Representative Meloyde Blancett

D

District 78

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


representative

News & Announcements

Mar 5, 2026

Corrective measure to address medical waste burning fails to pass committee

OKLAHOMA CITY – HB 4413 by Rep. Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa, failed to advance out of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee. The bill is a corrective measure designed to ensure facilities burning regulated medical waste are regulated according to the actual risk of material being burned. The measure was designed to combat an initiative by ReWorld Tulsa to transform a 40+ year-old municipal trash incinerator into what would become the largest regulated medical waste incinerator in the United States — while continuing to operate under the far less stringent regulatory structure designed for municipal solid waste. HB 4413 seeks to close the loophole that allows the burning of large volumes of regulated medical waste. “Tulsa residents deserve regulatory integrity — not loopholes,” said Blancett. “I am thankful to the committee chairman and members for hearing this bill, but I am disappointed it did not pass and that Tulsa residents will experience a risk increase that will ensue by converting a municipal trash incinerator into the largest medical waste incinerator in the United States. It is irresponsible to burn regulated medical waste and claim it is non-hazardous. We had a chance to mitigate this risk, and I will not stop trying to better protect the residents of Tulsa from the interests of large corporations.” Regulated Medical Waste includes: Surgical waste Sharps (needles, scalpels, therefore metals) Dialysis waste Expired vaccines Pathogen-contaminated materials Plastics, rubber, and metals exposed to infectious agents When burned, these materials release: Mercury Cadmium Lead Acid gases Fine particulate matter Dioxins and furans (highly toxic halogenated organic compounds) Beryllium -END-

Oct 30, 2025

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

OKLAHOMA CITY – Beginning Nov. 1, a new law under HB 2262 creates the Alzheimer’s Dementia and Other Forms of Dementia Special Care Disclosure Act. The law’s House authors are Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond, and Rep. Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa. The law requires facilities who advertise memory care to disclose what type of care is being provided. “Families making decisions about memory care deserve transparency, clarity and confidence in the care their loved ones receive,” Miller said. “This law builds on the work I began in 2021 to strengthen accountability and ensure families have the information they need to make informed choices and that every Oklahoman in memory care is treated with the quality and respect they deserve.” 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 law 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 -END-

Oct 14, 2025

Blancett conducts interim study on dark money in Oklahoma elections

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa, conducted an interim study on the use of dark money in Oklahoma elections. The study focused on the use of dark money in Oklahoma elections and the challenges the use of dark money brings, recent examples of dark money use in Oklahoma elections, and court-tested opportunities for the Oklahoma campaign finance system to be tightened and more transparent.  “I think our constituents are tired of being bombarded by anonymous ads, text messages and direct mail pieces trying to influence them to vote a certain way in public elections,” said Blancett. “Not only are they tired of it, but we all should be concerned about why these entities are trying so hard to hide who they are, and the nature of their financial interest.” “Dark Money” is often used to describe election spending where the true source of funds isn’t visible to the public because it is shielded by using multiple pass-thru entities. It can generally take the form of negative campaigning against one candidate or state question. But it has also been shown to be used to influence the primary elections of the opposition, in an attempt to help a weaker primary candidate win, so as to create a greater chance for the preferred candidate to ultimately win a general election. “Dark Money” isn’t necessarily illegal due to the nature of how loosely disclosure laws are structured, but it is specifically used for the purpose of hiding the identities of the people who are spending money. Blancett believes a deep conversation about how we can add transparency in the public election process is a responsible use of the Oklahoma legislature’s time.  “I sincerely hope that all political perspectives can come together to make our system better for normal citizens, so they have greater faith in our electoral process and the importance of their role in it,” said Blancett. Executive Director of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission Lee Anne Boone presented during the study. She explained that the basic principle behind campaign finance laws is that voters deserve to know who is trying to influence elections. Oklahoma ranked 12 out of 50 states as of 2022 by the Coalition of Public Integrity looking at the structure of commissions with campaign finance jurisdiction and substance laws. “Oklahoma is almost a top ten state in terms of the structure of our campaign finance laws, so that is something we can be proud of,” said Boone. She also pinpointed some specific action items that could improve the system. Elizabeth Shimek, Campaign Legal Center’s Senior Legal Counsel for Campaign Finance also presented during the study about the Voters’ Right to Know Act in Arizona, a state question that was passed by more than 70% of voters. It made significant changes that resulted in greater transparency regarding the use of money in elections and what disclosure must be required of those funding the efforts. The entire study can be streamed on the  Oklahoma House of Representatives Website.  -END-