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Nov 1, 2024
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Gann's State Agency Budget Transparency Law Takes Effect

OKLAHOMA CITY – A law requiring state agency directors to certify their agency's annual budget is filed with the state Department of Libraries within the time required under state law takes effect today. House Bill 3113, authored by Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, requires agency executive directors to certify their agency is in compliance with the Oklahoma State Government Open Documents Initiative when they submit their annual agency budgets to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services and the Legislature. "We found not all agencies were filing their budgets with the Department of Libraries and thereby giving the public online access, or they were woefully behind in doing so," Gann said. "If the agency head has to sign off on the process, it is more likely to not be overlooked." The amended law says the officer shall certify the agency is in complete compliance with the requirements of Title 62 Section 34.11.3, which requires an electronic copy to be online at documents.ok.gov, and Title 65 Section 3-114, which requires hard copies to be placed in the Department of Libraries if for any reason an electronic version cannot be filed. Gann stated requiring the certification of this process by the agency head will ensure state agencies budgets are filed for public view and access in a timely manner. The law already requires agencies to file budgets with the director of the state's Office of Management and Enterprise Services on or before the first day of June in each year, or as soon thereafter as possible. Copies of all agency budgets also shall be made available electronically to the staff of the Joint Legislative Committee on Budget and Program Oversight. The agency budget shall include a description of all funds available to the agency for expenditure and set out allotments requested by the agency by quarter and the entire fiscal year. The budget is to be accompanied by an organizational chart of the agency, a statement of agency mission and program objectives. The budget also shall delineate agency spending by such categories and with at least as much detail as is specified in the legislative appropriation and as prescribed by the director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.



Oct 31, 2024
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Rep. Kevin West: 'What a Waste of Time'

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahomans will fall back an hour Sunday morning, and they're scheduled still to spring forward an hour March 9, 2025. This is because of the Legislature's refusal to adopt meaningful legislation on daylight saving time, according to Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore. West has authored several bills that would send to a vote of the people a question on whether to adopt permanent standard time in Oklahoma, stopping the twice-yearly time change. The measures have not advanced through the legislative process. Instead, last session, the Legislature passed and the governor signed into law Senate Bill 1200. The measure specifies that should a federal law ever authorize states to observe daylight saving time year-round, Oklahoma shall adopt it as the year-round standard of time. "This is a terrible idea and a do-nothing law," West said. "We tried this in the past and had to petition the federal government to repeal it because of the problems caused by it remaining dark until after 8 a.m. in the winter." West said in 1974 the entire nation was mandated to go to daylight saving time. In the winter of 1974, several states, including Oklahoma, petitioned the federal government to end it after complaints of children going to school in the dark and employees starting the work day before the sun rose. The act ultimately was repealed in 1975. Federal law allows states to be on standard time year-round. Arizona, Hawaii and most U.S. territories currently do this. The law requires states that wish to adopt daylight saving time year-round to ask permission from the government to do so, but so far the federal government has not granted any of these requests. West also pointed out that the Sunshine Protection Act in Congress would require states to be on daylight saving time year-round. The act would allow states to not participate only if they take legislative action to do so. The act has not passed. States that choose not to opt out of daylight saving time are required to set their clocks forward an hour at 2 a.m. the second Sunday of March each year and back an hour at 2 a.m. the first Sunday of November. "I've heard from numerous constituents, parents and business owners over the course of my legislative service that there is a strong desire to stop the changing of the clocks," West said. "The only way to accomplish that is to switch to permanent standard time. I've proposed several measures that would accomplish this, but we must have the legislative boldness to put this question before Oklahomans." West has studied the issue in detail. In a previous legislative study, he invited experts to discuss the science of time change and the detriments of changing the clock twice yearly. The U.S. Congress first implemented daylight saving time through the Standard Time Act in 1918 during World War I as a way to "add" more daylight hours to conserve energy. The act also established five time zones across the U.S. The Uniform Time Act in 1966 mandated the country use daylight saving time but allowed states to opt out and to stay on standard time year-round. The thought behind daylight saving time is that by setting the clocks back an hour in November, more daylight time is gained in the early mornings. When an hour is added in March, more daylight is gained in the evenings. West said there are additional concerns such as health-related risks, increased auto accidents and work-related injuries that rise when daylight comes after people start their day. West said he's received an enormous amount of positive feedback from Oklahomans who support not having to change the clock twice yearly, specifically noting the time it takes to adjust to the change. West said he'll keep pushing for legislation to put the question before state voters. 



Oct 30, 2024
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Smith Studies Rural Firefighter Retention

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. David Smith, R-Arpelar, last week held an interim study to examine issues surrounding recruiting and retaining volunteer rural firefighters. The packed study was held before the House Public Safety Committee on Oct. 21 at the State Capitol. "Living in rural Oklahoma, I know the importance of rural firefighters," Smith said. "We've got 60 and 70-year-olds fighting fires because we can't get some of the younger people to come up." Smith said rural firefighting is much more than just fighting brush fires. Firefighters are often the first line of defense for home and business owners. He related his own experience of his family's two-story house burning down within a matter of 30 minutes despite the efforts of four rural fire departments. "The only thing they could do by the time they got there was save my outbuildings," Smith said. "To me, since nobody got hurt, and they saved my tools so I could build another house, I was pretty OK with that. But y'all do more than what you're given credit for, and we know it." Smith invited fire coordinators from across the state to participate in the study. Luke Underwood is one of 11 rural fire coordinators from across the state representing 840 rural fire departments – those that serve communities with populations of less than 10,000. Each department faces similar issues, he said, noting the study was necessary and in fact overdue. "The issue of retention is a serious struggle across the state, and I'm not sure the solution other than some type of incentive," he said. "I hate sitting here saying that we have to come up with some type of incentive to get someone to volunteer to be a firefighter, but it's just where we're at. It's not uncommon for these departments to struggle to keep people on their roster and to keep them active." Underwood is in charge of the Caddo District, which includes the seven southeast counties in Oklahoma and 121 fire departments. He said when he started, rural firefighting was more a community effort where everyone pitched in to help their neighbors, and it was a time when 18-year-olds thought it was cool to get to man the fire truck. Now, people are busier with sports and other activities that consume much of their time. He related his own experience in serving as a rural fire coordinator and as a part-time deputy sheriff as well as owning a real estate business with his wife with whom he has three daughters. The family also goes to church twice a week, including school and other activities. "I'm one of the busiest people you'll ever meet in your life," Underwood said. "But I understand that volunteering your time means you're going to have to make sacrifices. It's my opinion that peoples' hearts are different now," Underwood said. He said he's heard talk of expanding retirement eligibility, but he's not sure if it's doable or even the right answer. Rep. Danny Williams, R-Seminole, asked if a $1,000 per month stipend would make a difference, and Underwood said it couldn't hurt as money tends to pique peoples' interest. Ed Barton, the rural fire coordinator for the Eastern Oklahoma Development District (EODD) based in Muskogee, said rural fire departments are struggling financially. For many, the biggest part of their budget comes from annual forestry grants of about $10,000, he said. Another problem is the state adding more training requirements on top of existing volunteers who have had enough, he said. "We're all for training, but we've got to make that training feasible for volunteers," he said. No volunteer is going to drive to Oklahoma City for mandatory training on their own dime, he said. This issue is what sparked the idea for the study. Smith held meetings with rural fire coordinators earlier this year in which several expressed concern about additional mandatory training requirements put on unpaid volunteers. Smith reached out to the state fire marshal for a solution, and the study was a way to further the discussion. Other study presenters included Ernie Moore, retired rural fire coordinator and retired executive director of the EODD; Mark Goeller, state forester and director of forestry services for the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry; Clayton Webb, fire chief for Buckhorn; the Oklahoma Fire Chiefs Association; Kyle Ramer with the Jacktown Fire Department in Lincoln County; Sheri Nickel, deputy director of the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association; and Bryan Miller, fire chief for Alva.