Welcome to the first day of the 58th Oklahoma Legislative Session and to our brand new Policy and Advocacy weekly newsletter, The Breakdown! Here, you will find; legislative updates, community events, and, of course, a weekly meme provided by @OKPoliticalMeme to sum up our feelings.
Our goal with this newsletter is to give you the tools needed to keep you up to date about the kind of legislation to expect this session. With many new bills attacking free speech in our classrooms, targeting our 2SLGBTQ+ communities, and restricting abortion access, we know this is only the beginning.
We hope you join us in celebrating Black History Month and a Lunar New Year by bringing people power back to the Capitol and advocating for a more equitable Oklahoma for all of us.
Policy Corner:
Welcome to Policy Corner, where we talk about bills that the ACLU of Oklahoma is tracking. We know it can be hard to keep up with the fast-paced Oklahoma Legislature and even harder to navigate the thousands of bills introduced. We thought we could make the legislative process a little more accessible by highlighting the ACLU-OK teams' top priorities. Yep, that means the good and the bad! Check out the bills below we are 'keeping an eye on' and the bills that we are 'excited about'.
Keeping an Eye on:
SB 1401 by Senator Rob Standridge, creates the Critical Race Theory Curriculum Elimination Act and authorizes parents to bring action against public schools in violation.
HB 2973 by Representative Olsen, bans government entities from interfering with conversion therapy.
SB 1503 by Senator Daniels, is a Texas copy-cat abortion ban that will allow felony murder charges for anyone who obtains or performs an abortion.
Excited About:
SB 235 by Senator Montgomery and Representative Caldwell, allows Indigenous students to wear tribal regalia during graduation.
HJR 1050 by Representative Turner, is a constitutional amendment to put to a vote of the people an end to the death penalty.
Events to Support:
We know that our hardworking partners are hosting awesome opportunities to advocate at the Capitol, and we want to make sure you know about them! Check out our upcoming event to attend below.
Register for our Virtual Advocacy Day on Saturday, February 19!
Weekly Meme:
The Oklahoma Legislature has a way of overwhelming those who care about civil liberties as much as we do. This article is a reminder to take a moment to laugh or smile, even if it’s to keep us from crying! Enjoy our Meme of the Week provided by @OKPolitcalMeme!
