Alva Review-Courier -

The House met its deadline for all measures in chamber of origin last week. This is the date by which all House bills must pass off the House floor to remain alive for this session. It was a very busy week with several long days and late evenings.

One area of focus during the week was medical marijuana. State voters approved State Question 788 in 2018, legalizing the growing, manufacturing and sale of medical cannabis in Oklahoma. This was a statutory change so it allows the Legislature to create regulations around this new industry.

We passed over 12 bills regarding marijuana regulations in hopes that we can get this industry under better control. Here are two examples which will give you an idea of actions we are taking.

House Bill 3752 makes it unlawful for the owner of a marijuana grow to abandon the property without restoring the land to its previous condition. Violation is punishable by up to one year in the county jail, a fine of $100,000, or both. The court also may order the person to reimburse the county for the cost to remediate any damage to the land. A commissioned peace officer may seize any real property that has been abandoned or deserted, similar to other drug violations.

House Bill 3827 would require all medical marijuana commercial grower licensees to register as an environmentally sensitive crop owner with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture beginning Nov. 1. This would provide notice to commercial and private pesticide applicators of the location of medical marijuana crops to help minimize the potential of damaging pesticide drift.

My House Joint Resolutions that would require a 55% vote of the people to change the state Constitution also passed this week. As I've said, we should have a higher bar to change the Constitution of the state of Oklahoma than to merely change a state statute. Constitutional changes require a vote of the people, which means extra time and money to be spent on a state election. Statutory changes can be made through the legislative process. This measures if passed by the Senate will be put before voters in the form of future state questions.

Also this week, the House passed a bill that would significantly reduce the number of abortions performed in our state. Patterned after the Texas Heartbeat Bill, our version goes back to the moment of conception and allows for civil lawsuits against anyone performing or intending to perform an abortion or anyone aiding or abetting in an abortion, including payment of or reimbursement for the procedure. This targets groups such as Planned Parenthood and their funding of abortion for their profit. The Texas bill has withstood multiple legal challenges and has drastically decreased the number of abortions performed in that state.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me. You may reach me by email at [email protected], or phone me at 405-557-7339. God vless you and the State of Oklahoma.