Bill Providing Tax Credit For Caregivers Moves Forward
Oklahoma lawmakers pushed forward a measure that gives tax credit to people who spend their time helping care for family members.
House Bill 1368 gives a tax credit to caregivers who provide hours of unpaid care every year.
Lawton Senator John Michael Montgomery says when people have to care for a family member it puts an undue burden on them financially.
“There’s a lot of time and effort that people put into caring for someone, so this is just more of acknowledgment of the kind of time, the resources that are required to do that and basically it’s just a small way of trying to help them out with the incurred costs,” Montgomery said.
If the bill becomes a law, it would provide at least a $2,000 tax credit to cover caregiving expenses for an adult relative 62 or older.
It now returns to the House before it can go to the Governor’s desk.
Walmart Health Expanding To OKC
Walmart Health is expanding its services to Oklahoma.
The company plans to open four health centers in the Oklahoma City area next year.
The centers will offer primary care, labs, X-ray, behavioral health, dental, hearing, community health and telehealth. The facilities will be located adjacent to Supercenters.
The expansion is part of the company's mission to make quality healthcare more accessible and affordable for customers in underserved communities.
Walmart Health also plans to expand to Arizona and Missouri in 2024, doubling the number of its locations to 80 by the end of that year.
Bill Banning Gender-Affirming Care For Minors Moves Forward
A bill banning gender-affirming care for minors is nearing the finish line. The measure criminalizes care.
Senate Bill 613 mirrors the state’s abortion bans, in that it makes performing the service a felony, threatening medical providers with up to a decade in prison and $100,000 in fines.
It also mirrors the abortion ban that allows private citizens to file lawsuits for damages against doctors in civil court. It also adds providing gender-affirming services to children as a cause for medical and nursing license revocations.
The bill bans surgeries, which medical providers generally recommend only for adults, as well as less intense and non-permanent treatments such as puberty blockers.
The bill passed off the House floor Wednesday night along party lines.
There is a House bill that bans the care for minors, as well as all public funding and insurance coverage for gender-affirming care for Oklahomans of any age. It didn’t get a hearing in the Senate.
The bill is headed back to the Senate for another vote before it can go to the governor’s desk.
USDA Offers Producers Funding To Transition Farms To Organic Operation
The USDA is offering producers $75 million to help transition their farms to become certified organic operations.
Demand for organic produce and meat has been on the rise in Oklahoma. From 2016 through 2019 organic product sales doubled.
But as of 2021, there were only six certified organic operations in the state.
The USDA is hoping to change that by assisting producers – here and across the country – through the Organic Transition Initiative.
From managing land without using prohibited pesticides, to logistical challenges, farmers face a multitude of struggles during the first few years of certification. The National Resources Conservation Service will dedicate financial and technical assistance to help.
Farmers, ranchers, and other producers beginning or in the process of transitioning to organic certification are eligible to apply.
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