Oklahoma Legislature Nearing Finish Line  

All,

Here are 3 Bills that really need your attention. Please read through these and call your Senator to ask him to support these. Please don't delay. The main number to call is listed below.

OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE NEARING FINISH LINE

The Oklahoma Legislature is well past the halfway point. Many initiatives of interest to us are still alive and moving through the process. Among these are:

SB95 by Senator Kenneth Corn and Representative Phil Richardson. This bill is the first step in strengthening our private property rights. SB95 makes it unlawful for a person to enter upon private land and also puts hunting without permission on the same legal ground as trespassing, and upholds that there is NO posting requirement for private land that is primarily devoted to farming, ranching or forestry. In addition, the fines are being raised from a maximum of $500.00 to a minimum of $500.00 and at the Court’s discretion; a convicted trespasser could forfeit their hunting-fishing license for one year and spend up to 6 months in the county jail.

This issue will be brought up in the State Senate on Tuesday, May 8th!! Please contact your Senator today – the main phone number is 405-524-0126.

HB 1520 by Rep. Joe Dorman and Sen. Mike Schulz. This bill creates a burn indemnity fund at the Oklahoma Conservation Commission to cover the losses incurred if a prescribed burn would get out of control. Under the provisions of the act, a landowner would file a prescribed burn plan at their local conservation district office and then be eligible to participate in this program. The cost to enroll for coverage under this fund would be $100. If a fire was to then get away from a landowner who enrolled in this plan, they would have to show that they followed their prescribed burn plan to the letter and still, due to know fault of their own, lost control of their fire. This bill is currently in conference.

HB 704 by Rep. Guy Liebman and Sen. Mike Schulz. This bill would add to the powers and duties of the Conservation Commission the ability to cost share with counties on roadside erosion, upstream flood control rehabilitation and operation and maintenance and invasive species control. This measure is also in conference.

Thanks,
Lisa Addison