Deadline Looming For Governor To Act On Pending Legislation
The ball is in Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s court on a number of approved bills.
He signed a handful at the end of last week to close out the regular legislative session.
Hours before the official end of the session, Stitt signed 10 bills into law. Some addressed his top priorities.
“The first one was the Women's Bill of Rights. I was really excited to get that one done. We set up the framework for business courts. And you've heard me talk about that before,” Stitt said.
Stitt also signed measures updating criminal sentencing in Oklahoma, regulating chicken poop disposal, foreign land ownership and the initiative petition process, among others.
Those 10 bills are among more than 800 Stitt has signed into law so far this year.
And more changes to the law are coming.
Stitt has 15 days after the session to act on any legislation sent to his desk in the final days of lawmaking.
Miami Man Faces September Sentencing For January 6 Riot Charges
An Oklahoma Army veteran admits to assaulting a Washington D.C. police officer during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot.
Benjamen Scott Burlew of Miami pleaded guilty last week to assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement.
Burlew admitted to grabbing a Metropolitan Police officer over a row of metal barricades and pulling the officer into a crowd of rioters.
Burlew was originally arrested in August 2021 on accusations he assaulted an Associated Press photographer. Court documents show he grabbed and shoved the photographer over a wall.
Burlew is one of 11 Oklahomans who have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes.
Burlew’s sentencing is set for September 20th in federal court.
Governor Approves $50 Million For Tulsa Levee Repairs
A levee system along the Arkansas River in Tulsa is finally going to get fixed.
Lawmakers approved funding to rehab the infrastructure, and Gov. Kevin Stitt made it official Friday.
House Bill 2890 puts $50 million of state money toward repairing the Arkansas River levees in Oklahoma’s second largest city.
Rep. Lonnie Sims of Jenks said the funding bill was brought to the Legislature six times before it passed this session.
"There’s a lot of great things we do at the Capitol, but very few times do we get to do something we know for a fact, it’s going to save lives and protect our investment for the future," Sims said.
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the bill Friday, almost exactly five years after the Arkansas River flooded dozens of homes and tested the strength of the levee system.
The United States Corps of Engineers called the levee system “very high risk” in an assessment after the flood.
Former U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe helped secure an additional $137 million s in federal funds for the levee project.
Health-Mental Health Collaboration Coming Soon
Starting June 15, the state's largest community health center is partnering with a behavioral health services provider, allowing one board to oversee both organizations.
The goal of the collaboration is to improve Oklahomans’ physical and mental health.
The partnership has been years in the making for Variety Care and NorthCare.
Now, both entities will share a board, and Variety Care CEO Lou Carmichael will serve as the alignment’s president and CEO. Carmichael says the partnership will help both entities provide holistic care.
“So if they're coming in through the mental health door cause that's their chief complaint and they're in crisis, we are going to take care of that. But we're also going to make sure that we're checking everything else,” Carmichael said.
Carmichael said the move will lead to a healthier Oklahoma, which will lower the cost of care.
It also comes as the state moves to managed Medicaid, meaning more than 600,000 Oklahomans are seeing their care coordinated by private insurance companies.
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