Here is a brief summary of how bills become law in OK.
All bills have currently been submitted to the respective chamber of origin.
On February 4, all bills will be assigned to the appropriate committees.
Committees will hold hearings on those bills. During these committee meetings the bills can be amended or a committee substitute can replace the original bill with something else. Committees can do nothing with bills and they will die.
If a bill passes out of committee, it is up to the author of the bill to ask the Floor Leader to schedule it to be brought up on the floor.
When it is brought up on the floor, it can be amended, and/or substituted again then voted on.
Each chamber has until the 14th of March to deal with bills that originate in their own body.
If a bill passes the chamber it originated in, it moves to the opposite chamber to repeat the process.
The opposite chamber has until April 25 to deal with bills from the chamber of origin. The bill goes through the same process of going to a committee, moving to the floor for a vote etc. The bill can be amended or substituted at any time.
If a bill passes the second chamber with no changes, it moves to the Governor's desk.
If there are changes, it goes back to the chamber of origin. If the changes are accepted, it goes to the Governors desk, if not, it goes to a conference committee. If the conference committee can get a version that both chambers like, that version goes to the Governor's desk.
Most of the bills we will be watching will be in the hands of the Public Safety Committee's.
The House Public Safety Committee meets every Wednesday at 10:30 in room 432(A)
Here is a live audio link for these meetings.
The Senate Public Safety Committee meets every Thursday at 9:30 in room 534
This room does not have an audio feed.
All bills have currently been submitted to the respective chamber of origin.
On February 4, all bills will be assigned to the appropriate committees.
Committees will hold hearings on those bills. During these committee meetings the bills can be amended or a committee substitute can replace the original bill with something else. Committees can do nothing with bills and they will die.
If a bill passes out of committee, it is up to the author of the bill to ask the Floor Leader to schedule it to be brought up on the floor.
When it is brought up on the floor, it can be amended, and/or substituted again then voted on.
Each chamber has until the 14th of March to deal with bills that originate in their own body.
If a bill passes the chamber it originated in, it moves to the opposite chamber to repeat the process.
The opposite chamber has until April 25 to deal with bills from the chamber of origin. The bill goes through the same process of going to a committee, moving to the floor for a vote etc. The bill can be amended or substituted at any time.
If a bill passes the second chamber with no changes, it moves to the Governor's desk.
If there are changes, it goes back to the chamber of origin. If the changes are accepted, it goes to the Governors desk, if not, it goes to a conference committee. If the conference committee can get a version that both chambers like, that version goes to the Governor's desk.
Most of the bills we will be watching will be in the hands of the Public Safety Committee's.
The House Public Safety Committee meets every Wednesday at 10:30 in room 432(A)
Here is a live audio link for these meetings.
The Senate Public Safety Committee meets every Thursday at 9:30 in room 534
This room does not have an audio feed.
