Looking ahead to next fiscal year

The legislative session has adjourned, but our work is far from done. The four-month session is a culmination of all the work done during the previous interim. While we just passed the Fiscal Year 2022 budget, work is already underway on the FY’23 budget. Leaders and staffers are studying economic trends and agency budgets to see what will be needed next year. The FY’22 budget starts July 1 with the new fiscal year. 

Besides budget work, the Senate and House are also getting ready to start interim studies. Since session adjourned a month ago, we’ve been meeting with constituents and advocacy groups about what issues they’d like to see addressed next session as well as to hear their concerns about legislation passed this session. With only four months to consider thousands of pieces of legislation, we simply don’t have time to take deep dives into more complex issues that may require legislative solutions to resolve. Therefore, we have interim studies, which are in-depth meetings that can last a few hours up to several days if necessary. They include expert testimony as well as input from citizens on how they’ve been impacted either negatively or positively by those issues. Having all these different perspectives helps members have a well-rounded understanding of these areas and how any changes might impact citizens, businesses, and the state.

This year, I’ve requested 10 studies that are currently under review by the Senate President Pro Tem. He’ll be announcing the approved list of studies in the next couple of weeks. If approved, it is then up to the chairperson of the assigned committee whether a hearing will be granted.

My requests include a wide range of policy issues. I’d like to look into Oklahoma’s ADvantage Waiver Program to ensure it is appropriately caring for recipients as well as mental health and criminal sentencing to see if mental health diagnoses are being considered during sentencing hearings.

Foster care reform is another area I’d like to look into. I want to research if our state has an appropriate number of foster care homes and if they’re equally distributed throughout the state, and if bonding assessments should be used in child welfare cases. In this same arena, I’ve requested a study to determine if our state has enough child welfare workers to properly meet the needs of Oklahomans. Another study request would examine if jury trials or non-jury trials are the most effective in handling child welfare cases.

As for healthcare reforms, I want to look at insurance payment disparities between urban and rural providers and see if this creates gaps in services. I’d also like the legislature to study various provider settings in the state and nationwide to determine why Oklahoma’s healthcare facilities are inadequately staffed.

My last two requests deal with education and liability and property insurance. I’d like to review where state scholarship dollars are being sent for private school funding and help parents be able to compare/contrast school achievement as well as graduation and attendance rates at public, charter, online and private schools. Finally, I’ve asked for a study to compare industry insurance options, such as healthcare, schools, etc. and determine if adequate resources are available. 

Interim studies are public meetings, so citizens are welcome to attend in-person or watch live on the Senate website at www.oksenate.gov. I’ll let you know what studies are approved. They must be completed by November, so we have plenty of time to decide whether to file legislation based on our study findings. We then must submit our bill requests in early December, and Senate staffers will begin further researching and drafting those bills. A lot of work goes into the thousands of bills filed each session.

As always, I look forward to hearing your ideas and concerns on legislative issues. Please don’t hesitate to contact me. To reach me at the Capitol, write to Senator Jessica Garvin, State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. Room 237, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105, email me at Jessica.Garvin@oksenate.gov or call (405) 521-5522.