Bills championed by the Republican leadership as measures that will improve the state’s economy have made it out of the House for consideration in the Senate.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives also managed to pass some measures favored by social conservatives in the GOP caucus, including what would be among the toughest anti-abortion measures in the country.

Oklahoma would be the second state in the country to prohibit an abortion on an unborn child 20 or more weeks of age; another measure would expand the legal definition of a person to include unborn children.

Also advancing were a comprehensive anti-illegal immigrant bill and two pro-gun bills, including an open-carry measure, although it was weakened when backers were caught off guard and allowed the meat of the measure to be stripped.

House Democrats were unable to advance some of their ideas, including a proposal that health insurers should be required to cover the diagnosis and treatment of autism. Democrats were able to defeat a bill that would have eliminated binding arbitration for police and firefighters, and it was an amendment by a Democrat that neutered the open-carry gun bill.

Minority Leader Scott Inman, D-Del City, said about 40 of the roughly 260 bills that were passed to the Senate were Democratic measures. Democrats went about a week this month without having any of their bills heard; several were brought up Thursday night, the deadline to get House bills passed and sent to the Senate.

Democrats fight for rights

Inman said he was relieved some measures that would have reduced rights for public workers and would have changed their pensions stalled. He’s optimistic the Republican-controlled House and Senate will pass House Bill 1005, which calls for forming a panel to study the pension program.

“That’s what they’ve decided to do because of the political pressure that’s been put on them and the realization that they could go in and dramatically alter the benefits of our state employees, and it wouldn’t help the budget this year at all,” he said.

“That realization sunk in, and they’ve decided to really take some more time to study the issue, and we’re pleased with that.”

The House approved a bill that would change the due process system for terminated career teachers and end the requirement that cities with at least 35,000 in population have to provide collective bargaining for nonuniformed city employees.

House speaker pleased

House Speaker Kris Steele, in his first year as speaker, said he is pleased that bills dealing with the filing of lawsuits advanced, including a measure he filed that would put a $350,000 cap on pain and suffering damages in lawsuits; those wanting to remove the cap would have to prove the bodily injury resulted from negligence if the defendant acted recklessly, fraudulently, intentionally, or was grossly negligent. Steele’s measure was crushed in a vote last week, but enough Republicans fell in line the next day and approved it.

Steele, R-Shawnee, has made economic development a top priority this session to help the state rebound from a downturn caused mainly by the national recession.

“I am extremely proud of the Republican caucus for adhering to the agenda priorities,” Steele said. “It is an enormous responsibility knowing each vote cast could change the lives of Oklahomans. Our focus is on doing what’s best for our citizens and the future of our state.”

Steele had mixed results on two of his key issues — prison reform and giving local governments the power to ban smoking and tobacco use in public places. The prison reform measure passed easily, but the smoking bill never was heard on the House floor. Steele said he was concerned about how it would be treated in the Senate.

Bills in their present form that didn’t pass the House won’t be able to advance this year but could be brought up again next year, the final year of the two-year legislative session. Language in the measures could be inserted in related bills that are still alive this year. The session ends in late May.