REPRESENTATIVE NEIL HAYS (405) 557-7302

With the committee process now behind us, the House is shifting its focus to floor votes.

Over the next few weeks, much of our work will center on considering and voting on bills on the House floor as we approach a key legislative deadline.

This year, the House is operating under a new two-tiered committee structure introduced by House Speaker Kyle Hilbert. This new process is designed to improve the way we review and refine legislation before it reaches the House floor. Under the twotiered system, a bill must first pass through a policy committee, where it is thoroughly vetted and debated. If it advances, it then moves to an oversight committee for further review.

Oversight committees evaluate the bill’s effectiveness and necessity, ensuring that only well-crafted and meaningful legislation makes it to the floor for a vote. As the vice chair of the Government Oversight Committee, I got to witness firsthand how this additional layer of review is critical to making sure that the laws we pass are not only effective and beneficial to the people of Oklahoma but also it adds another layer of making it harder to make new laws.

The next major deadline is Thursday, March 27, 2025, which marks the last day for House bills and joint resolutions to pass the House floor. Any measure that doesn’t pass by this date will be considered dead for the session.

A total of 1,928 House bills were filed this session, along with 29 House joint resolutions, three House resolutions and two-House concurrent resolutions before the January 16 deadline. Of those, 486 House bills and joint resolutions successfully passed through both committee tiers and are now eligible for a floor vote.

Currently, 331 House bills and joint resolutions are on General Order, which means they’re waiting to be considered on the floor. This number does not include joint conference appropriations and budget measures, which will be addressed later in the session. Additionally, any measure authored by the Speaker of the House can be brought up at any time.

In other news, House and Senate leadership recently announced the reorganization of the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding for the 60th Legislature.

This committee will focus on monitoring the progress of projects funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

So far, ARPA funds have backed over 1,000 projects across the state — from improving water and broadband infrastructure to strengthening the nursing workforce, supporting rural hospitals, and helping nonprofits and food pantries serve their communities. All the available ARPA funds have now been allocated to existing projects, so no new applications are being accepted.

Oklahoma received $1.87 billion in federal ARPA funding, plus another $1.32 billion going to counties, cities, and local communities. The newly reorganized committee will be meeting regularly throughout the session to make sure these funds are being used effectively and that projects stay on track. This oversight is key to making sure these dollars are managed responsibly and that the projects deliver lasting benefits for Oklahomans.

Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. My email address is neil. hays@okhouse.gov, or you can call my office at (405) 557-7302. I am proud to represent you at the State Capitol!

Neil Hays serves District 13 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes parts of McIntosh, Muskogee and Wagoner counties.