Last week was another significant milepost in the House. If bills or joint resolutions didn’t pass by March 26, they’re dead in the water this session. We heard about 250 bills in the four days leading up to the deadline.
Read more: Another Day, Another DeadlineHere’s a look at a few of those measures:
House Bill 3660 is in my opinion a terrible bill. It would allow funeral directors to operate “natural organic reduction facilities.” This means you could make “nutrient rich” fertilizer out of your dead relative. I voted no on this bill, but it still passed. It will be up to the Senate and maybe the governor to decide if human remains can be made into compost or not.
House Bill 4359 would require schools to administer statewide student assessments for grades 3-8 during the last three weeks of their school year. This would not apply to tests administered as part of the Oklahoma Alternative Assessment Program (OAAP) for students with the most cognitive disabilities. We need to make sure our kids have as much instructional time ahead of our tests as possible, and that we’re not wasting the last few weeks of school with meaningless activities once tests are taken.
House Bill 4153 is another bill I voted against. This would require students to prove reading proficiency at an eighth-grade level before they could obtain an Oklahoma driver’s license or permit. Students should be able to read, but I don’t think they have to prove proficiency at this level before they are qualified to drive. If they can read and pass the driving exam as it’s presented, that should be enough.
House Bill 3315 would establish a pilot program by the State Regents for Higher Education to study the feasibility of implementing a three-year or 90-credit hour bachelor’s degree program. This is an interesting idea. If we can get kids through college quicker, great. But I voted no because this would create yet another pilot program to study something we should already know the answer to.
House Bill 4358 is one I supported. This bill would limit screen time to one hour per day for students in prekindergarten through fifth grade in public school classrooms. The measure creates exceptions for students needing targeted instructional support, accommodations for students on IEPs, in computer programming classes, who use reading or math screeners, attend virtual schools and teacher professional use. It also clarifies that screen time limitations do not apply to digital textbooks, smart boards or other devices used to display classroom curriculum. The point is kids that attend public school benefit best from face-to-face learning with their teacher. The more of that we can do, the better off they’ll be.
There are plenty of other bills to discuss, but space is limited. Over the next few weeks, the state budget will take center stage. All indications are it will be flat, with the exception of education.
Remember to listen to my Capitol update on the radio at 7:35 a.m. every Thursday on KPRV.
As always, if I can help you with anything, please call my Capitol office at (405) 557-7413 or email me at rick.west@okhouse.gov.
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