Oklahoma House advances wide-ranging package; Blake Burgess venous-thromboembolism training bill and pet-shop rules draw debate

The Oklahoma House met in session and advanced a broad set of bills on issues including behavioral health, transportation, public safety and animal regulation.

Representative Stinson, sponsor of House Bill 36-44 — dubbed the Blake Burgess Act — told the chamber the measure would require hospitals and assisted-living facilities to undergo annual training to recognize pulmonary embolism and establish a state blood‑clot registry to track incidents. "This is the third leading cause of maternal mortality," Stinson said in explaining the public‑health goal behind the proposal. The bill passed on final reading, 71 ayes to 24 nays; the sponsor subsequently introduced Blake Burgess’s parents to the chamber.

A separate contested measure, House Bill 43-35, sets a statewide framework for regulating commercial pet shops while grandfathering municipal bans enacted before Jan. 1, 2026. Representative Dallins, arguing against the bill, warned it would set a precedent that could curtail local authority: "If a commercial pet store lobbyist has this much influence over this body, imagine what will happen when tech lobbyists come in and want the same protections for data centers," he said, urging members to vote no. The House voted to pass the measure, 68 ayes to 26 nays.

Other bills advanced with less floor debate. Lawmakers passed behavioral‑health legislation (House Bill 29-47) aimed at expanding supervised field opportunities for mental‑health interns, motor‑vehicle technical changes allowing DMVs to accept physical insurance copies (HB 29-80), and a firefighter‑employment restriction bill (HB 30-82), among others. Transportation legislation (HB 38-82) creating a lake and industrial access revolving fund for ODOT passed along with an emergency vote to enact the measure immediately.

Several procedural and cleanup measures were also adopted, including removal of a sunset on forestry equipment provisions (HB 36-61), revisions related to medical‑marijuana abandoned grows (HB 35-19), and a statutory memorialization tied to indigent‑defense expert obligations (HB 39-96).

Votes at a glance:
• HB 36-44 (Blake Burgess Act — venous thromboembolism training & registry): Passed 71–24; sponsor: Representative Stinson.
• HB 43-35 (pet‑shop regulatory framework, grandfathering pre‑2026 municipal bans): Passed 68–26; sponsor: Pro Tem Moore.
• HB 29-47 (behavioral health intern Medicaid access): Passed 81–8; sponsor: Representative Grego.
• HB 29-51 (prisons cleanup, add facilities): Passed 91–2; sponsor: Representative Hardin.
• HB 29-80 (DMV acceptance of physical insurance copy): Passed 93–0; sponsor: Representative Banning.
• HB 30-82 (firefighter employment restriction): Passed 96–0; sponsor: Representative Kelly.
• HB 35-19 (medical marijuana — abandoned grows fee): Passed 92–0; sponsor: Representative Marty.
• HB 38-82 (ODOT lake & industrial access revolving fund): Passed 84–9; emergency declared 84–9; sponsor: Representative Cantrell.
• HB 36-61 (forestry equipment sunset removal): Passed 89–3; sponsor: Representative Dempsey.
• HB 39-96 (indigent defense expert obligations memorialized): Passed 87–6; sponsor: Representative Worthen.

Why it matters: The session combined public‑health interventions (the Blake Burgess Act), regulatory clarifications and budget/process changes. The pet‑shop measure prompted an extended ideological exchange about local control, an argument that recurred across the floor and factored in several lawmakers’ votes.

The House adjourned and will reconvene on Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 9:30 a.m., according to the presiding officer’s announcement.