State Senator Casey Murdock is set to present House Bill 3660 before the Senate Business and Insurance Committee on Thursday, while also taking a flamethrower to what he calls an “absurd” misinformation campaign surrounding the measure. Murdock, a Republican from Felt, accused a freshman lawmaker of spreading “blatant lies” and building a track record of trying to regulate just about everything, now extending that ambition into the afterlife. He also encouraged media outlets and national commentators to try a radical concept: reading the bill before reacting to it.

The legislation, authored by Eddy Dempsey, would legalize Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), an eco-friendly funeral alternative that allows human remains to return to the earth through a controlled process using heat, water, and organic material. The bill defines NOR as a licensed funeral service regulated by the Oklahoma Funeral Board, complete with strict oversight, detailed statutory requirements, and what supporters describe as the strongest guardrails in the nation. It also makes it unmistakably clear that the resulting material cannot be used in food production or commercial fertilizer, despite the imaginative rumors making the rounds.

Murdock says the bill is about giving families more affordable and flexible options during one of life’s worst moments, pointing out that traditional funerals can be financially out of reach. He maintains the proposal supports free-market choice while backing it with criminal penalties for misuse, dismissing critics as uninformed and more focused on social media traction than facts. If approved, Oklahoma would join 14 other states including Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada in allowing NOR, with eight more considering similar legislation. Murdock also leaned into the philosophical angle, citing the biblical reminder that we return to dust, and framing HB 3660 as a way for Oklahomans to do exactly that, just with more paperwork and significantly more debate.