A Okie look at all thing Politics, eCampaign, New Media and Warfare - - - I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. - John Adams
Speaker-designate Rep. Kris Steele will soon be recognized for his drug-and-alcohol prevention measures and named Legislator of the Year by the Oklahoma Drug and Alcohol Professional Counselor Association.
According to addiction recovery.net, in 2005 an average of 227,000 people were addicted to alcohol and 86,000 were addicted to drugs in Oklahoma. Of those, only 13,000 alcoholics and 6,000 drug abusers got the help they needed from an Oklahoma treatment center.
“These are alarming statistics. More needs to be done, not only to stop these addictions from the beginning but also to provide treatment to help rehabilitate addicts,” said Steele, R-Shawnee. “ODAPCA helps provide a unified voice for addiction counselors and an organizational safe-haven to encourage their work for all Oklahomans. It’s an honor to be recognized by this outstanding organization.”
In Oklahoma, ODAPCA represents certified, licensed addiction counselors and certified prevention specialists with the hope of creating one voice that will represent and advocate for the needs of addiction professionals across the state.
Steele will be recognized for his legislative efforts that helped ODAPCA at the group’s bi-annual conference on November 3. James Patterson, president of ODAPCA, will present the award.
HOLLAND PROPOSES CURBING DRIVER’S LICENSES, FOOTBALL TICKETS OF THOSE WITHOUT HEALTH PLANS WTF !
Oklahoma must take drastic steps to improve its dismal ranking in the number of residents who have no health insurance, state Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland said Thursday during her agency’s Summit on the High Cost of Health Insurance.
Barring a law requiring the purchase of health insurance, which Holland concedes would be a political long shot, "inducements” that penalize those who fail to insure themselves would help, she said.
Among the possible inducements Holland proposed was forfeiture of football season tickets to University of Oklahoma or Oklahoma State University games, forfeiture of lottery or gaming winnings, loss of state income tax deductions or licenses to drive, hunt or fish.
Holland said policymakers need courage to enact major changes to boost the state’s poor standing for health care coverage of its residents.
State Rep. Kris Steele, co-chair of the House Health Care Reform Task Force, said requiring Oklahomans to purchase health insurance is not a popular stance among lawmakers.
"I believe the place to start is to create a situation within our state that people are without excuse for not having health insurance,” Steele said. "Once we get to the point where people are without excuse, then we create the incentives.”
Those incentives would include rewarding those who obtain insurance and punishing those who don’t, said Steele, R-Shawnee.
"You need the carrot and the stick,” he said.
Holland said the use of inducements, such as revoking in-state tuition discounts for uninsured Oklahomans, would send a message. "We have developed this culture over the years that some don’t feel like they have to pay their medical bills,” she said.
Insure Oklahoma, which uses state and federal money to help small businesses get health insurance for employees, probably is the best vehicle to make health care coverage more accessible, she said.
After helping to increase his party's political control of the state House to the largest margin ever, Republican House Speaker Chris Benge is expected to remain in the post when House Republicans gather at the state Capitol Friday to select a leadership team for the next two years.
Benge, of Tulsa, was chairman of the powerful House Appropriations and Budget Committee when he was elected speaker in January after Rep. Lance Cargill, R-Harrah, resigned from the post following revelations that he submitted late property tax payments and did not file state personal income tax returns. Cargill did not seek re-election.
Since becoming speaker, Benge has won praise from GOP House members for his methodical governing style and assistance during this fall's round of elections in which he helped raise campaign funds and even made phone calls and campaigned house-to-house for GOP candidates.
"Speaker Benge was extremely active in our campaign cycle. I think the results bear that out," said Rep. Ken Miller, R-Edmond, who succeeded Benge as House budget chairman. "Speaker Benge did an excellent job of managing our races and equipping them with the funds necessary to be successful."
In addition to Benge, Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, is seeking the House's top job. Reynolds said that while he has no animosity toward Benge, he believes Benge has been slow to reverse what Reynolds said was a "very dictatorial" leadership style imposed during Cargill's time as speaker.
"While we are selecting new leaders, what we have not discussed is leadership style," Reynolds said. "I think Chris Benge is an honorable guy. But he had a year to change things and he didn't. He has not addressed even now what changes he might implement if he is elected speaker."
Reynolds said he wants House leaders to develop an inclusive approach to governing that encourages all members of both political parties to participate.
"I want everyone at the table, starting from within our caucus," Reynolds said. "I hope he will try to change the direction of our caucus."
Other House Republicans indicated Benge will easily be re-elected speaker.
"I don't anticipate him having any trouble whatsoever. He's got near unanimous support in the caucus," said Jason Nelson of Oklahoma City, a newly elected House member who said Benge helped him in a difficult campaign that he won with less than 51 percent of the vote.
"The speaker was tremendously helpful. Anything I needed him to do he helped with," Nelson said.
Rep. Dennis Johnson, R-Duncan, said Benge was very helpful in winning re-election in a district that was among the seats targeted by House Democrats.
"Speaker Benge was kind enough, at my invitation, to come down and knock on doors with me. I appreciated his help," Johnson said. "I highly respect our speaker. He came in at a very difficult time and has had a steady hand."
House Republicans will also decide whether Speaker Pro Tem Gus Blackwell, R-Goodwell, will remain in his position. Reps. Kris Steele, R-Shawnee, and Don Armes, R-Faxon, are also seeking the job.
Reps. John Wright, R-Broken Arrow, and Scott Martin, R-Norman, are seeking the caucus chairman job currently held by Wright.
Friday's caucus vote will be ratified at a Jan. 6 organizational meeting of the full House.
The full Senate has given final approval to a measure requiring all prenatal classes to provide educational materials to expectant mothers about the dangers of alcohol and drug use during pregnancy. Charlie Laster is the Senate author of House Bill 2705, authored by Rep. Kris Steele in the House of Representatives.
“Alcohol use by pregnant women is the number one preventable cause of mental retardation and birth defects in our country,” said Laster, D-Shawnee. “In Oklahoma, 250 babies are born every year with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and another 1,000 have Fetal Alcohol Effects. We need to do a better job of warning women that no level of alcohol or drugs is safe for their unborn babies. That’s what this legislation will do.”
Laster said the lifetime institutional and medical costs for one person with FAS are at least $2 million. The lifetime cost of care for the 1,250 babies born each year in Oklahoma with problems as a result of the mother’s use of alcohol are estimated to be up to $2 billion.
His legislation would require all prenatal classes to teach pregnant women about the risks of drug or alcohol use during pregnancy and provide information on screening, assessment, intervention and referral for treatment of substance dependency.
“The good news is that all of these materials are already available for free by the federal government, so these prenatal programs won’t be facing any financial burden,” Laster said. “But more importantly, I believe we can prevent needless birth defects and developmental disabilities that can keep these children from leading independent and protective lives once they become adults.”
HB 2705 now goes to Gov. Brad Henry for his signature.
Speaker-designate Rep. Kris Steele will soon be recognized for his drug-and-alcohol prevention measures and named Legislator of the Year by the Oklahoma Drug and Alcohol Professional Counselor Association.
