Freshmen senators hit the ground running

What a surreal and humbling experience it is to walk the hallowed halls of our magnificent state Capitol. I want to thank you all again for the incredible privilege to serve as your voice in the Oklahoma Senate.

The past month has been a whirlwind, as our freshmen class had to hit the ground running as soon as we were sworn in as senators. This is a busy time of year in the legislative process; we had to submit our bill requests by Dec. 11. I submitted 18 requests, but more work has to be completed before I can file these requests. I have been working with Senate staff as we research the issues, and I have until Thursday, Jan. 21 to decide what bills I want to continue working on and file.

Several of the issues I look forward to tackling this session are relating to various disciplines in the healthcare industry. Some of these requests are for bills that other legislators have worked on in the past but felt like I would be able to “speak the language” better, due to my diverse background in healthcare systems. Additionally, I have a few bills relating to improving small business operations and voter laws, to name a few. I am looking forward to using my professional experience to help improve the lives of Oklahomans.

We also recently received our committee assignments. My committees include Health and Human Services, Transportation, Rules, Business, Commerce and Tourism, and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services. This subcommittee is responsible for overseeing and determining the budgets for 12 state agencies including the Departments of Health, Human Services, Veterans Affairs and Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

One of the biggest issues, we’ll be working on is figuring out how to fund the Medicaid expansion that was approved by voters this summer. The state question expanded SoonerCare to an additional 200,000 Oklahomans starting next year. The expansion has an estimated annual cost to the state of between $165 million to $247 million. The federal government will cover the remaining expense of this massive expansion.

Besides the budget, the legislature is also constitutionally required to redraw district lines for state legislative and congressional districts based on the population results of the 2020 Census. A bipartisan committee of House and Senate members has been appointed and are holding public town hall meetings throughout the state.

I was able to attend the town hall in Chickasha last week and was excited to see so many Oklahomans participating in the process of redistricting. It’s important to have public input in this process as it impacts how Oklahomans are represented at the state and federal levels.

A schedule of Senate meetings is available at www.oksenate.gov/redistricting and House meetings at www.okhouse.gov.  The meetings can be viewed virtually, and they will be archived for those not able to watch them live. If you have questions or suggestions on the redistricting process, you can send those to redistricting@oksenate.gov.

While the session starts on Monday, Feb. 1, we’ll first gather for an organizational day on Tuesday, Jan. 5, to officially vote on our leadership team, approve the rules for the 58th Legislature and take care of some other office matters.

Like all sessions and committee meetings, you can watch us live on the Senate website. To stay up to date, please also follow my official Senate Facebook page @SenatorJessicaGarvin as well as the official Senate page @oksenate. You can also follow the Oklahoma Senate on Twitter @oksenate to keep up on committee and floor schedules, bill updates and other happenings at the Capitol. 

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and happy and safe New Year. May the new year be full of love, health and peace for you and your family. 

If you have any questions or concerns on legislative matters, please contact me at the Capitol. Please write to Senator Jessica Garvin, State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. Room 237, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105, email me at Jessica.Garvin@oksenate.gov or call (405) 521-5522.