Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat announces approved interim study requests
Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
CapitolBeatOK Staff Report
OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat recently announced the approval of all requests for interim studies submitted by Oklahoma Senate members.
Senators submitted 72 interim study requests; one request was withdrawn.
Pro Tem Treat, R-Oklahoma City, assigned interim study requests to Senate committees with jurisdiction over the subject matter of the request. Treat said committee chairs will determine when and if the interim studies assigned to their committee will be held.
For a complete list of approved interim study requests, cut and paste this link: https://oksenate.gov/publications/senate-interim-studies.
Treat said all interim studies must be completed by close of business Friday, Nov. 5.
“There were a wide variety of subject matters requested for in-depth study from members of the Senate. I know these hearings will explore important topics and will be useful and productive for the Senate and its members,” Treat said.
Meeting notices will be sent by Senate committees when interim studies are scheduled for hearings.
Meeting notices also will be published on the Senate’s website (www.oksenate.gov).
Interim study hearings will be live-streamed on the Senate website.
CapitolBeatOK.com will monitor the scheduling and themes of the 2021 Interim Studies.
Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat announces approved interim study requests Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
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Sen. Murdock Rep. Newton call on governor to delay closing of William S. Key Correctional Center7/9/2021
CapitolBeatOK Staff Report
Saying too many questions remain unanswered, Oklahoma State Senator Casey Murdock, R-Felt, and State Representative Carl Newton, R-Cherokee, are calling on Gov. Kevin Stitt to delay closing the William S. Key Correctional Center until it can be determined exactly how much shuttering the facility will cost.
The lawmakers said they still had questions after a recent Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the closure.
“We need time to ask the questions representatives from the Department of Corrections didn’t know the answers to,” Murdock said.
“The governor signed off thinking they had a plan and I don’t think he had all the information needed. What we got out of that meeting was a whole lot of ‘I don’t knows.’ Why are they rushing the closing of this prison when they don’t know how much this is going to cost the taxpayers of this state? We need to slow this train down.”
Murdock noted the Department of Corrections is currently paying $19 million a year just in overtime. He said if some officers retire or quit rather than transfer to another facility, that could worsen staffing shortages and increase overtime costs. When legislators asked how much this closure would cost in retirement benefits, moving employees and unemployment insurance, officials from DOC said they didn’t know. While DOC estimated a savings of $1.3 million to $1.5 million, Murdock said he wanted to know what the net savings would be once the cost of laying people off was factored in.
Legislators also asked about $17 million in bond money that had previously been allocated to the prison for necessary repairs — ultimately that money was used in other facilities. When asked about that decision, DOC Director Scott Crow said he was not director at that time. However, Murdock noted Crow was chief operating officer of the agency when the decision to use the money elsewhere was made.
Murdock also felt legislators were misled in the hearing. When asked how many prisoners had already been transferred within the last week, Crow said only the normal transfer of prisoners had occurred.
“There are regular transfers that occur, but in the weeks before this announcement there were about 700 inmates at the prison, and they shipped out 300 in just the last month. That’s not normal, and I question whether what we were told was even remotely accurate,” Murdock said.
If we were misled in that meeting, I have to wonder if the governor was also misled when he was asked to sign off on the prison closure. If this decision was based on bad information, are we really doing what’s best for this state?”
Newton said he too is concerned with the implications of closing the William S. Key Correctional Center.
“I join Senator Murdock and our fellow lawmakers in concerns over the financial impact of this rushed decision,” Newton said. “I would like the department to slow down and let us look more thoroughly at the full implications of the potential closure of this facility and the effect it will have on our communities in northwest Oklahoma."
Sen. Murdock, Rep. Newton call on governor to delay closing of William S. Key Correctional Center Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
Staff Report
OKLAHOMA CITY – On July 30, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy’s annual Heroes Ball – celebrating Oklahoma’s heroes for children – will be held across two venues and virtually on the Zoom platform.
The Oklahoma City venue for the evening will The Skirvin Hilton Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. The Tulsa venue will be in the Greenwood area as this year’s Heroes Ball will pay tribute to those lost and forever changed by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
The two venues will both have speakers and will simulcast between each other as well as webcast to those who attend remotely across the Zoom platform.
The 2020 Heroes Ball was conducted at the height of the pandemic and was fully virtual as it was webcast across the Zoom platform. That effort exceeded expectations and earned OICA the national award for “Best Virtual Event” conducted in 2020.
The primary goal of the Heroes Ball is to honor those who have made a difference in the lives of Oklahoma’s children.
“Because there are so many wonderful advocates out there working on behalf of children, we want to give the people a chance to weigh in on the awards,” said Joe Dorman, OICA’s CEO. “That is why we have the Anne Roberts People’s Choice Awards for an individual and an organization standing up for the state’s children.”
The Anne Roberts People’s Choice Awards are named for Anne Roberts, the longest-serving executive director of OICA. “Anne remains a tireless advocate for children and a valuable resource for our organization as we navigate today’s challenges,” Dorman said. “We are grateful she has allowed her name to be associated with the People’s Choice Child Advocacy Award.”
Last year’s individual winner of the Anne Roberts People’s Choice Award was Ryan Abernathy of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. He was honored for leading childhood hunger initiatives for the food bank and his continued advocacy for organizations and agencies who serve children.
Diabetes Solutions of Oklahoma was the winner of the organizational People’s Choice award for the organization’s commitment and support to families with children recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The nonprofit teaches parents how to care for children with diabetes and gives educational opportunities to families through its summer camp programming and other social gatherings.
Tickets and sponsorships for the 2021 Heroes Ball are available – but reportedly selling quickly.
For more information about the Heroes Ball or to find out how you can help OICA continue its mission of fighting for Oklahoma’s children, go to the website at www.oica.org or call 405-236-KIDS (5437).
To purchase tickets for the Oklahoma City venue visit:
https://ift.tt/3r1vpnH
To purchase tickets for the Tulsa venue visit:
https://ift.tt/36r0FU0
OICA supporters have made nominations for individuals or organizations to receive a People’s Choice award. Online voting to choose winners will begin once the nominations are approved by the OICA Board of Directors.
NOTE: Editor Pat McGuigan contributed to this report.
Oklahoma Institute for Child Policy schedules ‘Heroes Ball’ on July 30 Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
Steve Fair
Does civic engagement or political involvement really make a difference? Do elected officials (at any level) listen to the average citizen or do they heed only their close advisors and/or their donor base? Is the U.S. political system driven purely by money? What is the function of a political Party? These are frequently asked questions.
Let’s briefly examine each.
First, being involved in civic life does make a difference.
Engaging in politics can mean different things to different people. It can run the spectrum from watching political news shows, studying political science, voting, becoming a candidate for office, volunteering on a political campaign, to having a career in consulting, strategy or public relations. Political activists, no matter their Party affiliation, who have been engaged for years move the needle. They have established a track record of staying engaged and elected officials usually don’t ignore them.
Second, elected officials listen to those who hold them accountable.
That starts with citizens showing up, whether it’s a town hall meeting, campaign event or a public appearance. The world is run by those that show up.
Elected officials should be delighted, elated, and ecstatic to respectfully explain a vote or position on an issue to their constituency. It is logical elected officials listen to those who help them get elected (donors/campaign advisors), but constituents who challenge elected official’s votes and positions are hard to ignore. Without accountability from an informed constituency, elected officials can become intelligently lazy, unconcerned and complacent.
Third, money is the mother’s milk of politics.
Political campaigns, at all levels, cost an incredible amount of money. Few candidates can self-fund, so they by necessity solicit donations from individuals, industry associations, and advocacy groups to pay for their campaign. Virtually every campaign contribution comes with ‘strings,’ whether the candidate recognizes it or not. Those big donors expect the candidate, when elected, to listen to them- and they do or they don’t get a second check. All donors are not corrupt and they have the right to lobby an elected official, same as other citizens. Sadly, sometimes elected officials forget they represent an entire constituency/district, not just those who donated to their campaign or voted for them.
Fourth, a political Party provides infrastructure for candidates.
Elected officials sometimes say they don’t believe their Party does anything for them.That is simply not true. The Party provides a ‘brand,’ an ‘identity’ for a candidate. If a candidate/elected official truly believes a Party doesn’t do anything for them, perhaps they should run as an Independent the next time they file for office. Having the Party label helps a candidate- it gets them the base vote.
Sadly, political Parties are often maligned and attacked by those not involved in Party politics.
Long term political Party volunteers unselfishly give of their time, talent and treasure, not because of the glamorous, alluring nature of the job. They stay involved because they care about the cause. They should be respected and commended for their faithfulness, not attacked, criticized and belittled by those who just woke up from their apathic deep sleep, decided to get involved and blame all the problems with politics on those who have been involved longer than fifteen minutes.
Vigilance is the action or state of keeping careful watch for possible damage or difficulties. The vigilant are alert and attentive for an extended period of time. John Philpot Curran said, “The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt.”
Sadly, the scarcity of vigilance by everyday Americans to be involved in their own government has placed them in servitude to that government.
NOTE: Steve Fair is a conservative commentator Oklahoma Republican Party leader. His articles frequently appear on the CapitolBeatOK.com website.
Servitude to the Government: A Commentary Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
Staff Report
Oklahoma City Animal Welfare is waiving fees for a final weekend this Saturday and Sunday, July 10-11, for dog and cat adoptions to clear space at its overcrowded shelter and save lives.
The shelter is nearly at full capacity for cats and 166 percent capacity for dogs after a wave of incoming homeless pets this spring and summer. Making room for more dogs and cats in the shelter is needed to save lives. (https://ift.tt/3kfjFwT)
“We’ve been waiving adoption fees for a while this summer, and it has helped ease the most severe overcrowding. But we really need to clear the shelter this weekend and give us some breathing room to take in more animals and save more lives,” said Animal Welfare Superintendent Jon Gary.
“It’s the perfect time to welcome a pet into your home if you’re ready for it. With so many adoptable animals in the shelter, everyone can find a good fit.”
All adoptable animals (https://www.okc.gov/departments/animal-welfare/programs-and-services/adoptions?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery) at Oklahoma City Animal Welfare are up-to-date on vaccinations, microchipped, treated for worms and spayed or neutered.
The Oklahoma City Animal Welfare – 2811 S.E. 29th Street – is open for adoptions from noon to 5:30 p.m. every day but holidays.
For more information, visit okc.gov/animalwelfare or call (405) 297-3100.
Clear the shelter: Free dog and cat adoptions this weekend at overcrowded Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
CapitolBeatOK Staff Report
Oklahoma’s expanding economy pushed Gross Receipts to the Treasury into record high territory for both 12-month revenue and June collections, State Treasurer Randy McDaniel announced Wednesday, July 7.
Receipts of $14.32 billion during fiscal year 2021, which ended June 30, are the highest on record during any 12-month period in Oklahoma history.
Collections of $1.54 billion from the past month are the highest for any June.
“Positive economic news of this magnitude is reassuring,” State Treasurer Randy McDaniel said in his monthly press release provided to The City Sentinel and other news organizations.
“The economic picture in Oklahoma is still developing, but it’s clearly much improved from where we were a year ago during the depths of the pandemic.”
The substantial increase in gross receipts can be attributed to growth in economic activity along with some non-economic factors, including more than $10 billion in direct federal payments to Oklahomans in response to the pandemic and the timing of income tax payment deadlines.
Last year’s income tax deadline was delayed from April to July, so it’s included in the current 12-month report along with payments due this year. In addition, June receipts are boosted by the change in this year’s income tax payment deadline from April to June. Total income tax collections are up by more than 21 percent for the fiscal year and 73 percent for the month.
McDaniel said oil and gas gross production tax collections show the biggest percentage increase of all major revenue sources for the month. Gross production receipts of $79.7 million are up by more than 300 percent from June of last year when payments were at a record low due to depressed oil prices.
Other indicators
The Oklahoma Business Conditions Index expanded its growth in June. The monthly index was set at 73.6, up from 68.9 in May. Numbers above 50 indicate economic expansion is expected during the next three to six months.
The May unemployment rate in Oklahoma was reported as 4.0 percent by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state’s jobless rate was down from 4.1 percent in April and from 9.5 percent in May 2020. The U.S. unemployment rate was set at 5.8 percent in May.
June collections
Compared to gross receipts from June 2020, collections in June 2021 show:
• Total monthly gross collections are $1.54 billion, up $440.2 million, or 40.2 percent.
• Gross income tax collections, a combination of individual and corporate income taxes, generated $704.9 million, up by $297.6 million, or 73.1 percent.
• Individual income tax collections are $519.5 million, an increase of $193.3 million, or 59.3 percent.
• Corporate collections are $185.4 million, up by $104.3 million, or 128.6 percent.
• Combined sales and use tax collections, including remittances on behalf of cities and counties, total $523.9 million – up by $53.1 million, or 11.3 percent
• Sales tax collections total $453.3 million, an increase of $48.4 million, or 12 percent.
• Use tax receipts, collected on out-of-state purchases including internet sales, generated $70.6 million, an increase of $4.7 million, or 7.1 percent.
• Gross production taxes on oil and natural gas total $79.7 million, an increase of $60.1 million, or 305.8 percent.
• Motor vehicle taxes produced $85.9 million, up by $10.3 million, or 13.6 percent.
• Other collections composed of some 60 different sources including taxes on fuel, tobacco, medical marijuana, and alcoholic beverages, produced $140.7 million – up by $19.1 million, or 15.7 percent.
• The medical marijuana tax produced $6 million, up by $475,893, or 8.6 percent from June 2020.
Twelve-month collections
Combined gross receipts for past 12 months compared to the trailing 12 months show:
• Gross revenue totals $14.32 billion. That is $1.3 billion, or 10 percent, above collections from the previous period.
• Gross income taxes generated $5.32 billion, an increase of $945.1 million, or 21.6 percent.
• Individual income tax collections total $4.44 billion, up by $577 million, or 14.9 percent.
• Corporate collections are $879.1 million, an increase of $368.1 million, or 72 percent.
• Combined sales and use taxes generated $5.82 billion, an increase of $347.2 million, or 6.3 percent.
• Gross sales tax receipts total $4.96 billion, up by $231.3 million, or 4.9 percent.
• Use tax collections generated $858.7 million, an increase of $115.9 million, or 15.6 percent.
• Oil and gas gross production tax collections generated $754.3 million, down by $74.9 million, or 9 percent.
• Motor vehicle collections total $822.3 million, an increase of $38 million, or 4.9 percent.
• Other sources generated $1.6 billion, up by $49.2 million, or 3.2 percent.
• Medical marijuana taxes generated $66.1 million, up by $23.7 million, or 55.9 percent.
About Gross Receipts to the Treasury: The monthly Gross Receipts to the Treasury report, developed by the state treasurer’s office, provides a timely and broad view of the state’s economy. It is released in conjunction with the General Revenue Fund report from the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, which provides information to state agencies for budgetary planning purposes. The General Revenue Fund, the state’s main operating account, receives less than half of the state’s gross receipts with the remainder paid in rebates and refunds, remitted to cities and counties, and apportioned to other state funds.
Gross Receipts for Oklahoma set records as economy grows Treasurer McDaniel Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
Staff Report
Cristo Rey Oklahoma City Catholic High School will commemorate the success of its students while enjoying An Evening of Royals. The second annual event will be held on Thursday, Aug. 19, at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club to celebrate students, community supporters and Corporate Work Study Partners.
“After the last year of obstacles and challenges our students have had to overcome, we look forward to finally being able to celebrate our students’ hard work, an honor they have earned and deserve now more than ever,” Cristo Rey OKC President Chip Carter said. “Additionally, we will be recognizing special individuals including our Corporate Work Study Partners and those in the community who support our mission.”
(link for information: https://ift.tt/2Ypxlc3)
An Evening of Royals will begin at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception followed by a dinner and celebratory program at 7 p.m. Co-chaired by Bob and Heather Ross, this event will also honor Judy Love as the recipient of the Cristo Rey OKC Legacy Award and The Boldt Company as the school’s Corporate Work Study Partner of the Year. The Cristo Rey OKC Legacy Award recognizes an individual whose ideals, influence and accomplishments on behalf of distinguished record of community service throughout his/her life have left a lasting, positive impression with the Cristo Rey community.
“We are deeply grateful to Judy and proud to recognize her for being such an integral part of the Cristo Rey OKC launch in 2018 and our school’s early success,” Carter continued. “Judy has been nothing short of miraculous for our school and has done so much for the Oklahoma City community, much more than people know.”
Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact Lauren Paternostro via email at [email protected].
For more information about this event, visit here: https://ift.tt/3wpf6Ce.
About Cristo Rey Oklahoma City: Cristo Rey OKC Catholic High School is a Catholic learning community that educates young people of limited economic means to become men and women of faith, knowledge, purpose and service. A member of the national Cristo Rey Network of 37 schools, Cristo Rey OKC combines rigorous academics with real-world work experience, seeking to prepare their students for success in college and life. As part of Cristo Rey’s unique Corporate Work Study Program, students work one day a week in professional settings, earning a majority of their own tuition.
Cristo Rey Oklahoma City to host an evening of Royals, Judy Love will receive Legacy Award Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK With inspirations from Kashmir and Oklahoma from Viktor Frankl and her family Nyla Khan creates7/6/2021
Pat McGuigan
In a wide-ranging discourse on conflict, youthful trauma, historic events and contemporary challenges, Dr. Nyla Khan engaged a diverse set of Oklahomans who gathered at a north Oklahoma City home to mark the release of her newest book.
Dr. Nyla praised the life’s body of work from Father Michael Lapsley as source material for her studies and reflections. She recalled that after an attempt was made to kill him (in which he lost an eye and both hands), Lapsley found his way forward, establishing for the nation of South Africa the “Institute for Healing of Memories.”
She told the July 1 gathering that she first encountered Lapsley at Oklahoma City’s Fairview Baptist Church. The breadth of her scholarly inspiration, Dr. Nyla made clear, includes men like Lapsley and the late Viktor Frankl.
Upon her first reading, she drew hope from Frankl’s ability to distill his own trauma and suffering into conclusions echoing core beliefs within diverse world faith positions. Frankl survived the Holocaust of the 1940s, going on to write a book that remains among the most influential works created in the Twentieth Century.
In “Man’s Search for Meaning,” Frankl wrote: “Everything can be taken from man but one thing, the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Dr. Nyla’s new book is “Educational Strategies for Youth Empowerment in Conflict Zones: Transforming, not Transmitting, Trauma” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021). It is available both in print and digital versions.
Concerning direct work with students, Dr. Nyla said that in classrooms, she encourages discussion of individual responses to trauma and challenges.
She reflects that many young people seem to carry “a sense of entitlement” – whether it is centered on position, access to power or their preferred interpretation of events. She presses them, hoping they find an understanding that “with entitlement comes responsibility.”
She asserts that her work has led to examinations of “multiple human life issues.” Dr. Nyla believes that contemporary students react best to testimonials. Young people discovering broader realities of modern life bear burdens in these times as they discern a “loss of values they thought would buoy them up.”
A trauma-informed approach to justice, she contends, leads to affirmation of the central importance of community and institution-building, realistic and pragmatic ways to broaden awareness among one’s own experiences. She recognizes but is not obsessed with debate questions among philosophers along the lines of this: “Do theories have a real impact on society?”
Dr. Nyla told attendees at the recent event she was encouraged to learn of the practical work of Charles (David) Tauber in Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia, using discussion, study and arbitration to benefit students and families.
In her work at Rose State and Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC), she has learned from the experiences of American soldiers in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, and from their candor about the aftermath of time in combat.
In his era of mass-media-driven “one-up-manship” and propaganda, Dr. Nyla described tutoring students to understand, and act upon, a knowledge that resolving a problem requires respectful discourse, a willingness to learn there are “shades of gray” in life.
Even as she seeks “transformative” understandings, she casts honor on the choices of those who choose a life of service to family, neighbors and community.
For all her generously calibrated praise for the works of scholars such as Lapsley, Frankl and
Tauber, the clearest emotional spark for her growing intellectual exploration emerges from her own family – her father and mother, and, in the last 18 years, her daughter.
Concerning her father, Dr. Nyla shared tender thoughts: “He often told me that people should feel free to delight in life until the last breath. He taught me how to live, and the flame of my father’s love will never be extinguished. Every calamity and every conflict reminds us of the fragility of life.”
And this: “Life is transient and precarious. The sooner we realize that we live on the edge of an abyss, the more present we will be for every moment, big and small.
As for the spiritual nature of we, the living, she said: “Acknowledging the uncertainty of life will enable us to recognize the potential for meaning in every moment. Our lives have meaning not despite the fragility of life, but because of it. We can learn to see every challenge as an opportunity to grow, because we are not immortal and must make the most of every minute on earth.”
Now an American citizen, Dr. Nyla draws inspiration from her homeland, the region of Kashmir on the west side of the Indian sub-continent.
Dr. Nyla said events in her native land and memories of days as a school girl in Kashmir combine in “the power to make my heart melt.” Among her motivations for writing the new book is a hope “the marginalized of that region can retain hope.” (Kashmir and Jummu was in the post-colonial era granted a semi-autonomous status, until the Indian government over recent years eroded that nation’s federalist system and concentrated power at the center of the nation.)
Dr. Nyla draws inspiration from students here and now, in Oklahoma and elsewhere.
While her book and her public comments are infused with memories of her father, she credited the “dignity and great self-confidence” of her mother, descended from a powerful Kashmiri political family, who made her family the center of her life for decades.
She tenderly praised the “creative rebelliousness” of her daughter, Iman, who was among the attendees.
Dialogue was sparked among the eclectic group of Oklahomans (and a pair of Peruvians). Many of those present shared brief testimonials. Those speaking for memorable moments before the evening’s close included Dr. Nyla’s husband, Faisal Khan.
Hosts for the event were Cindy Ruffel and her husband, Lance.
Some of Dr. Nyla’s colleagues from the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women (OCSW) were present, including Pat Carr (organizer for the event), Victoria Woods (chair of the commission), Riki Snyder (past chair), and Karen Sneary (OCSW secretary). Dr. Nyla is the group’s advisory council chair.
Academics at the gathering included Cathleen Skinner (state director, World Languages) and Candie McKee from OCCC, and Professor Steve Morrow. Enrique Villar-Gambetta, consul to Oklahoma for the nation of Peru, and his son Ignacio were there. Joan Korenblit of the Respect Diversity Foundation graced the assembly along with her twin, Joy Bravo.
Others in the group were: Andrea Holmes Voltura, longtime employee at the state Auditor and Inspector’s office, as well as Rebecca Thompson, legal minds Robert C. Thompson and Judge Steve Haynes, as well as Kayla Bellmon Loount, Blue Clark, Germaine Odenheimer, Mike Hoskins, Adeline Yerkes, and Debbie South.
With inspirations from Kashmir and Oklahoma, from Viktor Frankl and her family, Nyla Khan creates Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
The City Sentinel, Staff Report
OKLAHOMA CITY – House Minority Leader Emily Virgin, D-Norman, filed an interim study request Tuesday (June 29) to examine the benefits of ending the state sales tax on groceries.
Eliminating the tax was a key component of House Democrats' Oklahoma Focused Budget this past session. The elimination would save Oklahomans, many of whom are struggling to keep up with the cost of living, more than $250 million in taxes on groceries.
“Ending the grocery tax keeps money in the pocket of low and middle-income Oklahomans,” Virgin said. “We have parents who are stretching every dollar to be able to feed their children. They shouldn’t have to calculate a cut for the state in their grocery bill.”
Oklahoma is one of only 13 states that impose a tax on groceries. Only three states make their citizens pay a higher tax than Oklahoma.
“Thirty-seven states fund their government without a tax on milk and bread,” Virgin said. “Oklahoma can too.”
The Democratic leader wants to spend time looking at the economic benefits of ending the state’s sales tax on groceries.
“We have heard from grocery stores that this would help them,” Virgin said. “We want to use this study to find out to what degree."
Ending the tax has bipartisan support among both voters and lawmakers.
“We have seen statements from Republican lawmakers that seem to support ending the grocery tax,” Virgin said. “When our caucus put out the Oklahoma Focused Budget, we received positive feedback from constituents of all parties. It is a popular idea, but most important, it is good policy.”
Editor’s Note: In Oklahoma, Interim Study requests are considered by the Speaker of the House every summer. Speaker Charles McCall accepted requests for interim studies from members of both parties through June 25. He is expected to announce a list of approved studies by July 23, 2021. In the past, the Interim Study process has laid the basis for many legislative proposals eventually enacted into law.
www.City-Sentinel.com
House Minority Leader Emily Virgin requests study on ending state grocery tax Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
Staff Report
OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Mickey Dollens, D-Oklahoma City, filed a request last week for an interim study focused on improving the lives of Oklahomans living with a disability.
Dollens hopes to use the study to examine the possible creation of the Oklahoma Disability Fund and how the fund, through innovative grants and initiatives, could make the state more accessible and equitable for Oklahomans who face disability.
“This Oklahoma Disability Fund could be a catalyst to changing the way Oklahoma serves citizens affected by disabilities,” Dollens said. “By empowering local initiatives through grants, we can hopefully find new solutions to increase the quality of life for many Oklahomans.”
Dollens recognizes that this fund isn’t a silver bullet but does see it as potentially more than a band-aid for the disability-related issues facing many Oklahomans.
“Like much of our state government, this community needs adequate resources,” Dollens said.
“This fund wouldn’t replace any funds going to agencies who serve Oklahomans with a disability. I have and will continue to advocate that those agencies receive more resources.
“What this study will look into are new funding sources, identifying project initiatives, and exploring how the Oklahoma Disability Fund could work with existing service providers to help improve the lives of Oklahomans.”
Editor’s Note: In Oklahoma, Interim Study requests are considered by the Speaker of the House every summer. Speaker Charles McCall accepted requests for interim studies from members of both parties through June 25. He is expected to announce a list of approved studies by July 23, 2021. In the past, the Interim Study process has laid the basis for many legislative proposals eventually enacted into law.
www.City-Sentinel.com
Disability Fund Focus of Interim Study request from Rep. Mickey Dollens Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK |
Pat McGuiganThe dean of all Oklahoma Journalism, Mr Patrick McGuigan; has a rich history of service in many aspects of both covering the news and producing the information that the public needs to know. Archives
September 2021
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