State Rep. Fetgatter comments on House passage of Industrial Hemp legislation

Fetgatter Comments on Passage of Industrial Hemp Legislation

OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 27, 2020) – Rep. Scott Fetgatter (R-Okmulgee) today commented on the passage of a concurrent resolution that promises to advance the industrial hemp industry in Oklahoma.

House Concurrent Resolution 1015 recognizes that research, development, processing, manufacturing and production of industrial hemp qualifies for Oklahoma state incentives.

“Oklahoma needs to be the center of industrial hemp manufacturing,” Fetgatter said. “Just like our new state logo shows our state as a multi-faceted hub, we believe this resolution will strengthen what our farmers are able to do with this product and attract new businesses such as biotech companies, industrial-grade producers and manufacturers to our state as well.”

Fetgatter said he worked with leaders from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and the state Department of Agriculture on the legislation so the industrial hemp industry can utilize state commerce incentives for manufacturing and processing.

Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce Sean Kouplen said, “We are happy to help find incentives that hemp growers and manufacturers will qualify for. We can help find locations, whatever they need. We are excited to welcome this industry to our state.”

Jon Chiappe, director of research with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, said, “Our agency is a problem solver, ensuring we help our businesses address any barriers that would keep them from being successful in our state.”

Fetgatter said the resolution is a continuation of legislation passed in 2018 by House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols (R-Oklahoma City) and State Rep. Mickey Dollens (D-Oklahoma City), which allowed Oklahoma farmers to participate in a pilot program to grown industrial hemp.

Fetgatter said industrial hemp has been grown in America since the Colonial period and has been used for products ranging from textiles to paper and rope to modern-day construction materials and fiberboards. He said hemp is a protein that can be ingested by both humans and livestock. He said the product is low-cost and generally low-input as a crop and is believed to have strong market potential because of its diversity of uses.

He said Oklahoma is a perfect place to grow industrial hemp as a rotation crop, noting it increases soil fertility and nutrients and reduces soil erosion and crop stress from weeds as well as limiting concentration of pests.

“This will benefit our agriculture producers and give our farmers a way to add to their income,” Fetgatter said. “It also will prompt research institutions to further their studies of this product.”

HCR 1015 passed the House with a vote of 69-4 and now passes to the state Senate for consideration. State Sen. Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) is the Senate author of the resolution.

Rep. Scott Fetgatter represents District 16 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which includes parts of Muskogee, Okmulgee, Tulsa and Wagoner counties.

House A&B passes bill to expand apprenticeship opportunities

Bipartisan Bill to Expand Apprenticeship Opportunity Passes A&B

OKLAHOMA CITY – A bipartisan-backed bill to expand employment opportunities for Oklahomans has passed the House Appropriation and Budget Committee with a vote of 27 to 1.

House Bill 3378 -- authored by Rep. Meloyde Blancett (D-Tulsa), Rep. Mickey Dollens (D-OKC) and House A&B Chair Kevin Wallace (R-Wellston) -- would offer employers a $1,000 tax credit per registered apprenticeship position. The plan allows each employer up to 10 apprenticeship credits per year.

“Our economy is strongest when everyone has a skill that can earn a good living - with or without a college degree,” said Dollens. “In 2018, Oklahoma had 99 apprenticeship programs and 1,516 active apprentices across the state. I believe we can grow that number to 300 programs with 2,300 active apprentices by 2022. It’s with this goal in mind that I authored HB3378 which allows Oklahoma business owners to claim an apprenticeship credit for expenses related to apprenticeship training programs.”

In order to qualify for the apprenticeship credit, an apprentice position must be registered with the US Department of Labor and meet the quality standards outlined through the federal government. Each industry has its own standards, which are regulated by the US Department of Labor.

“Over the next ten years, Oklahoma’s economy is projected to grow by 135,000 jobs and more than 70 percent of jobs will require some kind of education or training beyond high school,” Blancett said. “Expanding apprenticeships across the state will help to bridge the skills gap and fill jobs in diverse industries such as information technology, healthcare, energy, aerospace, construction, advanced manufacturing, hospitality, financial services, and more.”

The legislation received a boost in support when Wallace signed on as a coauthor.

“With previous decades of pushing four-year college degrees, combined with the aging out of licensed contractors in electrical, plumbing and mechanical trades, we’ve left a gap in our skilled trades,” Wallace said. “Without new recruitment of apprentices, journeymen and contractors, that gap will continue to grow. This bill gives employers the incentives they need to attract and train these future workers, which ultimately results in more and better-paying jobs for the Oklahoma economy.”

House Bill 3378 is now available to be heard on the House Floor.

Bipartisan group files legislation to address missing, murdered Native Americans

Bipartisan Legislation to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Announced

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A bipartisan group of House lawmakers filed legislation for the second half of the 57th Legislature to address Oklahoma’s missing and murdered indigenous people.

House Bill 3892, authored by Rep. Merelyn Bell (D-Norman), would require law enforcement to collect detailed biological information about the missing child, the person reporting the child missing, and the alleged suspect(s).

“Too many Native American families in our state have suffered loss and trauma when a loved one went missing or was murdered, especially when that loved one is a child,” Bell said. “We must be intentional about preventing the next child from being ripped from their family and community.”

House Bill 3893, authored by Bell, would allow for the creation of an electronic repository of student photographs to ensure there is a current photo of the child for law enforcement to use in helping locate them when they are identified as missing.

“In missing person cases, every second counts,” Bell said. “The creation of a photo database will allow law enforcement to obtain data critical to their success in locating missing persons in a timely manner.”

House Bill 3345, or Ida’s Law, authored by Rep. Mickey Dollens (D-OKC),  outlines the creation of the Office of Liaison under the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. The Office of Liaison will consist of a missing person specialist with significant experience working alongside tribal communities.

“HB3345 is in honor of Ida Beard,” Dollens said. “Ida has been missing since June  30, 2015. Beard is a citizen on the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and her missing person case remains open to this day. Ida is one of many Native American women and girls across the country that has vanished without a trace and continues to vanish at alarming rates.”

House Bill 2847, authored by Rep. Daniel Pae (R-Lawton), creates a Red Alert System through the Department of Public Safety for when indigenous people are reported missing.

House Bill 2848, authored by Rep. Pae, would require law enforcement officers to take an additional hour of CLEET training that would focus solely on cultural competency and sensitivity training when interacting with missing indigenous people and their families.

“Like most issues, one of the biggest barriers to helping with the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous people is education,” Pae said. “My bills deal with educating the public when indigenous people go missing and educating law enforcement about the needs of this community. I appreciate my colleagues for shining a light on this issue, and I look forward to working with many more to get this legislation across the finish line.”

Dollens, who held an interim study on MMIP over the summer, feels confident that this session will yield results for the Native American community.

“My work on this issue began with a phone call from one of my constituents,” Dollens said. “Since then, we have added more lawmakers from both parties to this fight. I am hopeful that our momentum will continue, and we will be able to provide our native friends and families with both resources and peace of mind.”

Frix Hosts Study on Cost of Living Adjustment for State Pensioners

Frix Hosts Study on Cost of Living Adjustment for State Pensioners

OKLAHOMA CITY (Friday, Nov. 15th, 2019) – State Rep. Avery Frix (R-Muskogee) today hosted a bipartisan interim study examining Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) for those in Oklahoma’s seven pension plans. Several lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle joined today’s study, which was held before the House Banking, Financial Services and Pensions Committee.

Frix ran legislation last year that would have given state retirees a COLA. The legislation passed the House overwhelmingly but was not picked up in the state Senate. Instead, the Senate requested an actuarial analysis to see how the state’s retirement systems would be affected by a 2% COLA. The House made a request for an analysis of 4%. Those reports are due Dec. 1.

“My hope is to show that our state retirement systems have improved dramatically over the past decade, and we are now in a position to give our retirees the COLA they deserve and have been promised,” Frix said. “This remains a priority for the House, and we hope our colleagues in the Senate also recognize a cost-of-living adjustment is long overdue.”

State retirees last received a COLA in 2008. Since then, inflation has increased 19.5%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

State Rep. Kyle Hilbert (R-Depew) added, “Our public retirees spent their lives and careers dedicated to serving our state, and after 11 years of waiting, they deserve the long-term stability that a COLA would provide. The strength of our retirement systems is vastly improved compared to 11 years ago and I hope today's interim study will move us one step closer to delivering results for these state retirees.”

State Rep. Mickey Dollens (D-Oklahoma City) said, “House Democrats are appreciative of House Republicans for acknowledging retired public employees, including teachers, firefighters, and police officers deserve a long over-due cost-of-living adjustment. We look forward to continuing to work with our colleagues across the aisle to find a long-term solution for COLAs going forward.”

State Rep. Chelsey Branham (D-Edmond) said, “On the surface, the low unemployment rate in Oklahoma seems like a testament to our success, but in reality the number of underemployed and multi-employed Oklahomans turn that statistic on its head. Cost of living continues to go up and our minimum wage continues to be stagnant, which is forcing Oklahomans to have two and even three jobs to keep up. This is especially true of our retired state employees, who are struggling to balance the benefits of retirement from a life of service with post-retirement employment just to make ends meet. This COLA will be a big lift for the state, but ensuring that Oklahomans have a high quality of life is our duty. I am thankful for my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, who understand the COLA is a smart investment in moving our state forward.”

Both Hilbert and Branham serve on the House Banking, Financial Services and Pensions Committee.

The heads of all of the state’s pension and retirements systems – state firefighters, police, justices and judges, law enforcement, teachers and public employees’ – were invited to take part in the study.

Presenters gave a financial status report of the retirement systems, a history of how they are funded and the impact a 4% COLA would have on the systems’ funding ratios. Tyler Bond, research manager with the National Institute on Retirement Security, also spoke on the economic impact of retirees across Oklahoma. Tom Spencer, executive director of the Oklahoma Teachers Retirement System, also spoke on the Oklahoma Pension Legislation Actuarial Analysis.

Frix urges the state Senate to take up the legislation to grant state retirees a COLA in the upcoming legislative session. He said the state is in much better financial shape today than the last time a COLA was given. Teachers have been given a pay raise two years in a row as have other state employees. The state’s financial rankings also have improved. Several of the state’s pension plans are now more than 100% funded and most are 80% funded, which is indicative of solvency.

Frix said retired state employees are every bit as concerned about the overall performance of their benefit plans as anyone.

“Retirees don’t want to harm their own benefit plan, but they want the COLA they were promised when the plans were established,” he said. “Some retired employees have seen health insurance premiums rise at a rate that has outpaced their retirement benefits. Retirees have to pay into the plan just to pay their premiums.”

During the study, Frix also discussed retirees’ loss of buying power since they last received a COLA and the many retirees who do not receive Social Security.