It's time to return to State Capitol

One more week and we’ll be back at it at the Capitol. I’m looking forward to hearing Governor Stitt’s vision for policies this session as well as his budget proposal. He’ll share all of this in his State of the State at noon on Monday, Feb. 7 in the House chambers. You’ll be able to watch it live on the House website (www.okhouse.gov), OETA and on other major news stations. 

The first four weeks of session are set aside for committee work. The floor leader is currently working on assigning the nearly 800 Senate bills to the various committees. It’s then up to each chairperson to decide which bills will be heard in his or her committee. As they are approved, committee agendas will be available on the Senate website at www.oksenate.gov.

Again, this session, I’ll be serving on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services as well as the Business, Commerce and Tourism, Health and Human Services, Rules, and Transportation Committees. You can find the schedules for these meetings on our website, where they are also streamed live.

Last week, our appropriations subcommittee held budget hearings with seven of our 12 state agencies. We heard from the Departments of Health, Rehabilitation Services, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Veterans Affairs and Human Services as well as the Office of Juvenile Affairs, and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority. Together, these seven agencies received nearly $2.46 billion of the FY’22 budget. Altogether, the twelve Health and Human Services agencies were appropriated nearly $2.61 billion of the current fiscal budget. 

These hearings allow agencies to explain how they’re using their current appropriations and justify their budget requests for the upcoming fiscal year. Given the substantial amount of taxpayer dollars they receive, it’s imperative that we understand and know how they’re utilizing their funds to ensure accountability and efficiency within each agency.

Being a healthcare professional, many of my bills deal with problems I’ve witnessed over my years in the industry or have been brought to my attention by other health-related professionals. I’d like to share some of those this week.

SB 1156 allows nursing facilities, assisted living centers, and residential care homes to be licensed as an adult day care center by the State Department of Health. It instructs the department to consider licensure as a nursing facility, assisted living center, or residential care home as proof of compliance with applicable standards of adult day care centers. Such entities would have to apply to the department and pay the initial fee to be licensed as an adult day care center. Oklahoma is in desperate need of these types of facilities, so hopefully this change will help provide additional options for families with loved ones in need of this type of care.

SB 1193 adds technology centers and private schools offering a diploma in nursing to the list of approved entities with qualifying programs for registered nurses (RNs). Oklahoma is in desperate need of more RN’s. In 2018, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, found that the state had a ratio of 700 RNs per 100,000 populations, which was well below the national average of 1,150 per 100,000. Those numbers have worsened during the pandemic. This is a critical issue that we must find a solution for.

Improving healthcare and access to services statewide is critical for our citizens, and I’m anxious to work on these important issues this session.

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.