Among the bills going into effect July 1 are two intended to help state employees. KGOU's Dick Pryor and eCapitol's Shawn discuss the new laws and how another law is affecting state schools, colleges and universities in Capitol Insider.
Transcript
Dick Pryor: This is Capitol Insider, your weekly look inside Oklahoma politics, policy and government. I'm Dick Pryor with eCapitol news director, Shawn Ashley. Shawn, last time we talked about the Filmed in Oklahoma Act, which was one of more than 70 bills that went into effect on July 1st. Another bill that went into effect on the first has not received a lot of attention but could have significant implications. Tell us about House Bill 1146.
Shawn Ashley: Representative Mike Osburn, a Republican from Edmond is the House author of this bill, called this the most unsexy piece of legislation considered during the 2021 regular session. What this bill does is to reform the state's merit protection system. That's the system through which state employees’ complaints about discipline and termination are adjudicated rather than going into the district courts. There have been complaints for a number of years that the process was too slow and burdensome and needed to be modernized. And lawmakers have worked for a number of years to do just that, leading to the passage of House Bill 1146. The Office of Management and Enterprise Services will now administer that system rather than the Merit Protection Commission, which will cease to exist at the end of 2022.
Dick Pryor: Another bill that affects state employees, including those in higher education, increases the benefit allowance through which employees purchase health and life insurance. Why was that needed?
Shawn Ashley: The state employee benefit allowance has been frozen since around 2012, but during that time health insurance costs have increased and for some employees that meant, in effect, that they were receiving a pay cut because they had to pay out of pocket to receive their health care and other benefits. Senate Bill 650 provides a two percent increase in that benefit allowance for plan year 2022 and another two percent increase in 2023. It then puts in place a formula so that the benefit allowance will not fall out of balance with the cost of those benefits over time.
Dick Pryor: Where is the money coming from to enact this change? Is it an unfunded mandate?
Shawn Ashley: Well, it kind of is an unfunded mandate. The bill is expected to have a four- point-two dollar million impact in fiscal year 2022. That's how much it's going to cost state agencies. That increases to eight-point-four million in fiscal year 2023 when it is implemented throughout the full fiscal year. While most agencies received additional funding for the fiscal year that began July 1st, they did not receive a line item appropriation specifically to cover the increase in the benefit allowance. So, they'll have to absorb that into their budgets.
Dick Pryor: House Bill 1775 also went into effect July 1st. It's the bill that prohibits colleges and universities from mandating classes on racial, sexual and gender diversity. The bill forces the State Regents and the State Board of Education to adopt new rules implementing the requirements of the bill.
Shawn Ashley: Yeah, this is an often overlooked part of the legislative process - administrative rulemaking. House Bill 1775 says higher education institutions and K through 12 schools can and cannot do certain things. So now the Regents for Higher Education and the State Board of Education have to put in place the specific steps or formula for complying with the bill. The State Board of Education will take up its rules during a meeting on Monday. The State Regents for Higher Education have not yet set a meeting in which they will consider its own rules.
Dick Pryor: An attorney for the State School Boards Association says House Bill 1775, prohibits a particular curriculum that is not actually being taught in Oklahoma schools. That's interesting.
Shawn Ashley: Yes, it is. Oklahoma State School Boards Association attorney Brandon Carey told StateImpact’s Robby Korth that the bill doesn't prohibit anything that is generally being taught in Oklahoma public schools and it does allow teaching of Oklahoma's academic standards regarding issues such as racism in the history of race in the state of Oklahoma. Even though certain things are not being taught, that does not eliminate the requirement that the State Board of Education and the Regents for Higher Education implement their administrative rules.
Dick Pryor: And Shawn, finally, new gross revenue figures for the state have been released and indicate the economy is growing. Very quickly, what does the data show?
Shawn Ashley: According to State Treasurer Randy McDaniel, the 12-month period that ended June 30th was the state's best in terms of total revenue collections. In June was the best June ever. In other words, our economy is improving and that in turn is improving state revenue collections.
Dick Pryor: Thanks, Shawn.
Shawn Ashley: You're very welcome.
Dick Pryor: And that's Capitol Insider. If you have questions, e-mail us at news@kgou.org or contact us on Twitter @kgounews and @ecapitol. You can also find us online at kgou.org and ecapitol.net. Until next, time with Shawn Ashley, I'm Dick Pryor.
