Annual OAP Legislative Report Released
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-08-03 15:17:07.375038-04:00
Oklahoma legislators strongly supported senior issues involving long term care and financial security according to the Oklahoma Aging Partnership's annual snapshot of legislative activity.
The OAP 2007 Legislative Report, compiled by AARP Oklahoma, followed legislators' actions on six measures: Senate Bill 738; House Bill 1510; House Bill 1580; Senate Bill 398; Senate Bill 567 and Senate Bill 712. At the beginning of the legislative session, OAP had identified a total of 16 measures that it supported.
"Aging advocates are pleased with the support shown by Oklahoma legislators on the six bills included in the 2007 OAP Legislative Report," said Bob Rawlings, Chairman of the State Council on Aging. "However, there were a number of OAP supported measures that failed to make it through the entire process this year and we hope legislators will take them up again in 2008."
The following bills are featured in the 2007 OAP Legislative Report: Senate Bill 738, by Senator Mike Morgan and Representative Gus Blackwell, assures that assisted living facilities will continue to be responsible for monitoring and caring for residents; House Bill 1580, by Representative Ron Peters and Senator John Ford, which requires agencies of health to be licensed and to maintain a system of record keeping, including criminal background checks on employees; and Senate Bill 712, by Senator James Williamson and Representative Sue Tibbs, which gives Oklahomans greater protections against a new kind of phone scam known as caller ID spoofing.
The 2007 OAP Legislative report also recaps other legislation of interest, including HB 1225, which increases the eligibility for Insure Oklahoma. The program, funded from the state's tobacco tax, helps businesses buy health insurance for their employees. HB 1225 will expand the size of businesses eligible for the program from 50 employees to 250.
However, state legislators failed to address some key measures, including family caregiving. Senate Bill 725, by Senator Andrew Rice and Representative Ken Miller, would have provided a tax break for Oklahomans who care for elderly relatives.
"Recent AARP research shows that more than 370,000 family caregivers in Oklahoma provide services totaling $3.5 billion," said Robert Bristow, AARP Oklahoma State President. "We are hopeful legislators will address a tax deduction for these caregivers next year.
The OAP is a non-partisan partnership of four member organizations which include AARP Oklahoma, Oklahoma Alliance on Aging, Oklahoma Silver Haired Legislature Alumni Association, and the Oklahoma State Council on Aging. This is the third year the OAP has partnered to produce a legislative report on aging issues. The legislative report reflects a consensus, by OAP, on key measures affecting older Oklahomans.
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