Carl's Capitol Comments: Legislators give Stitt broad authority to centralize services
April 15, 2020
I know this Easter must have been much different for everyone not being able to meet at church or in large family gatherings. Still, this Easter was very special because it is the true picture of love in sacrificial offering that our Lord Jesus Christ made in His death, burial and miraculous resurrection. I feel like we are all going through a similar time right now, where things seem so dark and confusing, but hope is just around the corner. May the peace of God come to you this week as you look for the day we can all reconnect with each other in person.
On the legislative front, we met last week at the state Capitol to vote on five items. In special session, we voted to approve the governor’s declaration of a Catastrophic Health Emergency for all 77 Oklahoma counties for 30 days. It gives the governor broad authority to centralize services between the state and county health departments to help them function as one cohesive unit to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. This enables the state to be able to respond more quickly to sudden difficulties that may emerge. It also gives the governor purchasing power of up to $50 million to order medical equipment and supplies to meet the demands of the crisis. The declaration also allows him to utilize the National Guard to help assess hospital needs and move supplies as well as set up field hospitals if necessary. Finally, the order allows first responders to be alerted when they are called to a home where a person has tested positive for COVID-19, a relaxation of HIPPA rules.
The second action we took in special session was to vote to allow ourselves to adjourn the session for longer than the three days normally allowed. This means we can come back into session if necessary, to stop the declaration or to extend it.
We then convened in regular session to approve three bills that will move money from the state’s savings accounts – the Rainy Day and the Revenue Stabilization Funds – to fill the gap in a revenue shortfall that now exists for this current fiscal year. The Legislature wants there to be no cuts this year to core services. To cut agencies in the last two months of their fiscal year during a pandemic is unnecessary since we have the money to fill this gap, especially during a time of crisis. We may have to look at trimming things in the future, but for now, we should meet our current obligations.
Reader Comments(0)