
I thank you for the privilege of being your voice at the state Capitol. If you have any questions or concerns about legislation or other issues at the state level, please feel free to contact my office by calling 405-521-5528, or email James.Leewright@oksenate.gov.