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The Tulsa Beacon

 

Legislative Update

Folds of Honor helps the families of fallen heroes

Tulsa Beacon

OWASSO (PRNewswire) — Folds of Honor was founded by Captain Dan Rooney above his garage in 2007 with a dream to provide the gift of education to military families impacted by war. A veteran of three combat tours in Iraq, Rooney was recently promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and today, he has a…

Gov. Stitt names Justin Brown as new director of DHS

Tulsa Beacon

Governor Kevin Stitt  has appointed Justin Brown Director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS). “Justin is a fellow Oklahoman who has a strong record of helping healthcare and human-service oriented businesses become great success stories in their delivery of compassionate care,” said Stitt. “His time working at the Villagio Senior Living is just…

Bill reforms long-term care

Tulsa Beacon

SB 888 will allow seniors to take advantage of options counseling to ensure they are fully informed of their options prior to admission to a long-term care program, including less costly choices like home health and adult day services.  One option provided under SB 888 is the PACE program, which is a Medicare and Medicaid…

Workers Comp reform bill passes

Tulsa Beacon

The Oklahoma Senate approved legislation that preserves and strengthens landmark workers’ compensation reforms adopted in 2013.  House Bill 2367 passed unanimously and now goes to the governor’s desk for consideration. Senator Julie Daniels, Senate Judiciary Committee chair, is the Senate author of the bill and said HB 2367 clarifies and secures the reforms while addressing…

Office to evaluate the state budget

Tulsa Beacon

The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a measure creating a legislative office to evaluate agency budgets and programs for lawmakers. Senate Bill 1 would create the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) within the existing Legislative Service Bureau (LSB). The LSB is a shared office between the House of Representatives and the Senate that currently…

RESTORE task force being formed

Tulsa Beacon

Governor Kevin Stitt issued Executive Order 2019-22 to form the Criminal Justice Reentry, Supervision, Treatment and Opportunity Reform (RESTORE) Task Force. “This task force will bring together all stakeholders to discuss the criminal code, diversion programs, victims’ rights, and our prison system. When Oklahoma comes together as one team, we can create bold change that…

Bail system reform bill gets passed

Tulsa Beacon

The Oklahoma Senate passed Senate Bill 252, which reforms the state’s bail system. SB 252 ensures that most people accused of misdemeanors or nonviolent felonies are considered for unsecured release and are detained only if they threaten public safety or have a history of failing to appear in court.

Barbering, massages in SB 101

Tulsa Beacon

Sen. Paul Scott, R-Duncan, is the author of Senate Bill 101 to update Oklahoma’s barbering and massage therapist licensing rules. “We have individuals who have diplomas for completing competent training in another state or country and are not allowed to qualify for a license, take examination, or work in Oklahoma due to our current licensing…

More classroom time for students

Tulsa Beacon

The Oklahoma Senate on passed a bill that provides increased classroom time for students beginning with the 2021-2022 school year. Senator Marty Quinn, R-Claremore, is the author of the bill. “Everyone can agree that it’s beneficial for a student to spend more time in the classroom learning from a quality teacher. More time in the…

Long-term nursing care options

Tulsa Beacon

Oklahoma is second in the nation for nursing home residents with low-care needs who could be better served in home and community-based settings. The Senate gave final approval to Senate Bill 888 to provide seniors and their families options that best suit the individual’s long-term healthcare needs while saving the state money.  “Oklahoma spends 70…