Wind increasing. A few clouds from time to time. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph..
Partly cloudy skies. Gusty winds early. Low 66F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
This is the final week of our committee consideration of House bills. As I mentioned before, I’m the Senate author of nearly 20 House measures, and three were approved Monday morning in the Senate Retirement Committee. House Bill 3040 modifies the filing deadline for any premium rate filing for a Medicare supplement policy and also specifies that increases will be implemented no more than once per year.
HB 3609 prohibits pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) from imposing on a pharmacy restrictions or conditions related to drug purchase sources or timing of drug purchases for payment of billed claims for drug products.
HB 4052 prohibits all pharmaceutical drug plans and PBMs from refusing to authorize, approve, or pay a participating provider for giving covered physician-administered drugs to insured individuals. It also provides certain requirements for white bagged drugs, drug plans, plan providers and patients, and also creates penalties for violations.
Four other House bills passed their appropriations subcommittee last week and will now be heard by the full Senate Appropriations Committee. HB 2179 separates the medical marijuana grower license into tiers for indoor grow facilities, greenhouse or light deprivation grow facilities, outdoor grow facilities, and grow facilities that produce clones from nonflowering plants. The annual license application fee for the first tier of each category of grow facility is $2,500, and the fee increases by tier based on square footage.
HB 2649 creates the Oklahoma Durable Medical Equipment Licensing Act to require any supplier of durable medical equipment to possess a license issued by the State Board of Pharmacy and to be renewed annually. The board would be authorized to do regular inspections at applicant’s place of business. Pharmacies and pharmacists, hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, state or federally-owned health care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living centers, prosthetic or orthotic practitioners, and licensed health care practitioners who provide durable medical equipment are exempt under the bill.
HB 3205 would stop courts from being able to assess court costs, treatment costs, drug-testing costs, supervision and program fees against juvenile offenders and their legal guardians. It also removes language requiring any defendant applying for legal representation by a court-appointed county indigent defender to pay a nonrefundable $15 application fee.
HB 4362 would create the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) Intern Partnership for the STEM Workforce Pipeline Program to allow OCAST to award internship funds to applicant organizations to hire student interns, based on available funding. The Oklahoma Science and Technology Research and Development Board would award and approve professional service contracts based upon their criteria. I’ll keep you posted as these and my other bills get closer to the governor’s desk.
I’m pleased that I’ve been reappointed to serve another year on the Council of State Governments (CSG) Southern Office’s Human Services and Public Safety Committee. CSG South works to promote and strengthen intergovernmental cooperation among the 15 member states. This summer, Oklahoma will be hosting the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC) from July 9-13 in downtown Oklahoma City. The Senate and House have been busy in recent months preparing for the conference and to welcome thousands of guests to our beautiful state. SLC focuses on existing and emerging state government innovations and solutions and provides policymakers diverse opportunities to interact with policy experts and share their knowledge with colleagues. It’s going to be a great event.
On Friday, I played in a charity basketball game with the Blue Crew, which was made up of teachers, coaches, and school leadership from Marlow Public Schools. We played against the Harlem Wizards and raised money for the Marlow Parent Teacher Organization. Rep. Boles and I almost died and needless to say we lost, but we had a lot of fun and raised money for a great organization. Thank you to everyone who helped organize this special event.
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.
SULPHUR [ndash] Michael Gene Williams, 71, of Sulphur, Oklahoma passed away in Sulphur, Oklahoma Friday, April 15th, 2022. Arrangements are pending.
ADA [ndash] Leroy James Patton, 89, of Ada, Oklahoma passed away Sunday, April 17th, 2022 in Ada. Graveside services will be held at 10:00 AM, Wednesday, April 20th, 2022 at Highland Cemetery in Stonewall, Oklahoma.
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