For the first time, one of my House bills was vetoed by the governor.

House Bill 3194 would have ensured that permitted, high-volume, industrial water and commercial water wells monitored by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board are reporting their annual usage. This would not have impacted domestic, household or livestock wells.

The governor's veto message shows he did not understand what this bill would do. It would have allowed measuring or metering and did not force anyone to purchase a meter. Thus, it was not an unfunded mandate on commercial water users. It would have incentivized industrial operators that did use a meter by allowing them the benefit of utilizing a five-year average of water usage. This would allow the water user to offset years of plenty with those years of low moisture.

The misinformation shared about this bill was frustrating. So many people chose to accept hearsay instead of reading what the bill actually did. Several powerful interest groups came out against this measure, making it appear money was more important than ensuring our water resources are protected.

It would have been easier for me not to have run this bill and just wait until a water shortage occurs and lives and homesteads are lost. But I want to make sure future generations in western Oklahoma have enough water to live and feed their neighbors and animals. I don't want to see a return to the Dust Bowl days where dry farmers went bankrupt and were forced to leave their homes and land to survive.

Nothing in this bill took away any rights or privileges for water users. It just would have made sure permitted commercial water users stayed within the parameters specified in statute. Without documented water use it is difficult to appraise the resources we have in our underground aquifers.

The final irony was the governor vetoed the bill the day after Water Appreciation Day.

This past week I did get two bills signed into law.

House Bill 3196 will assure student loan repayment for veterinary medicine students who agree to provide large animal services in rural areas of the state. This is similar to our rural physicians loan repayment program and will help our rural communities that sorely need these professionals. The act is named the Dr. Lee Denney Act of 2024, after the former representative who is a veterinarian and served as the head of the veterinary technology program at Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City in 2016-17 and then as Oklahoma state director for rural development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 2017 to 2021.

House Bill 3192 also was signed by the governor. This will help firefighters by better defining guidelines in the Oklahoma Forestry Code.

Finally, Oklahoma lawmakers observed the National Day of Prayer on May 2. We need prayer now as much as at any time in history, and I'm thankful for all who participated in this gathering.

As always, if I can help in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me. You may reach me by email at [email protected], or phone me at 405-557-7339. God bless you and the State of Oklahoma.