Latest news with #HouseBill2164
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House votes to override several vetoes including mammography screening bill
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – While several still needed a vote to override from the Senate, House lawmakers overwhelmingly agreed to override several of the governor's vetoes, including one that would've extended coverage surrounding mammography screening. While it was voted in the House as of Thursday evening, the Senate still hadn't taken up most of the House bills for a vote to override. Claps from lawmakers in the House followed the override vote for House Bill 1389, authored by Rep. Melissa Provenzano. Provenzano said her idea for the bill came about after she got a call from a single mom in her district. Veto overrides could be on the way during final week of legislative session She said the woman went in for a routine mammogram, but when her doctor saw something concerning and recommended a second diagnostic mammogram, her insurance wouldn't cover it. 'And it was $1,200,' Provenzano said. The governor, earlier this month, vetoed the bill and said: I am deeply sympathetic to the women across our state who have bravely fought breast cancer. While early detection and access to care are critical priorities, this legislation imposes new and costly insurance mandates on private health plans that will ultimately raise insurance premiums for working families and small businesses. Mammograms are already covered, and when a doctor sees the need for further tests, they are empowered to order further tests that can be covered by insurance. Without fail, when the government gets involved in markets, prices rise for everyone. Rather than expanding government mandates, we should focus on empowering individuals and encouraging innovation in the marketplace to improve access and affordability. Governor Kevin Stitt The other bill that had overwhelming support was House Bill 2164, which would have strengthened state bidding and purchasing laws to ensure public officials cannot use their positions of power for personal gain. It clarifies what a conflict of interest is and what requires disclosure, and the measure ensures that officials receive ethics training. The governor announced his veto of that bill Thursday morning and said, 'While I support the core goals of the bill, it would mandate ethics training for every newly elected or appointed head of a state agency, board, or commission—imposing the extreme penalty of removal from office for noncompliance. With hundreds of state agencies, boards, and commissions, this would create excessive bureaucracy with little meaningful impact.' The Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who is running for Governor of Oklahoma, quickly came out with a statement against that veto and said: HB 2164 could prevent future scenarios such as that of Swadley's and the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation, when the sole bidder for a state contract landed a sweetheart deal that allegedly spurred flagrant overcharging of the state. HB 2164 would conceivably prevent a situation like what we saw several years ago at the Oklahoma Employment Securities Commission, when the employer of the agency director's spouse won a lucrative software contract with OESC. Attorney General Gentner Drummond Several other votes for overriding his vetoes came throughout the day, but by late Thursday evening, the Senate had yet to finish their votes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
From shoplifting to protests, 4 crime-related bills to watch in Oklahoma Legislature
Oklahoma is very close to adding laws that limit protests near churches, strengthen public corruption punishments, raise the age of consent and create a new punishment for organized retail crime. These are a few examples of crime-focused bills that are still waiting for a final vote by the state Legislature or approval by Gov. Kevin Stitt. Lawmakers have been at the State Capitol since February, ironing out details and negotiating on which bills should advance and which ones aren't quite ready. The following pieces of legislation have made it through both the House and Senate, but are still lacking the final couple of steps needed to become state law. The Legislature must finish its work by May 30. House Bill 1003 would raise Oklahoma's age of consent from 16 to 18. That means that any adult engaging in sexual activity with someone under 18, barring one exception, could lead to a rape conviction. In an attempt to protect special needs students from exploitation, the bill also raises the age of consent to 20 for those in public or private elementary or secondary school, junior high or high school, or public vocational school when engaging in sexual acts with a school employee. The proposed law includes one exception. Oklahoma's current "Romeo and Juliet" law exempts sexual activity between people who are 14 to 17 years old. This new version would exempt activity between one person who is either 16 or 17 and another person who is not more than four years older. Therefore, a 16-year-old could legally have sex with someone who is 20 if the bill becomes law. The bill is on its way to the governor's desk for his approval or veto. House Bill 2164 upgrades some corruption crimes from a misdemeanor to a felony, and in some cases can lead to a ban on holding a future state office. The measure is the outcome of a legislative interim study examining Oklahoma's laws against government officials using their office for personal gain. Versions of the legislation have overwhelmingly passed both the House and Senate, but both chambers still need to agree on which language to send to the governor. "(We're) trying to make sure we have clear, concise laws and help clear up some of the inconsistencies in our state corruption laws for all levels of government," the bill's author state Rep. John Pfeiffer, R-Mulhall, told The Oklahoman. If the bill becomes law, state employees authorized to sell and lease property, or are involved with contract negotiations and approval, are guilty of a felony if they voluntarily personally benefit from the deal. Upon conviction, they would be subject to termination and barred from holding any public office in Oklahoma. The bill also targets state employees, officials and contractors who use non-public information for personal gain or to benefit an immediate family member. That includes market speculation and disclosing information to outside parties. Anyone found guilty of this crime would face up to a $10,000 fine and/or five years in state prison. Additionally, a state officer or employee who uses their office to benefit them or a close family member must, if found guilty, spend at least a year in prison and/or pay a fine. Another provision of the proposed law would nullify bids made by contractors if they are done in collusion to bid at afixed price or to avoid competition by agreeing not to bid on a state contract. Violators face a felony conviction along with a ban on holding public office or obtaining any future state contracts. Finally, the bill would require new heads of state agencies, boards and commissions to attend an ethics course within one year of their appointment. During debate in the Senate, Minority Leader Julia Kirt supported the bill but encouraged her colleagues to extend corruption laws and ethics training to legislators and elected officials who don't run a state agency. "We continue to add ethics training requirements for lots of other professions without actually doing it ourselves," said Kirt, D-Oklahoma City. Oklahoma lawmakers have taken a step toward barring protesters from being near church services. Senate Bill 743 puts a buffer between two groups of people who are both exercising their First Amendment rights. It says that when a religious meeting is being held, it is illegal to obstruct the entrance to that meeting. It would also be illegal, if done within 100 feet of a church meeting, to get within eight feet of someone to hand out literature, hold a sign or vocally protest without that person's consent. Disturbing a religious meeting could therefore be punishable by a year in jail and/or a $500 fine. A second conviction of the same crime would increase punishment to a $1,000 fine and up to two years in state prison. An earlier version of the bill would have created a one-mile buffer zone around churches where non-permitted protests would be criminalized. State Sen. Dusty Deevers debated against that proposal, pointing out the regular sidewalk anti-abortion protests that take place in front of an Oklahoma City Planned Parenthood office, which is in the same block as Paseo Church. The bill was amended, however, when it reached the House of Representatives. If the Senate agrees to the House changes, it would head to the governor. If not, both chambers will negotiate on a final version to present to members for another vote. An enhanced law against organized retail crime could hit the books this year targeting individuals who shoplift and also meet two of the following criteria: Resell stolen items Work as part of a team Using "tools of theft" that include tag cutters, foil-lined bags, weapons or other means of evading detection Use of non-public exits Destruction or deactivation of anti-theft devices Receiving or purchasing stolen retail items Use of a getaway driver or stolen vehicle Use of a fraudulent or paper license plate Anyone convicted of organized retail crime totaling less than $15,000 stolen could face up to five years in prison, one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. If the stolen property totals more than $15,000, the incarceration could be bumped up to eight years in state prison. House Bill 1592 also extends "pattern of criminal offenses" to include those committed in two or more municipalities, instead of just counties. The bill easily passed both the House and Senate, and is being sent to the governor's desk. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma lawmakers target corruption, organized shoplifting in 2025
Fox News
06-02-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Ban of harmful school lunch ingredients urged by MAHA supporters with new law proposal
A bill in Arizona is seeking to make school lunches healthy again by banning ultra-processed food. House Bill 2164, titled the Arizona Healthy Schools Act, was introduced by Representative Leo Biasiucci and inspired by RFK Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. The bill would ban any food that contains potassium bromate, propylparaben, titanium dioxide, brominated vegetable oil, yellow dyes 5 and 6, blue dyes 1 and 2, green dye 3, and red dyes 3 and 40. "The legislature finds that ultra-processed, industrially manufactured, nutrient-depleted food with synthetic additives is undernourishing minors at public schools and contributing to childhood obesity," the bill reads. Adding, "Any taxpayer-funded meal or snack program offered to minors at public schools in this state should be nutritious and made primarily of whole, minimally processed plant or animal products." On Tuesday, a "Cut the Chemicals" press conference was held at the Arizona Department of Education (AZDE) hosted by Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne. At the presser, Rep. Biasiucci, along with wellness advocates and supporters of the bill, gathered to share the importance of advancing the bill in Arizona. Biasiucci told Fox News Digital that the idea for the bill was sparked while in Italy visiting his family last summer. "[I] realized that even after eating pizza, pasta, bread, cheese and ice cream almost daily, I still felt great. I started to then look at the ingredients in the foods and noticed they didn't have all the dyes and chemicals we had in our foods," said Biasiucci. He added, "Sometimes, these foods even came from companies that provide the same product in both the United States and in Europe. It was at that moment I knew I had to do something." Biasiucci said the "Make America Healthy Again" movement has absolutely impacted his legislative agenda, and that the support of this bill has been incredible. Calley Means, an advocate for healthcare reform, focusing on the intersection of food, policy and chronic disease, said these food colorings are crude oil. "They are unambiguously connected to mass behavioral and neurological issues for kids. These are not allowed in any other developed country in the world…we have a food industry that's addicting kids and rigging lives," said Means. Means added, "from the food industry standpoint, the largest fast food restaurant in America is school lunches." From 2017 to March 2020, 22.2% of adolescents 12–19 were diagnosed with obesity, according to the CDC. And from 2015 to 2018, 28.2% of teens were diagnosed with prediabetes, according to JAMA Pediatrics. Diana Diaz-Harrison, Arizona Autism Charter Schools executive director and an autism mom, saiit is sad for her to see what is currently served as school lunches. "I honestly don't feel good about feeding the kids that lunch and that breakfast every single day because it is honestly something that I myself would not eat, nor would I give my child," said Diaz-Harrison. Actor and comedian Rob Schneider was also in attendance at the press conference. For more Health articles, visit "We can get the farmer's market and get the chefs to help, and we want to encourage the schools and the parents [to] get involved. It can be a community thing where it leaves the schools, and then it becomes part of the parents, becomes part of the lifestyle," said Schneider. Schneider added, "I got two kids here in Arizona, and I love this state. And the passion here today was fantastic." HB 2164 will head to the floor of the Arizona House of Representatives for a full House vote.
