Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

Legislators from the area provide an update on what is happening at the Oklahoma State Capitol during a Bartlesville Regional Chamber of Commerce event.

"Eggs and Issues" featured Senator Julie Daniels (R-Bartlesville), and Representatives Judd Strom (R-Copan) and Wendi Stearman (R-Collinsville), at the Hilton Garden Inn, located in downtown Bartlesville, on Friday morning.

The elimination of the grocery sales tax in Oklahoma was one of the topics that was discussed. Rep. Strom says he was questioning how they were going to measure this if it were to pass. Aside from that, Rep. Strom says it sounds good to him because it would make good, health foods cheaper. He says it could lead to a healthier population.

The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday approved legislation from President Pro Tempore Greg Treat that would eliminate the state grocery sales tax, providing economic relief to Oklahoma families feeling the burden on inflation.

Senate Bill 1495 effectively eliminates the state grocery tax by lowering the rate from 4.5 percent to zero percent. The bill does not prohibit cities or countries from levying their own grocery tax.

Just 13 states, including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri, levy a state grocery sales tax. If SB 1495 passes, Oklahoma would join 32 other states and the District of Columbia in exempting groceries from sales taxes. The bill next goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.

Sen. Daniels says the elimination of the grocery sales tax would not apply to local sales tax; sales tax in cities across the State of Oklahoma would remain. She says defining groceries is her biggest concern because "you can buy almost anything in a Homeland store."

This would apply to food and food ingredients meaning substances that are liquid concentrated, solid, frozen, dried or dehydrated items that are sold for ingestion/chewing, and are consumed for taste or nutritional value. Sen. Daniels says bottled water, soft drinks and candy fall under the umbrella. She says alcoholic beverages, dietary supplements, prepared food, and tobacco would not be included. Anything that requires a step to be brought to the dinner table will fall under the grocery sales tax elimination.

The Supreme Court's 2020 Oklahoma v McGirt decision was another topic of discussion during the event. Sen. Daniels says there is little the Legislature can do about a Supreme Court ruling, but what they did do was put $10 million in additional funds to the Attorney General's Office last year to deal with McGirt issues. She says our best chance of seeing some sort of dialing back the effect of the decision is if the Supreme Court will determine that it only applies to Native American perpetrators.

Sen. Daniels says non-Indian victims are being treated better than Indian victims as a result. She says that is not what they want in Oklahoma.

It was stressed by Sen. Daniels that this is not the State of Oklahoma versus the Tribes. Sen. Daniels says she finds it sad that the Tribes see it that way. She says they are there to fight for all of Oklahoma. She added that they will continue to fund the AG's Office is they feel a need to keep tackling McGirt.

Rep. Strom says there is little that they can do about McGirt but wait. He says he hopes in the end that we're still all Oklahomans.

There are challenges to whether or not tribal citizens should pay taxes. If any court should uphold that ruling, Sen. Daniels believes that this is one area where they could go straight to the Supreme Court. She says that would be undercutting the ability of Oklahoma to function as a state.

Budgets, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority and medical marijuana regulations, government reform, and education (i.e. school choice and funding).