Sen. Bryan Logan, R-District 8, successfully advanced his first two pieces of legislation this week, with both measures passing Senate committee hearings.

Senate Bill 1980 passed the Senate Public Safety Committee, and Senate Bill 1948 passed the Senate Local & County Government Committee, marking an early legislative milestone for the freshman senator.

Senate Bill 1980 targets organized financial crime by closing gaps in state law governing gift card and gift certificate fraud. The measure makes it a crime to acquire or retain possession of a gift card, gift certificate, or redemption information without the consent of the cardholder or issuer when done with intent to defraud. The bill also establishes criminal penalties for altering gift cards.

Under the bill, individuals who attempt to obtain gift card or gift certificate redemption information through false or fraudulent pretenses would be guilty of fraud. If the total value of money or goods obtained through these schemes exceeds $950, the offense would rise to the level of grand larceny.

“This bill isn’t about a one-off shoplifter,” Logan said. “This is about organized scam operations that are using gift cards like blank checks – stealing the information, draining the value, and disappearing before victims even realize what’s happened. This bill makes it clear that stealing and draining gift cards is real theft, and Oklahoma will treat it that way.”

In addition to public safety, Logan advanced legislation addressing local control and individual responsibility.

Senate Bill 1948 addresses local control and individual freedom related to fireworks sales and use. The bill removes the restriction limiting fireworks sales to certain days of the year and clarifies that counties may not prohibit private, noncommercial outdoor fireworks displays on private property, provided no county burn ban is in effect.

“Oklahomans value common sense and personal responsibility,” Logan said. “If someone is being safe, following the law, and there’s no burn ban in place, the state shouldn’t be stepping in unnecessarily. This bill brings the law more in line with how people actually live.”

Logan said both bills reflect his broader approach to governing: being tough on crime, respectful of local communities, and focused on practical solutions.

“I didn’t come here to play politics; I came here to protect people,” Logan said. “That means cracking down on real criminal behavior and writing laws that actually work.”

Both measures now advance in the legislative process.