Oklahoma Legislature Moves To Exempt Natural Gas Industry From Price Gouging Law
Legislation to exempt the natural gas industry from an Oklahoma price gouging law is headed to the Governor’s desk.
The existing Emergency Price Stabilization Act prohibits anyone from increasing prices more than 10% after a declared emergency in Oklahoma.
Rep. Mark McBride authored House Bill 2561, which exempts the natural gas industry from the rule. He says Oklahoma’s natural gas utilities can’t control the market and shouldn’t have to foot the bill after emergencies.
But Democrats say this leaves Oklahoman utility customers no recourse against natural gas price surges, like those after Winter Storm Uri in 2021.
Del City Rep. Andy Fugate says the new amendment could prevent future state investigations into potential natural gas price gouging.
"We should allow an attorney general the opportunity to go look the next time around, instead of writing into statute, 'You will turn a blind eye,'" said Fugate.
The bill cleared the Senate last week, and is now awaiting the governor’s approval.
Superintendent Ryan Walters Attends A House Committee Meeting, Answers Questions About Policies, Rhetoric
After initially refusing invitations earlier this session, Superintendent Ryan Walters attended a House committee meeting Monday to answer questions about his policies and rhetoric.
Walters responded to a question from Democratic Representative Forrest Bennett, who asks how Walters’ recent video encouraging more Bibles in classrooms wouldn’t be considered indoctrination — a refrain Walters uses often.
Walters says the representative’s question was illustrative of how, “Democrats want to strike out any mentions of the Bible from our history.”
And that was one of several contentious moments during Monday’s hearing, which also included Walters calling teachers’ unions “terrorist organizations,” and saying his agency was an “absolute dumpster fire,” when he started and one that previous Superintendent Joy Hofmeister “ran… into the ground.”
Walters was also tasked with providing data to back up his claims that indoctrination is what’s keeping Oklahoma students from reaching higher academic outcomes.
Oklahoma AG Urging Medicare Coverage For Drug To Delay Alzheimer’s Disease
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is leading a coalition of 26 other states to petition the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to provide coverage for an FDA-approved drug for Alzheimer’s Disease.
In a letter, the attorneys general ask for Medicare coverage for the monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against amyloid to help delay the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Those antibodies are typically only covered when administered through clinical trials or other studies.
The letter says the coverage would be consistent with a quote “decades-long practice of covering FDA-approved prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries.”
According to the Alzheimer’s Association more than 6 million Americans are living with the disease.
More Syphilis Testing Required
Oklahoma ranks in the top five states for babies born with syphilis, but that could change soon.
The governor signed a bill that will require more frequent screenings for pregnant patients.
The CDC estimates from 2016 to 2020, the rate of babies born with syphilis in Oklahoma went up by nearly 2,000%.
There are a few reasons for that, but chief among them is syphilis was rare in women until about 2014, when cases began to skyrocket.
Syphilis is a treatable infection. Left untreated, it can be passed on to babies, which can cause serious health problems such as muscular and skeletal deformities and neurological issues.
Current state law requires one syphilis screening: right at the beginning of pregnancy, but on Monday, Gov. Kevin Stitt’s office announced he signed Senate Bill 292. It requires doctors and health care providers to follow CDC screening recommendations.
“Currently, recommendations are screening at the first prenatal visit, re-test at 28 weeks’ gestation, and at delivery if at high risk,” Sen. Brenda Stanley, the bill’s author, said.
In 2021, the latest figures on record, Oklahoma ranked fourth in the nation for reported cases of syphilis.
INTEGRIS Health To Take Over Woodward Hospital
The city of Woodward has announced a new hospital operator.
According to the Woodward News, INTEGRIS Health has been selected to be the next health care operator for the Woodward hospital.
The current operator, AllianceHealth, announced last year that it would not be renewing the lease for the hospital.
The lease is set to expire at the end of November this year. INTEGRIS will begin operating the hospital on December 1, 2023.