Week two of the legislative session is progressing as planned, with numerous committee meetings and bill presentations.
My House Bill 2947 is an attempt to place more mental health therapists into the field. The bill made it through round one in the Public Health Committee. Now, I’m waiting to get it scheduled in the Health and Human Services Oversight Committee. From there, it will likely progress to the Appropriations and Budget Committee. It really is a process with many chances to stumble along the way.
My House Bill 3035 pertains to small brewers’ licenses. This was a constituent request bill, but it’s going away at their request because the same language is contained in another bill. Even though my will not advance, the language lives on.
I’ve been spending most of my time trying to get my other three bill on committee calendars for consideration.
These include House Bill 2968, which would raise the cap on retirement for taxation purposes, allowing more retirement earnings to be tax free. House Bill 2952 would stop the double taxation process on excise tax of vehicle purchases. This tax is just wrong. House Bill 2958 would give state employees a 9% pay increase. Their last raise was in 2019. We have experienced 27% inflation in this time frame. Even though this will not replace their lost buying power, it is a step in the right direction.
I met this week with the mental health agency heads to ask for clarification about the privatization of our last four state-owned mental health centers. This includes the Carl Albert Community Mental Health Center in McAlester. Apparently, this is the path they intend to pursue. I asked about cost savings as this is something very difficult to verify. Their stance is that private facilities obtain the same metrics or improved at a lower cost. We will see.
As always, I’m thankful to the constituents of House District 17 for allowing me to serve. If I can help you in any way, I can be reached at (405) 557-7381 or by email at jim.grego@okhouse.gov.
Jim Grego serves District 17 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes Latimer County and part and Pittsburg County.
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