By Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY – State senators in the interim will take a look at sports betting, removing elected officials and the use of goats to eradicate red cedar trees.
Those are just a few of the 74 Senate interim study requests Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, recently assigned to committees. The studies, which can help shape legislative priorities, are expected to be completed by Oct. 31.
“These studies allow us to engage with subject matter experts, agency officials, industry leaders and everyday Oklahomans to gather a full range of perspectives,” Paxton said.
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, is expected to announce by July 25 which of the 154 interim study requests he has approved, said Jennifer Monies, a spokeswoman.
For years, lawmakers have filed bills seeking to allow sports betting in the state, but none have secured approval.
Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, is sponsoring a study on the issue.
He said it will get all the parties in the room to discuss why Oklahoma is among 11 states that hasn’t legalized it, and what can be done to get it passed and implemented.
“I think for Oklahoma, we have 38 tribes that have a say in it,” Coleman said. “Getting 38 anythings on the same page is not easy.”
Coleman is also sponsoring a study looking at how voters can remove statewide elected officials, lawmakers and county officials from office.
Currently, the only way to remove a statewide elected official is impeachment, Coleman said.
Coleman was the author of Senate Bill 990, which was expected to be the vehicle to set up the process that Oklahomans could use to remove someone from office independent of legislative involvement.
Coleman said he didn’t move the measure forward because he realized there needed to be an interim study.
Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, has an interim study looking at why insurance rates in Oklahoma are so high, even when compared to states with similar dangerous weather events.
She said the study will look at factors beyond weather that contribute to the prices.
Seniors living on a fixed income are especially impacted, she said.
Meanwhile, Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, has a study to look at the possibility of eliminating property taxes.
He did not respond to a request for comment.
A Senate panel will study how to eradicate red cedar trees, which consume a lot of water and are a fire hazard.
“They have been using goats for several years in California in the canyons to take care of brush,” said Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, who requested the study.
Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, will be taking a look at how to improve the state’s food stamp program, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, has a study looking at the nutritional value of food consumers can buy with food stamps.
Gov. Kevin Stitt, as part his of Make Oklahoma Healthy Again campaign, has asked the federal government to approve a request that bans food stamp recipients from using the program to buy soda and candy.
At least two state senators, Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, and Aaron Reinhardt, R-Jenks, want to look at ways to make school lunch program offerings more nutritious.
Lawmakers in February return to the Capitol for the legislative session.
