Oklahoma House of Representatives Communications & Public Affairs Update

Oklahoma Representative John Talley-District 33.

Preparing for Session

By Rep. John Talley

The next legislative session is just around the corner, and we’re working hard to ensure we are ready.

Session begins Mon., Feb. 7, but our deadline to file legislation is Thurs., Jan. 20. House members can only run eight bills per year, with the exception of certain members of leadership like the House Speaker and budget chair.

I am working to finalize my bills before this deadline, and I will share more information about them at a later date.

I want to encourage high school juniors and seniors to apply for the House High School Page Program.

Pages are assigned for one week, Monday through Thursday afternoon, during the legislative session. Students meet House members and other elected officials, work in the House Chamber during daily session, take part in the House Page Mock Legislature on the floor of the House Chamber and experience behind-the-scenes tours of areas of the Capitol and other agencies.

Hotel accommodations and chaperones are provided for all students, and pages are transported to and from the Capitol daily. They are closely supervised at all times and are not permitted to leave the hotel or the Capitol except for program activities.

I enjoy meeting our pages every week because each group is so unique. The Page Program is a tremendous opportunity for students to see how things really work in state government. Interested juniors and seniors may visit https://okhouse.gov/Pages/Index.aspx to learn more or submit an application.

The Board of Equalization met during the last week of December to give the first estimate of our FY2023 budget. We anticipate having a surplus in the budget this year due to numerous one-time monies, so one of my goals for this session is to ensure we spend our money wisely as a state.

Another of my goals is to continue working with colleagues to enact policies that are in the best interest of our constituents.

Last session, we worked to pass many bills that have improved the lives of Oklahomans. We set a state record for appropriations to K-12 public education and established the framework and incentives for broadband expansion through numerous bills. We also worked together to pass bipartisan common-sense criminal justice reform through the Sarah Stitt Act and driver’s license reform bills.

Additionally, we passed tax relief for both personal and corporate taxes. As of Jan. 1, personal income tax has been reduced by 0.25% for all taxpayers over 2021’s rate, and corporate income tax has been reduced from 6% to 4%.

These are all important areas which were a priority for us in 2021, and we will continue to work to improve in these areas during the new session.

I hope you and your loved ones had a happy and safe new year, and I look forward to serving my constituents in the coming year. Please feel free to come down to the Capitol for a visit—the new updates to the building since renovations began in 2015 are almost complete and are something for the people of Oklahoma to be proud of!

Please feel free to reach out at [email protected] or (405) 557-7304. Thank you for allowing me to serve House District 33!

Rep. John Talley, a Republican, serves District 33 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which covers Logan and Payne Counties.