Stopping surprise medical billing The Senate approved a bill against surprise medical bills and the financial devastation that can follow. Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, the principal author of Senate Bill 548, said under the bill, a health care provider would be prohibited from reporting a healthcare debt to a credit bureau or pursue collection unless…
Modernizing county record copying The Senate unanimously approved SB 569, authored by Sen. Joe Newhouse, R-Tulsa, which would allow certified copies of county land records to be signed, notarized and recorded electronically. “The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the benefits of being able to provide timely services in a virtual manner,” Newhouse said. Under the bill,…
Changing dates for school elections Low turnout is far too common in local school board elections, but that trend would change thanks to a bill approved by the Senate. SB 962, from Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, would align school board election dates with the dates of primary and general election dates for county,…
Helping prisoners stay out of prison The House overwhelmingly passed House Bill 1679, also known as the “Sarah Stitt Act.” The legislation would help inmates re-enter the workforce after leaving incarceration. Reps. Marilyn Stark, R-Bethany, and Brian Hill, R-Mustang, authored House Bill 1679, which would require the Oklahoma Dept. of Corrections (DOC) to identify inmates…
Benefit allowance for state workers Oklahoma has around 33,000 state employees and one of their benefits as state workers is to get most, if not all, of their health insurance covered under their flexible benefit allowance. As a measure to control costs, the annual benefit allowance was frozen in 2012 and has not increased since,…
After a year of a partial shutdown in Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt and Health Commissioner Lance Frye said last week that an easing of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic will allow a relaxation for visitation to long-term care facilities. The state is updating its visitation guidelines to allow visitors who have completed state-certified essential care training…
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller introduced a multi-step solution to the February power system failure that caused millions of dollars of damage to the Texas agriculture industry. His Proper Oversight, Winterization and Electricity Reform (P.O.W.E.R.) Plan is a set of proposed reforms of the state electricity grid and the institutions responsible for…
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Archbishop Joseph Naumann, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, has taken President Biden to task for touting his faith while at the same time promoting abortions. In a recent interview, Naumann said, “The president should stop defining himself as a devout Catholic and acknowledge that his view…
The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) is allocating $49 million in federal relief dollars to 88 Oklahoma school districts that had received limited funds under Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) II. The funds are part of the set-aside ESSER II dollars that had been allocated to the OSDE. As required under the…
Thanks to an anonymous donor, every public school in Oklahoma will receive four KN95 masks for every teacher and school staffer. These shipments come at a time when the vast majority of school districts are having in-person learning amid a statewide drop in COVID-19 cases. The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) is partnering with…