Representative Meloyde Blancett

D

District 78

Hi, I’m Meloyde Blancett and I represent the people of Oklahoma’s 78th District.


representative

News & Announcements

Jun 12, 2025

Alzheimer's Dementia and Other Forms of Dementia Special Care Disclosure Act becomes law

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Alzheimer’s Dementia and Other Forms of Dementia Special Care Disclosure Act, HB 2262, is now law. It requires facilities who advertise memory care to disclose what type of care is being provided. The primary author of the bill is Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond. “Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia is one of the most emotional and challenging journeys a family can face,” said Miller. “I authored the original legislation in 2021 to bring greater transparency to memory care. This bill builds on that foundation — strengthening the process and offering families clarity, confidence and peace of mind. I’m proud to see this bill become law.” Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City, was the bill’s Senate author. “Families navigating the challenges of Alzheimer’s and dementia deserve transparency when choosing a memory care facility for their loved one,” said Stanley. “With this legislation, families will have accessible information to compare services, staffing, and support available across facilities. I’m proud to see this bill become law and extend protections to vulnerable individuals, hold providers accountable, and offer families peace of mind. I extend my appreciation to everyone who helped get this bill across the finish line, ensuring families can make informed, confident decisions” Rep. Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa, co-authored the bill and presented it in House committees and on the House Floor. “Caregivers and families of those with Alzheimer's or dementia already face immense emotional stress when trying to figure out what facility is best suited for their loved ones's needs," said Blancett. "The last thing they need is to get misinformation in the decision process because the life of their loved one can literally hang in the balance if a bad placement is made. "This bill places greater disclosure requirements on both referral agencies, caregivers and the Oklahoma Department of Health to better ensure families know in advance which facilities provide which memory care services and which do not."   According to the Alzheimer’s Association Oklahoma Chapter, in Oklahoma, there are over 70,500 Oklahomans aged 65 and up with Alzheimer's, there was a 152% increase in Alzheimer's Deaths from 2000-2022, and 18% of Hospice Residents have a primary diagnosis of Dementia.  The bill also requires the conspicuous posting of information about where a person can report a referral agency or a facility which has not provided the appropriate information about a facility's memory care capabilities. Reporting such complaints are to be made to the  Consumer Protection Unit  of the Office of the Attorney General. Consumer representatives can be reached at: (405) 521-2029; (833) 681-1895; and ConsumerProtection@oag.ok.gov The law will take effect November 1, 2025. -END-

Oct 29, 2024
Recent Posts

Blancett, Provenzano, comment on LOFT report of OSDE spending, communication failures

OKLAHOMA CITY – House Democrats and members of the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency Committee Rep. Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa, and Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa, released the following statements after the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) presented their findings in an investigation into disbursements made by the Oklahoma State Department of Education.  The report by LOFT found major concerns with delays in service and disbursement of funding as well as poor communication by OSDE in their role of supporting Oklahoma public school districts. “The continued lack of accountability from the Oklahoma State Department of Education further emphasizes the State Superintendent’s willful negligence. This puts our school districts and our kids squarely in second place to his own self interest,” Provenzano said. “We have a state agency head unwilling to commit to improving service to schools. We have a state agency head unwilling to share how he plans to spend unused payroll dollars. The repeated calls by the public to ‘Do something about Supt. Ryan Walters,’ continue to go unanswered.” Rep. Blancett says effective management of a multi-million-dollar state agency needs to be established. “The State Superintendent says the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s objective is to ‘shrink government,’ but the objective should be establishing OSDE’s ability to effectively manage a multi-million-dollar state agency for a functional education system,” Blancett said. “I come from a business background, and if you had a CEO whose chief staff could not communicate effectively either internally or externally with primary stakeholders, they would be fired. My question is if OSDE is unable to effectively create a functional working relationship with school districts and the legislature, how can we possibly expect success to happen in schools for our kids? We need leadership at OSDE who have the capability and humility to take a step back and be willing to partner with the legislature to improve this system. If there is an inability for OSDE to acknowledge they can do better, that is a serious issue.” -END-

Sep 29, 2023
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Johns, Waldron, Blancett to Study A-F Report Cards in Public Schools

A bipartisan interim study to examine the value of A-F report cards when rating the quality of public schools across the state has been scheduled for Monday, October 2. The meeting is a joint study by Reps. Ronny Johns, R-Ada, John Waldron, D-Tulsa, and Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa, and will overview the A-F report card program. Presenters will discuss how absenteeism affects the schools' grades, the pros and cons of the bell curve system, the current systems used for Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) compliance and school evaluation, and explore alternatives to existing methodologies. "I believe the A-F report card is a useful tool that gives a good overall picture of what's going on in our schools and the great job our educators are doing," said Johns, a former middle school principal. "One area of particular concern is the bell curve system we currently have in place, which severely limits schools' ability to improve their grade score even if they show vast improvement. I hope this study provides valuable information that we can use to begin considering what system best serves students, parents and teachers." Speakers include Michael Tamborski, Program Manager over Data Quality and Research in the State Dept. of Education Office of Accountability, who will provide an overview of the A-F report cards; Dr. Jeanene Barnett, Education Policy and Research Analyst, Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA), who will detail what other states have done as alternatives to the A-F report card system; and Sandra Valentine, formerly with APlus, who will explain the A-F report card scoring process. “The study seeks to update and improve our system of school assessment by looking at alternative models that can add value to our understanding of school performance, and point the way to improving student learning,” said Waldron, a former public school teacher. Also speaking to the committee will be Bixby Public Schools Superintendent Rob Miller, Stillwater Public Schools Superintendent Uwe Gordon, and Stillwater Public Schools Board Member Marshall Baker. The study, which is open to the public, is scheduled for Monday, October 2 at 1 p.m. in Room 206 at the Oklahoma State Capitol. The meeting will be held before the House Common Education Committee and will be live-streamed at www.okhouse.gov .