SB 996 (Herbert/Seikel): Includes entities created by public trusts within the definition of "public body" for purposes of the Open Meeting Act and Open Records Act and allows nonprofit entities supported by or allowed to expend public funds to hold executive sessions on economic development matters. The bill also allows municipality-beneficiary public trusts to hold meetings by teleconference under certain conditions.

SB 1070 (Wilkerson/Wells): Authorizes the attorney for the Department of Public Safety to bring an action for forfeiture when property has been seized as a result of the Department's investigation.

SB 1370 (Dickerson/Paulk): Effective January 1, 1999, after the November election, this bill increases the pay for election workers by $15 and authorizes travel reimbursement for those who travel more than ten miles to their assigned polling place. The bill also provides that a special election to fill a vacancy in the Legislature will be held in conjunction with the general election if the vacancy is to take effect between a general election and the convening of the next Legislature and if the Secretary of State received the resignation before June 1 of the year in which the general election occurs. SB 1370 also makes several minor changes to election budget reports and other procedures. [Note: for election officials and workers who earn less than $1,000 per year, a provision in HB 2792 exempts the employing election boards from unemployment contribution requirements.]

SJR 22 (Gustafson/Ferguson): A Joint Resolution presenting State Question 679. This resolution would provide equal salaries for Corporation Commissioners and equal salaries for members of the Oklahoma Tax Commission even if it would require an increase in salary during a term of office.

HB 1822 (Askins/Dickerson): Makes major changes in state purchasing. It raises the threshold at which purchases must be competitively bid from $2,500 to $25,000. The bill requires that state agency procurement officers, who will have procurement responsibilities that previously were kept with the Purchasing Division of the Department of Central Services, be trained and certified, that their agencies have approved internal procurement procedures in place, and that their purchasing actions be reviewed by the State Purchasing Director and, in some cases, by the State Auditor & Inspector. HB 1822(1) also tightens controls on sole-source purchasing, professional service contracting, and high technology purchasing. Further, it authorizes a pilot project utilizing "best value" bid selection criteria as distinguished from "lowest and best" consideration.

HB 2822 (Benson/Helton): Designates the Third Monday in November of each year as "Oklahoma Native American Day" in Oklahoma.

HB 3189 (Gray/Leftwich): This is an act relating to administrative procedures and does the following: modifies definitions; exempts institutional governing boards within the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education from Article I of the Administrative Procedures Act; requires a preemptive bill to be signed by the Governor; provides procedure by which an agency must index and maintain rules for public inspection; clarifies the procedure for filing permanent rules by agencies; modifies procedure for Governor's approval or disapproval of rules.

HB 3226 (Benson/Taylor): Will prohibit any state officer from using state aircraft for transportation to any event for political purposes, to a place to perform a service for which the person or an immediate family member receives compensation, or to an event where others are charged an admission fee or donation, except where the charge is for charitable purposes or the fee is a customary charge. Under this act, the Office of State Finance is directed to develop travel log forms and procedures. The bill requires certain information be included in the travel log forms.