Legislative Updates

From Jean Jones
DVR/DVS Legislative Information Representative

2010 ~ 2009 ~ 2008 ~ 2007

Legislative Update
February 8, 2010

New disability-related bills introduced into the Oklahoma Legislature in February include:

• A handful of bills to prevent vehicle accidents and injuries by restricting or prohibiting the use of cell phones and texting devices while driving.
• SB-1269 (Easley) to require health insurance coverage of autism and SB-1316 (Gumm) to require autism coverage through the Oklahoma High Risk Health Insurance Pool.
• SB-1276 (Gumm) creating the Oklahoma Children’s Cabinet made up of several agency heads including the director of DRS.
• Several bills to improve the availability and affordability of prescription drugs.
• A wide range of bills addressing health insurance availability, coverage and copayments.
• Several measures to create incentives for physicians to practice in rural Oklahoma, especially in the areas of primary care and emergency medical services.
• SB-1308 by Rice to offer weight loss and management services under Medicaid and Insure Oklahoma. SB-1349 by Crain directs the Health Care Authority to develop obesity treatment under Medicaid.
• Bills to address specific health issues such as lung disease, diabetes and stroke.
• Encouraging health insurance plans and Medicaid to reimburse for prosthetic devices at the Medicare rate.
• SB-1624 by Paddack, a re-introduction of a previous bill to limit provider charges for medical records when they are needed for SSDI/SSI applications. Under the bill, DRS may pay less than the maximum charge set in the legislation.
• HB-2298 by McDaniel to exempt hearing aids from state sales tax.
• HB-2567 (Wesselhoft) making several changes in disability parking law, providing for a $500 fine for violations, and letting city officials enforce disability parking ordinances on both public and private property.
• HB-2639 (McCullough) redesigning the state’s workers compensation system. The new system would have a Vocational Rehabilitation Director to manage vocational services for injured workers.
• HB-2744 (Ownbey) establishing licensure for sheltered workshops.
• HB-2822 (Auffet) relating to the telephone access line surcharge for hearing-impaired services and providing that customers who are otherwise exempt from taxation need not pay the surcharge.
• HB-2846 amending law relating to regional transportation districts.
• HB-3045 (Renegar), eliminating the State Use contract fee which is used to administer state purchasing of goods and services from sheltered workshops and businesses operated by persons with severe disabilities.
• Measures to allow public schools to pay for students with disabilities to attend private schools chosen by their parents.
• HB-3331 (Pittman) dealing with education of the visually impaired.
• HB-2906 (Morgan), creating the Vulnerable Adult Intervention Team Pilot Program, to be established by DHS if funds are available. The purpose of the program would be to provide interdisciplinary community assistance, intervention and referral services for persons with mental or physical illnesses or disabilities, dementia or other related disease or condition. The interdisciplinary team would have nine members including the directors of DRS, Mental Health, DHS, and Health.

A few bills could have a direct impact on Business Enterprise Program vending facility managers. These include:

• SB-1596 by Bass to require some food service facilities to make nutritional and calorie information on their standard products available to customers.
• SB-1768 by Shulz adding to entities exempt from having to pay the annual vending machine fee.
• SB-1896 (Bingman) and HB-2797 (Kiesel), creating the Oklahoma Deposit Beverage Container Recycling Act.

This year many bills address state government, state employee health insurance and retirement, purchasing and other activities of state agencies. A few of these include:

• SB-1591 (Leftwich), Modifying normal retirement date. For persons employed with the state after 1992, changes the rule of 90 to make the person eligible for retirement when age and years of service equal 85.
• SB-1597 (Stanislawski) setting term limits for members of agency Boards and Commissions.
• Bills requiring legislative approval of state agency administrative rules.
• Several bills to consolidate state agencies and address efficiency and cost of state government.
• HB-2714 (Collins), providing a pay increase for state employees and creating a system of periodic raises.

A long list of disability and agency-related bills.

Copies of introduced bills are available online at www.oksenate.gov. Select Legislation, then Text of Measures, then House or Senate and Bill Version (in this case, the Introduced Version), and submit the search request. Bill numbers will appear on the left, and you may click on a bill number to view the bill.

State Legislative Deadlines for 2010:
Feb. 18 – Senate bills clear Senate committees
Feb. 25 – House deadline for passage of House bills in House committee
March 11 – 3rd reading in house of origin
April 1 – House bills clear Senate committees
April 8 – Passage of Senate bills in House committees
April 22 – 3rd reading in opposite house
May 28 – Adjourn