Ceremonial Bill Signings

By Rep. Rick West

Now that the legislative session has adjourned, things are a lot quieter at the Oklahoma Capitol. The governor did hold several ceremonial bill signings last week. These are bills he’s already signed into law, but doing a ceremonial signing allows the authors of the bills to bring anyone who was instrumental in their passage to the Capitol to get a photo of the legislation being signed into law.

Here’s a look at two of those bills.

House Bill 1168 makes it a felony to traffic abortion pills. Abortion is already illegal in Oklahoma other than to protect the life of the mother in a medical emergency. This bill makes it a felony for anyone to knowingly possess or deliver abortion-inducing drugs — including mifepristone, misoprostol and methotrexate — to someone who intends to use them for an unlawful abortion.

Anyone convicted could face a fine of up to $100,000, up to 10 years in prison, or both. This is the same as current law for those performing an illegal abortion.

The legislation only addresses those who intend to distribute these drugs illegally to others, not those who are accessing these drugs for themselves. That’s legislation for another day.

This measure does not limit or prohibit the sale of contraceptives, and it would not impact couples undergoing IVF treatment. The bill specifies this does not apply to drugs that may be known to cause an abortion, but which are prescribed for other medical indications, such as chemotherapeutic agents or diagnostic drugs, or for treatment of an ectopic pregnancy or spontaneous miscarriage. Additionally, HB1168 does not apply to pharmacists, drug manufacturers or distributors who legally possess, sell or distribute pharmaceuticals intended for lawful medical purposes.

House Bill 2979, known as the “Talyn Bain Act,” is intended to improve safety for students by establishing lower speed limits on certain highways near schools. Talyn Bain, a nine-year-old Glenpool student, lost his life in a crash near his school in 2025. The House author of the bill, said he hopes the bill will help prevent similar accidents.

HB2979 directs the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) to create 45 mph school zones on portions of state highways upon request from a local jurisdiction, provided specific safety conditions are met. These include highways with speed limits of 65 mph or higher that run within 150 yards of a school and lack a direct exit ramp into the school zone.

The measure allows local communities to partner with ODOT to identify qualifying locations and implement the reduced speed zones. The agency has identified approximately 14 locations statewide. Under the law, ODOT will install appropriate signage, while local jurisdictions will be responsible for ongoing maintenance and operational costs.

On a final note, I was honored last week to be the guest speaker at the LeFlore County Bridges out of Poverty graduation ceremony.

Participants take the entire Dave Ramsey course on managing money. They take cooking classes and more as they learn how to break the often generational cycle of poverty. The belief is that success breeds success.

The Poteau United Methodist Church provides the facilities for the program, and the volunteers put on a nice dinner for the graduation ceremony.

What I love best about this program is it is run by volunteers who help their neighbors. The government doesn’t have a thing in the world to do with this.

The organizers have been trying to get me to come to this ceremony for several years, but the Legislature has always still been in session. I’m glad we ended early so I could attend this year. I was truly impressed.

Remember to listen to my Capitol update on the radio at 7:35 a.m. every Thursday on KPRV.

As always, if I can help you with anything, please call my Capitol office at (405) 557-7413 or email me at rick.west@okhouse.gov.

 

Rick West serves District 3 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes part of LeFlore County.