Oklahoma AG Pushes to Reinstate Law Criminalizing Unauthorized Immigrants
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is appealing to a federal court to reinstate a law criminalizing unauthorized immigrants in the state.
In his motion to the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, Drummond keeps most of the same arguments in favor of House Bill 4156’s merits and justification.
He said giving local law enforcement in Oklahoma the ability to arrest anyone without legal immigration status is necessary to fight what he calls an “unprecedented onslaught” of criminal activity caused by illegal immigration through the southern border.
Drummond said the opponents of the law who sued lack standing in court.
And he argued the lawsuit should not have been joined with other cases. In addition, he said a federal judge who has suspended the law went too far in his ruling.
Federal Boost For Mental Health, Substance Use Disorder Services
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is giving Oklahoma $3.5 million.
The money will be used to expand the state’s mental health and substance use disorder services.
The funding from the Biden-Harris administration will reach six Oklahoma community health centers.
The money aims to increase their access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment by working it into primary care services.
Community health centers have a high population of patients who are uninsured, underinsured or enrolled in Medicaid.
Centers in Konawa, Fairfax, Tishomingo, Cherokee, Tulsa and Stigler will each receive about $600,000.
The money is the latest push from the federal government to tackle the mental health and opioid crises affecting Oklahomans.
It’s designed to create stigma-free, culturally competent and readily accessible resources.
Oklahoma Insurance Department, CMS Partner On Provider Directory
The Oklahoma Insurance Department is partnering with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to launch a pilot program, creating a provider directory for people participating in Health Insurance Marketplace plans.
The directory will allow qualified health plans and providers to submit and access provider data in a central portal.
Oklahoma Insurance Deputy Commissioner of External Affairs Ashley Scott said providers are experiencing administrative burdens as they have to report their information to multiple databases.
Patients also say it’s hard to find updated information on in-network providers.
“It's just, unfortunately, a very disjointed process currently, and I think that's where we're excited about this project and this program, and being able to, hopefully, work through some of those kinks … and figure out ways to make it a more streamlined process,” Scott said.
Oklahoma Insurance Department Chief of Staff Brian Downs said the state has seven marketplace plans, and it won’t be responsible for costs or oversight related to the plans’ new portal.
He said the program will streamline provider's data submissions, create more accurate directories for health plans and help hospitals improve accuracy in their directories.
The department’s role is to bridge the gaps between stakeholders, and it will begin meetings with them at the end of the month.
Downs said there’s a lot of work to be done before the portal opens, which he estimates might occur in the spring.
The program will help inform potential efforts to create a national directory. CMS asked for input on establishing one in October 2022.
OSU Gets Federal Funds to Study Weather With Drones
The National Institute of Science and Technology is awarding $5.5 million to OSU to research local, low-altitude weather.
The idea is to make it safe for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Advanced Air Mobility craft — colloquially called drones — to be a part of the federally regulated National Airspace System.
The researchers hope to use sensors on those aircraft to plan paths for them based on local weather as they’re in flight.
“The meteorology community will be able to leverage this data to refine weather products and extend warning times for potentially hazardous conditions contributing to critical safety measures being employed,” OSU President Kayse Shrum said in a statement.
The technology could also help inform other aircraft, like air ambulance helicopters, move safely through low-altitude weather. That’s according to a joint press release from Congressman Frank Lucas and Sen. Markwayne Mullin.
The two Republican lawmakers sponsored the Congressional Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, which directed this money to OSU.
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