Another Special Session For 2023
Last Monday (Sept. 18, 2023), Governor Kevin Stitt filed an executive order calling for another special session of the legislature. He wants lawmakers to return October 3rd and take action on three items.
Stitt asked the legislature to:
- Consider a trigger law mandating that if a state or federal court finds that some individuals due to their race, heritage or political classification don't have to pay a particular state tax, then no Oklahoman will have to pay that tax.
- Consider an income tax cut that puts Oklahoma on the path to zero income taxes.
- Adopt a budget transparency measure that gives Oklahomans and their elected representatives the opportunity to see more clearly how their taxpayer dollars are being spent.
Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat says he supports tax cuts, generally. But he's unsure what can get done in what he calls a “hastily called” special session. And he blames a lack of communication from Stitt.
"He has not sought my opinion nor anyone in leadership's opinion on the Senate side," said Treat. "I don't know the sense of urgency that would be for the governor to define, I guess."
Oklahoma Ranks 3rd In Adult Obesity
Oklahoma has the third-highest adult obesity prevalence in the nation, according to the CDC.
Data from 2022 found that Oklahoma is among 22 states with a prevalence above 35%, trailing only Louisiana and West Virginia at 40.1 and 41%, respectively. Obesity prevalence refers to the proportion of adults with BMIs equal to or greater than 30 based on self-reported weight and height.
John Schumann, a primary care provider at Tulsa’s Oak Street Health, said he’s not surprised by this ranking, and he often sees the impacts of obesity in patients who develop high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. In 2021, about 39% of adult Oklahomans had high blood pressure, and 12.8% reported having diabetes.
Schumann said a new class of medications used for diabetes and weight loss, like Ozempic, are available and can help treat obesity. Long-term side effects are unknown. But he said his first-line treatment for people affected by obesity is counseling and education.
“Even in medical school, we have very limited, poor, I would say, education around nutrition, specifically,” Schumann said. “I think nutrition education as a whole is not readily available, and I think is not up to the task of helping to combat junk food prevalence and the obesity epidemic.”
Karen Hacker, director of the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, said in a news release there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to combating obesity prevalence.
“We know the key strategies that work include addressing the underlying social determinants of health such as access to healthcare, healthy and affordable food, and safe places for physical activity,” Hacker said in the release.
PGA’s Senior Open Returns To OK
Some of the best golfers in the world will return to Edmond in 2027.
The United States Golf Association announced Tuesday (Sept. 26, 2023), it will bring the U.S. Senior Open Championship to Oak Tree National.
The 2027 Open will be the third U-S-G-A championship to be played at the course.
An Edmond Economic Development Authority study on the 2014 Senior Open at Oak Tree expected the total impact would be nearly $13 million for the local economy.
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