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Cantrell
This week, the House of Representatives passed House Resolution 1027,which aims to raise awareness for breast cancer. The resolution also designates March 5, 2024, as Susan G. Komen Advocacy Day.
On Wednesday, the Capitol hosted TRUST Day, which stands for Transportation Revenues Used Strictly for Transportation. Since 2006,TRUSThasbeenOklahoma’s preeminent voice for transportation funding.
Infrastructure has been a priority for House Republicans over the past decade, resulting in significant progress. This is evident in the state’s improved bridge conditions, moving from 49th to 5th place.
This week, the House passed House Joint Resolution 1034, which I co-authored. This resolution proposes an amendment to Article II, Section 26 of the Oklahoma Constitution. The amendment aims to protect citizens’ right to have handguns, rifles, shotguns, knives, and othercommonarmsforself-defense, hunting, and recreation.
The proposed amendment protects citizens’ right to possess arms while allowing for reasonable regulation to ensure public safety. This reinforces the Second Amendment, safeguarding against potential overreach by the federal government.
This week, the Governor signed Senate Bill 1215 into law. It eliminates the registration deadline of November 1, 2023, for Oklahoma veterans to register on the veteran’s registry.
The primary objective of this bill is to protect qualifying disabled veterans who receive the sales tax exemptionbeforeNovember1,2020, from losing their exemption status due to failure to meet the registration deadline.
To provide some context, the Legislature had previously filed legislation to safeguard Oklahoma veterans, but the change in the registration deadline caused many 100% disabled veterans to miss out ontheirannualsalestaxexemption.
To address this issue, the House and Senate worked together to ensure that this bill would be sent to the Governor’s desk as soon as possible. I believe that Oklahoma veterans with a 100% disability rating should receive the tax benefits they urgently need, especially given the current challenging economic environment.
Some veterans and surviving spouses previously denied by the Oklahoma Tax Commission will automatically receive new cards. If veterans or surviving spouses submitted registry verification letters to the Oklahoma Tax Commission but were unable to receive new Exemption Cards due to missing the registration deadline of July 1, 2023, or if they filed a protest or requested a hearing in response to the denial letter for new Exemption Cards, no further action is required.
To register with the Oklahoma Veterans Registry, individuals can visit registry.odva.ok.gov/registration.
Again, thank you for electing me to serve District 49. It is truly an honor and privilege to represent you at the State Capitol. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any concerns at 405-557-7383 or josh. cantrell@okhouse.gov.
Rep.JoshCantrell,aRepublican, serves District 49 Oklahoma House of Representatives, which covers