My peers cautioned me about how quick the legislative session would be; however, I didn’t understand until I experienced it. Things in the Capitol have been turbo- charged with no respite as we wrapped up the first portion of this session. We successfully considered around 550 bills in our Senate committees and have already sent more than 100 of those on to the House.

Two more of my bills have made it to the Senate floor. In last week’s article, I had already mentioned SB 1095. My second bill waiting to be scheduled on the Senate floor, SB 978, would eliminate the minimum sentence and fine for unlawfully discharging a firearm on a watercraft and decrease the maximum prison time from six to three months.

We now have until March 23 to act on the Senate bills that made it out of committee. Any bills that weren’t passed in committee or aren’t approved by the full Senate will be considered dormant until next session. I’ve also signed on to carry more than ten House bills and will go over those in the coming weeks.

Again, I want to thank everyone who has visited the Senate recently. It’s always nice to welcome friends and neighbors to our beautiful Capitol building. I was happy to meet with students from Wellston, Stroud, and North Rock Creek on FFA Day. We also welcomed citizens from around the state on Senior Day, who came to advocate for issues of importance to them and learn about what bills are being considered on aging issues. I also recently met with the Association of Professional Oklahoma Educators, the Association of County Commissioners, the Oklahoma Aggregates Association, the Auto Dealers Legislative Reception, and many other advocacy groups.

On Monday, I attended the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts’ Annual Banquet. Rep. Kevin Wallace and I were pleased to present a citation honoring Gary Bledsoe, who was inducted into the Oklahoma Conservation Hall of Fame. He’s served as Lincoln County Conservation District Director for 14 years and has been a strong voice for agricultural development, conservation, and improving county roads. He was integral in launching the Oklahoma Unpaved Roads Program and is a shining example of how one person’s advocacy can turn an idea into reality. He’s also served as an Officer in the Cross Timbers Prescribed Burn Association, Board Chairman for Ag Credit, and has been a member of several other boards and committees. We applaud Gary’s tireless advocacy efforts to improve our rural roads and protect soil and water resources in Lincoln County.

I’m excited to have joined the new bicameral Rural Community College Caucus, which was created at the suggestions of NEO A&M College President Dr. Kyle Stafford and other rural community college presidents. We’ll be informed about current issues, concerns, and the importance of community colleges throughout our districts.

As an OMES/ARPA Oversight Committee member, I met with OMES to do a Cam Division deep dive. Each committee member has been appointed to a particular area within OMES to study, and I have been assigned to Capital Assets Management to examine the following division. Since OMES’ 2023 exceeded $147 million, our committee must closely review this agency’s processes and spending. Furthermore, ARPA oversight will continue to play a vital role as the nearly $2 billion of appropriated dollars begin to funnel through OMES and to other agencies and recipients.

To contact me at the Capitol, please write to Senator Grant Green, State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. Room 529.1, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105; email me at Grant. Green@oksenate.gov or call (405) 521-5547.