Your Voice Matters as Congress Considers Major Policy Changes

Gov. Kevin Stitt and legislative leaders have announced an agreement for the key elements to the Fiscal Year 2026 state budget. The plan for the estimated $12.6 billion budget includes an income tax cut of a quarter percent and consolidation of the lowest income tax brackets. Based on modeling from the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, a 0.25% cut to Oklahoma’s personal income tax rate is estimated to reduce collections by $338 million annually. By flattening the bottom three income tax brackets, this is expected to lower the state budget by $87 million annually. The negotiating parties agreed on key spending priorities, including funds for a new, state-of-the-art veterinary hospital at OSU in Stillwater for $250 million; a world-class pediatric heart hospital at OU in Oklahoma City for $200 million; and funds for various infrastructure investments across the state. Other items in the budget include the purchase of a private prison in Lawton for $312 million and funding for the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services so they can make payroll for the rest of this fiscal year ending June 30. There will also be $41.6 million for the Oklahoma National Guard to do needed maintenance and $5 million for state employee maternity leave costs. “Enhanced tort reform” is included in the agreement, further limiting lawsuits against doctors and some businesses. Other “business-friendly” policies include “Behind the Meter” to allow power generation by large-scale manufacturers and data centers, the establishment of business courts, and expense recovery for utilities. The agreement also boosts public school funding by $25 million and private school vouchers by $50 million, while raising the ceiling on teacher pay. A pair of programs — for statewide inhaler access and school panic buttons — will be moved out of the State Department of Education into other agencies. The deal also will make the children of teachers eligible for the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program scholarships. Lawmakers are spending $8 million for a partnership between the OSU Medical Authority and St. Francis Hospital to capture federal funding to establish a Level 1 trauma center in Tulsa; currently, the state’s only Level 1 trauma center is in Oklahoma City. Lawmakers must constitutionally adjourn by 5 p.m. on the final Friday in May. These agreements, along with other bills yet unresolved, must make it to the desk of the governor by then. Many issues discussed this year, including an increase of $5 per day for traditional foster care to meet the growing costs of the economy - a detriment to recruiting much-needed foster families – will be held over until next year. Some have called for eliminating the state’s income tax. This would slash an estimated $5.8 billion annually from the current state budget. Obviously, many government services such as public schools, SoonerCare, and highway maintenance would face severe shortages if this were to happen. Of great concern, state lawmakers still do not know the impact of cuts looming with the upcoming federal budget. In Oklahoma, our state budget includes 43-47% matching federal funds. Early indicators predict that there will likely be between $400-$800 million of federal funds to Oklahoma eliminated. This could require some potentially unpleasant actions. One is a special session to modify the budget. Governor Stitt would need to call lawmakers back to adjust agency allocations, or lawmakers could try to call themselves back by a two-thirds vote of both the state House of Representatives and Senate. The second option is for agencies to absorb those cuts in the programs funded by federal dollars and reduce services. There are still many unknowns about what will happen with the federal budget. The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy will keep you informed once more is revealed. 

Each summer, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) holds its annual Heroes Ball to celebrate champions for children. Among the awards presented are two that are chosen by the people: The Anne Roberts People’s Choice Awards for Child Advocacy. The award is named in honor of Anne Roberts, OICA’s longest serving CEO; it recognizes outstanding service to Oklahoma’s children by an individual and an organization, as nominated and voting on by the people. The process begins with nominations, which are open to the public. Following the nomination period, which runs from now through June 6, the OICA Board of Directors narrows the list a select few to put forward for an online public vote by Oklahomans. To nominate either an individual or an organization, go to https://oica.org and click on “Awards.” You can also go directly to https://tinyurl.com/OICA25PeoplesChoice . (A QR Code is also provided for publication.) “This award is fully in the hands of those interested in child advocacy in the state of Oklahoma,” said Joe Dorman, OICA’s CEO. “The list of previous winners reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of Oklahoma Child Advocates.” Previous winners of the Anne Roberts People’s Choice Organizational Award are: · 2017 – Whiz Kids Oklahoma · 2018 – Peppers Ranch · 2019 – Oklahoma United Methodist Circle of Care · 2020 – Diabetes Solutions of Oklahoma · 2021 – SoonerStart · 2022 – Fostering Connections · 2023 – Sara’s Project · 2024 – The Anna’s House Foundation Those individuals who have won the Anne Roberts People’s Choice Individual Award are: · 2017 – Brenda Lene’ · 2018 – Cody Inman · 2019 – Judy Payne · 2020 – Ryan Abernathy · 2021 – Melissa Ahlgrim · 2022 – Amber Cuyler · 2023 – Alethea Satterwhite · 2024 – Mary Beth Talley After the nominations close at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 6, finalists will be announced shortly thereafter, and online voting will begin on OICA’s website. Those in attendance at OICA’s Heroes Ball on Saturday, July 26 will receive a final paper ballot to help finish off the voting. Winners will be announced at the Heroes Ball, held this year at the OKANA Resort in Oklahoma City. Tickets to the Heroes Ball are on sale and can be purchased at https://tinyurl.com/OICA25HBTix . 

STATE REP. JOHN WALDRON (right), D-Tulsa, listens to Oklahoma’s Kid Governor® Emma Stephens (second from right with sash), during a Kid Governor® visit to the State Capitol. Waldron, along with state Rep. Ellen Pogemiller, D-OKC, hosted the visit to share insight into state government and to listen to the Kid Governor® and her cabinet. Joining Kid Governor® Stephens were Kid Lt. Gov. Shawn Ferrell, Kid Secretary of State Lawson Ream, and Kid Cabinet Member Clayton Rohla, as well as Oklahoma State Department of Education personnel who also took time to visit with the young leaders.

“This is a great victory for Oklahoma’s students with special needs,” said Joe Dorman, CEO of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA). Dorman was speaking about the fact that Senate Bill 364 became law today, without the governor’s signature. SB 364 makes it illegal for schools to use corporal punishment for certain students with special needs under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Gov. Kevin Stitt neither signed nor vetoed the bill, meaning that – under a provision in Oklahoma’s Constitution called "pocket passage"– it has become law. While the Legislature is in session up until their final five days of business, if a governor neither signs nor vetoes a bill within five business days, such a measure nonetheless becomes law. “We are grateful that Governor Stitt allowed the ban on the use of corporal punishment on children with special needs to become law,” Dorman said. “This was a top priority of OICA this session, and the culmination of years of work by many dedicated child advocates across the state.” One of the leaders of that coalition, Carolynn Macallister of Payne County, was quick to praise the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, and House Speaker Pro Tempore Anthony Moore, R-Clinton, for their hard work to get the bill passed. “ On behalf of the coalition, I am very thankful that students with special needs are protected thanks to the dedicated work of these leaders and legislators in both the House of Representatives and Senate who voted for the bill,” Macallister said. It was a coalition of 24 organizations from across the state that came together to end the practice of inflicting physical pain on students with special needs, some of whom might not have understood why they were being punished. Only a few dozen school districts still allowed physical punishment on special needs students. “This was a manifestation of their needs and prevented them from getting their legally required fair and appropriate education,” Macallister said. “The stories we heard from parents were heartbreaking, with some of their special needs children being punished without the parents’ permission.” Dorman said the stories echoed the events which led to the creation of OICA more than forty years ago. “OICA was created as a response to the state maintaining a system of abuse on children in its custody, to ensure that something like that is never repeated,” he said. “Now we know that these special needs students will be treated properly, and their parents can rest easy.” While ending the practice of corporal punishment on special needs students in school, the bill does not impact parents’ right to discipline their children in whatever manner they deem appropriate under the law, nor does current Oklahoma law prevent school districts from using corporal punishment on other students. Macallister thanked former state Rep. John Talley, R-Stillwater, who first carried the legislation two years ago. Dorman noted that former state Sen. Kay Floyd, D-OKC, was the original Senate sponsor. As Macallister summed it up, “I just thank God that we got it done.” 

Oklahoma’s Kid Governor® for 2024-2025 is Emma Stephens (center) of Ardmore’s Oak Hill Episcopal School. She is pictured here with her cabinet following her swearing in at the Oklahoma State Capitol. With her are (from left) Alberuto Harmon of Perry; Clayton Rohia of Roff; Shawn Farrell, Kid Lieutenant Governor, of Orlando; Koda White of Vici; Lawson Ream of Alva; Ryan Young of Chickasha; and Harper Witt of Antlers. The Kid Governor® is a program administered by the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) designed to teach fifth grade students about the importance of civic engagement. Teaching materials are provided, and the annual Kid Governor® election is conducted on ballots that resemble real ballot. This year, OICA coordinated with the state’s 4-H Program. For 2025-2026, the program will return to fifth grade classrooms. (Courtesy Photo) As Teacher Appreciation Week begins, registration is now open for Oklahoma’s fifth grade teachers to sign up for their class to participate in the award-winning Kid Governor® program. Teachers can register at the following website: https://tinyurl.com/KG25-26Teachers and parents of children who will be entering the fifth grade are encouraged to share this information with those teachers in public, private, and charter school classrooms. Home school families are also allowed to use these materials to help educate students. The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) ran its own Kid Governor for six years prior to partnering with the national Kid Governor® program in 2022. This program originated in Connecticut and has expanded to other states. The purpose of Kid Governor® is to educate students about elections and the role of elected officials. “Every Oklahoma fifth grader in a classroom has the opportunity to learn about government through this program so long as their teachers sign up for the program,” said Joe Dorman, OICA’s CEO. “Oklahoma’s teachers will have access to an array of materials to help students learn the importance of democracy and our republic and the role they can play in it.” Dorman went on to emphasize there in no indoctrination in the Kid Governor® curriculum. There are only lesson plans describing the process of elections and duties of government officials so that the students can be better prepared to be fully involved citizens as they age into adulthood and hopefully become active voters. At the beginning of the new school year in August, OICA will contact those who have registered and make another push for teachers to sign up for the program. The Oklahoma Kid Governor® program will officially kick off in October, and the election will be during the time of the traditional November election window. Those fifth-grade classrooms that are participating can also participate in the enhanced program which allows them to enter one student candidate into a statewide election based upon a local classroom election. Each student candidate will pick an issue on which to run, and the classroom will vote for their favorite. The winner will then make a two-minute campaign video which can be submitted into the statewide competition. A panel comprised of Oklahoma’s former governors – George Nigh, David Walters, Frank Keating, Brad Henry, and Mary Fallin - and OICA board members will narrow the finalists down to seven candidates. “Each of these incredible leaders has given of their time to review the submissions, and they have invited people to help support this program to ensure it is free for the participating schools,” Dorman said. “Any Oklahoman who wishes to join these governors in helping fund the program can learn more at https://oica.org or by contacting our office.” The campaign videos for the top seven selected will be shared with each participating classroom. The students will cast their vote on ballots that resemble the actual Oklahoma ballots. The candidate receiving the most votes will serve as the next Oklahoma Kid Governor®. The winner serves a one-year term promoting leadership and advocacy, working with OICA to fulfill their campaign platform while mobilizing students to take action and make a difference on youth issues. The remaining six finalists will serve as members of the Kid Cabinet, working with the Kid Governor to raise awareness on their platform issues. Toolkits consisting of free, custom-designed lesson plans will guide classroom teachers through the program and teach students about state government in their state, the history and process of voting, and the importance of active participation in civic life. OICA is underwriting the cost of the program through donations and additionally provides an educational comic book Mighty Mia and Dyna-Bit Save Democracy for each student to have that was written by Dorman. Because of the extra effort required of teachers, OICA is raising funds to provide a stipend to those teachers register and complete the enhanced Kid Governor® program that includes the election component. “The Kid Governor® program inspires students to be involved in the process and hopefully become lifelong agents of change for the better, maybe even running for Governor of Oklahoma someday,” Dorman said. “If young people are given ane opportunity to learn these lessons at an early age, they will grow into the leaders that will shape our tomorrow.”  For more information about how you can help the Kid Governor® program, contact OICA at info@oica.org or call (405) 236-KIDS (5437).

In 1983, advocates from across our state saw the need for an organization to “raise awareness, take action, and support policy for the health, safety and well-being of Oklahoma’s children” through outreach to government policymakers. With that, Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) was created. Since then, our organization has strived to mobilize citizens from across the Sooner State to learn the process of how to be effective voices in calling for better policies for our youth. Now, more than ever, citizens need to contact lawmakers and officials at all levels of government to share their experiences. They can be personal or from those whom they might serve through employment within a social services network. These efforts ensure that those stories are used to boost support for efforts to improve the lives of those youngest Oklahomans. As a former state lawmaker, I can assure you that, in most instances, stories from constituents can drive votes in a certain direction. Few people take the time to reach out to policymakers, so when a few calls come into their offices, it impacts how a vote might go. When the call comes from a voter within the district served by the lawmaker, the call carries even more weight. Those are the individuals who will part of determining if a lawmaker returns to their office after the next election. It is even more impactful when the lawmaker recognizes the name of the person calling. Developing some connection with the official in a positive situation creates influence. You should attend town halls held by the policymaker and introduce yourself. Ask to meet over coffee, either in the lawmaker’s district or at the State Capitol. This will develop the dialogue which helps you become a trusted resource. Elected officials are not experts in every subject on which they will make decisions. They look for people they can trust to provide background on issues to help them make informed votes. You can be that person with proper planning. Over the next month, I will be an instructor in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) program through Oklahoma State University for a course called Understanding Oklahoma’s Legislative Process. The course will be for four weeks, held May 20-June 10 on Tuesday afternoons from 2-3 p.m. at Epworth Villa in Oklahoma City.  The cost is $20 for those who wish to enroll. The breakdown over the four weeks will look at understanding Oklahoma’s Legislature, the work of the other two branches of government and the different levels of government. You will learn how they interact with the Legislature, as well as how to read Oklahoma state legislation, and how to be an effective advocate with policymakers. If you are interested in joining the class, please go to https://education.okstate.edu/outreach/osher-lifelong-learning-institute/okc.html to enroll. OICA also has our team members and board members travel around the state to meet with civic organizations and deliver presentations on similar topics, along with holding conversations about youth issues presented through policy by lawmakers at the state and federal level. If you have a program and would like to have one of us attend and present, please reach out to our office at info@oica.org or at (405) 236-5437, ext. 1. As the Legislature nears the end of the 2025 session, and with budget challenges ahead due to federal cuts, I strongly encourage you to go to https://www.oica.org and sign up for our Thursday newsletter. You will be able to keep up with the progress of legislation relating to Oklahoma’s children. Together, our unified and informed voices can make a difference for the positive!

As May is upon us, it is the time of year when the state budget picture begins to clear as state legislators put the finishing touches on the budget for the fiscal year beginning on July 1. This year, however, that picture is still very blurry due to uncertainty about the federal budget being written in Washington, D.C. Now, you may wonder what the federal budget has to do with the state’s budget. The fact is that a good portion of the state’s dollars to spend come back to Oklahoma from our federal tax dollars we send to Washington. Last year, the U.S. Census reported that Oklahoma’s state government received 43% of its 2022 revenue from federal dollars. Oklahoma generally gets more money as a percentage of its budget than most states. Recently, with recent federal allocations under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the total actually approached two-thirds of state spending being federal funds. ARPA expenditures were mainly one-time use projects. This has allowed state lawmakers to keep Oklahoma’s tax rates, already some of the lowest in the nation, even lower while still providing the services Oklahomans need and expect from state government. All that may be about to change. President Trump’s budget proposal, and those working their way through Congress, would sharply cut federal government spending, including that which goes to the states. In a number of cases, congressional leaders in Washington want the states to pick up more of the tab, especially in regard to Medicaid, the federal and state-funded health coverage program for the poor. In 2020, Oklahomans voted to expand Medicaid to adults aged 19-64 who earn at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. This expansion was placed in Oklahoma’s Constitution. It is not optional for state legislators: they must abide by the state constitution. If Washington reduces the amount of money allocated to the states for Medicaid, Oklahoma state lawmakers have no choice but to move money from other functions to meet the constitutional requirement for Medicaid coverage. To put how important Medicaid is to Oklahoma families and children, more than a million Oklahomans are on Medicaid – a quarter of the state’s entire population, and more than half of Oklahoma Medicaid recipients are children. Federal cuts to Medicaid will hit Oklahoma kids the hardest because there is no state constitutional requirement that Medicaid for kids be covered. So, what kind of cut is looming, just in Medicaid? The U.S. House of Representatives proposal could mean as much as $800 billion cut from Medicaid. The U.S. Senate proposal is not quite so draconian, but we can likely expect a Medicaid cut, which will hit children more severely. Medicaid is not the only child-focused federal program on the chopping block. In 2023, more than half of all federal spending on children (57 percent) went toward Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Head Start, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, the Child Tax Credit, and the Earned Income Tax Credit – all facing cuts under current federal budget proposals. Cuts to childcare and Head Start would mean families would have to pay more for childcare when parents work, cutting into family incomes. State lawmakers already have less state money to spend this year than last, even without federal cuts or a proposed state income tax cut being championed by the governor. Our state legislators have an enormous task ahead of them. Now is the time to reach out to federal lawmakers and make sure they know Oklahoma’s children need to be as protected as possible from the budget storms coming from our Nation’s Capital. To get the contact information for Oklahoma’s federal congressional delegation, go to https://tinyurl.com/OKFedLeg

The 2025 Oklahoma legislative session is almost three-fourths of the way done for the year with adjournment occurring in late May, and a good number of positive bills are moving forward. The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) is grateful to those policymakers - individuals from both rural and urban areas, men and women, Democrats and Republicans, new and veteran lawmakers - who filed and advanced legislation improve the lives of children. As you can see, categories do not matter when it comes to good policies. Our Capitol team, along with citizen advocates, continue to promote positive outcomes in the bills remaining in the process. Of those we are tracking, here are just a few of the ideas being considered: • Senate Bill 139 and House Bill 1276 - Requires schools to develop policies to prohibit students from the use of cell phones and smartwatches during the school day and when present on school property. • Senate Bill 806 - Food is Medicine Initiative. Directs Oklahoma Health Care Authority to implement a financial incentive for contracted entities who improve health outcomes of covered members through nutrition services. • House Bill 1484 – “Rain's Law.” Requires student instruction on fentanyl use/abuse in schools. • House Bill 1574 - Requires The Office of Juvenile System Oversight at the direction of Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth to inspect state-operated child facilities and inspect private operated child facilities on a periodic basis or as needed. • House Bill 1848 - Grants a tax credit to employers that provides a childcare subsidy to their employees or operates a childcare facility for their employees. • House Bill 2013 - Creates “Dylan's Law,” which provides that all individual and group health insurance policies that provide medical and surgical benefits must provide the same coverage and benefits to any individual who has been diagnosed with epilepsy as they would to an individual that has not been diagnosed with epilepsy. • House Bill 2030 - Increases foster care maintenance payment for resources parents to be at least $22.72 per day or $681.60 per month (a $5/day increase). • House Bill 2361 – “Successful Adulthood Act.” Provides children 16 years or older who have been released from custody due to the entry of an adoption decree or guardianship order will be eligible to receive successful adulthood services until they are 21. • House Bill 2892 – Directs that the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth may pursue an investigation into a case where there exists reasonable belief in injurious conduct, neglect, physical or sexual abuse of a child has occurred. That is a strong list; still, there are some ideas which will not move forward this year. One of those is placing barriers on the use of social media by those youngest of Oklahomans in their pre-teen years. Two bills were proposed - HB 1275 and SB 885 - but legislative leaders decided to pause advancement due to questions about constitutionality. There is a similar concept being considered by federal officials that may advance, and OICA encourages that debate and passage. House Bill 1082 would have created a legal presumption that joint custody and equally shared parenting time is in the best interest of the child. The presumption could have been rebutted by a preponderance of evidence. This bill was held by the Senate Judiciary Committee to further study the language and remove any conflicting language currently in statute. Over the summer, we will work to address the concerns with these concepts. In the meantime, we will advocate for advancing those remaining ideas left alive for this session. If you would like weekly updates on these and other bills, go to oica.org to sign up for our Thursday email newsletter.

Do you consider your world view as “black & white” versus “shades of gray?” For my entire life, I can only remember a few times in my younger days that I felt so strongly about one side of an issue that it clouded me from seeing the other side of the story. In fact, the few times I took a hard line on something, I came around to see other perspectives and understood that someone somewhere would be hurt by not considering all sides of an issue. I had the pleasure of attending “The Boys from Oklahoma” concert this past weekend in Stillwater. While there, I made some new friends who recognized me from my former service as a state representative. We had an enjoyable conversation that sparked writing this column. After the introductions and pleasantries, light conversation about politics came up and two of them, lifelong best friends, shared their distinct political differences. What struck me was that this seems like a rarity these days as differing opinions have often divided up friends and family. I was happy to see that their friendship was strong enough to hold up against something like differing in their preferred political views. Policymakers have that challenge, and many enter the fray feeling they need to have enemies to validate what they wish to achieve. The natural opponent in politics is a person who is a challenger in an election, be it in a party primary between those who belong to the same party or those in the other party should one make it to the General Election. Only one wins the election, potentially leading to a grudge against the partisan opposition that can follow into political service. That is understandable as political parties often are the dividing line between views on multiple issues and can result in differing votes on issues. These differences often can become personal to policymakers who might champion an issue or stand devoutly against something. Fortunately, there are incidents that serve as a reality check for many that there are things far more important than political divides. One of those moments during this session was the passage of House Bill 1389, authored by Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa and Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City. This bill would guarantee coverage for low-dose mammography screenings for Oklahoma women to help detect breast cancer. Provenzano, about two months ago, underwent a mastectomy for stage one HER2-positive breast cancer. “4,287 women were diagnosed [with breast cancer] this last year in the State of Oklahoma,” said Provenzano in her debate. “If this bill can help save a mom, I hope you’ll consider voting for it.” The bill did pass, and it was unanimous with a 95-0 vote. One of her colleagues, Majority Floor Leader Rep. Josh West, R-Grove, summed it up best. “Representative Provenzano, regardless of party lines, I guarantee it, I can speak for everyone, saying we all care about you,” West said. I appreciate that sentiment more than I can convey in this column. I am fortunate to work in a field (child advocacy) that often does not divide on party lines, albeit the pathway to solutions can have differing opinions. I have found it easy to visit with almost every lawmaker about most issues and am thankful when they think through the issues and what impact they will have on children, and with this bill, saving the lives of mothers. Thank you to those who place good policy over party on both sides of the aisle when it comes to legislative solutions. And if you have lost a good friend over political differences, please consider a second chance.