Improving healthcare focus of bills

I’ve never been one to shy away from hard work, and this session I’ll have my hands full for sure. Thursday was the bill filing deadline, and I ended up introducing 50 pieces of legislation. Altogether, nearly 800 bills were filed in the Senate, along with just shy of 1,500 in the House.         

I’ll be going over all of my bills in the coming weeks. As I mentioned previously, we’ll spend the first four weeks of session considering bills in our committees. In order to move forward through the legislative process, bills must first be approved in committee.

Improving healthcare in our state is one of my main focuses as this is what I’ve dedicated my career to. SB 1158 would increase the membership of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) board to include a medical doctor and an osteopathic doctor. OHCA is the agency responsible for oversight of the state’s Medicaid program. This bill was requested by the Oklahoma State Medical Association to ensure the nine-member board includes medical experts. Currently, there are no physicians on this board to advise the agency making critical health decisions for more than 200,000 Oklahomans. This bill would ensure that these professionals are involved, who can provide direct knowledge of patient care needs and how decisions made by the board will impact those providing health services to Medicaid recipients.    

Supporting our veterans is also a high priority for me. We have one of the highest populations of active and retired military, yet continually get ranked as one of the least tax-friendly states for these heroes. My SB 1790 would exempt all military retirement benefits from the income tax beginning in tax year 2023 and every year thereafter. Currently, Oklahoma military retirees can deduct the greater of $10,000 or 75% of their retirement from state income tax. This isn’t enough. They deserve better.

Thirty-two other states, including bordering states Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri, already exempt military retirement from state income tax, so this isn’t a new idea but one that needs to become a reality in Oklahoma soon. These are highly trained professionals, who could help fill so many jobs in critical industries in our state and help boost our economy. You have to remember that military members get to retire after 20 years of service, so many of them are only in their 40s and 50s, and still want to continue working as civilians. This is an issue that has made its way through the Capitol for many years now, so hopefully this is the year that Oklahoma takes the leap to welcome Oklahoma’s and America’s heroes home to our great state. 

Gov. Stitt recently issued an executive order allowing state employees to substitute teach in our local schools to help address the ongoing teacher shortage crisis as well as the mass absences from COVID-19. On Friday, I had the opportunity to sub at Blanchard Middle School. It was such a great learning experience that I really enjoyed and hope to do again soon. Our schools and students desperately need our help right now, so if you have the time and willingness, please contact your local school, and see about volunteering as a substitute teacher.

On Monday, I also attended the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center’s weekly Cowboys and Brushstrokes. This year, children are learning about different countries through art projects. This class learned about Russia and their traditions and culture. It was fun getting to volunteer for this unique program and seeing the kids’ beautiful art.

If you have any questions or concerns on legislative matters, please contact me at the Capitol. Please 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.