The Latest in Oklahoma: July 12, 2024
A&A Advocates
Gov. Kevin Stitt held a ceremony Tuesday, signing 30 bills that were passed earlier this year at the State Capitol. Among those bills was House Bill 4073, known as Alyssa’s Law, which requires schools across the state to install a panic alert system for any emergency that may happen during the school day. Other bills signed by Stitt on Tuesday included one to ban school staff from communicating with students over email or text without including their parents, while another removes the requirement for businesses to check IDs while serving alcohol. Lawmakers will be back at the state Capitol next week to resume a special session focused on confirming appointments made by the governor.
A new federal rule, intended to provide safety and quality of care in Medicare-and Medicaid-certified long-term care facilities is causing concern in Oklahoma, as the industry projects its level of success in the state. The rule will cost Oklahoma nursing homes an estimated $76 million per year, according to a CliftonLarsenAllen, LLP analysis, which many industry professionals find impossible. Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a letter to the Biden administration, alongside 14 Republican governors, urging it to reconsider the mandate. Other state lawmakers have also opposed the mandate and its particular threat to rural nursing homes.
The Oklahoma Lottery Commission recorded an all-time high of about $380.5 million in sales revenue and about $87.6 million was reinvested in education in fiscal year 2023. For every dollar Oklahomans spend on tickets, about $0.25 goes back to the classroom. It is projected to have its second best year in its history in 2024, with $354.6 million in sales and $87.5 million for education.
Norman Regional Health System is citing the diabetes management drug Ozempic and similar medications for the reason to close its doors to its weight loss clinic, Journey Clinic, on October 6, 2024. Norman Regional’s CEO Richie Splitt told Becker’s Hospital Review this week that the hospital has seen a decline in surgery referrals—over the past year, weight loss surgeries have fallen by 30%. Clinic spokesperson Melissa Herron said the closure will allow Norman Regional “to focus on expanding other areas of service where we see increasing demand and opportunities for growth.”
What We’re Watching
Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced he has selected a team of individuals to draft new social studies curriculum standards for the state. Read the full announcement here.
Organizers claim they have surpassed the necessary signatures for State Question 832, which proposes the first increase in the minimum wage in nearly 15 years. If the question is successfully approved, it will gradually increase the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 cents an hour to $15 an hour in 2029.
“He was a staunch conservative who tirelessly worked to improve America’s energy security and national defense, and America’s detractors at home and abroad hated him for it. He wore their scorn as a badge of honor. When climate activists printed wanted posters featuring his image for COP 21 in Paris, he proudly autographed them and handed them back to protestors. America needs more like him.” – Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma President Brook A. Simmons on the recent passing of Senator Jim Inhofe