Representative Meloyde Blancett

D

District 78

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


representative

News & Announcements

May 20, 2026

New law codifies proper amount of money for court-ordered rehab, mental health, drug courts per State Questions 780/781

OKLAHOMA CITY – A new law, HB 4408 , by Rep. Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa, codifies how the incarceration savings ?is calculated per SQ 780/781 so that the proper amount of money can be put toward court ordered ?rehab programs and mental health and drug courts.? The measure requires the Department of Corrections and the Administrator of the Oklahoma ?Courts to provide the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) specific data on crimes ?that were modified by SQ 780. Within 30 days of receiving this data, LOFT must calculate the ?annual savings and averted incarceration costs. ? ?“This law is the first step in much needed reform of the County Community Safety Investment ?Fund, which is the core of SQ 781,” said Blancett. “There is still more work to be done, but I am ?thankful to get this measure across the finish line and continue to work toward creating smart ?actions that actually work to help rehabilitate individuals and in turn save taxpayer dollars, thereby ?improving public safety. Incarceration can’t be the only tool in the toolbox.”? The County Community Safety Investment Fund can be used by counties to pay for:? Mental Health & Substance Abuse: Outpatient treatment, mobile crisis response ?teams, telehealth resources, and recovery support services.? Pretrial Diversion Programs: Treatment courts, structured alternatives to ?incarceration, and case management services.? Employment Programs: Workforce partnerships and job-readiness training to ?help stabilize returning citizens.? Education Programs: Rehabilitative education or training to support community ?reintegration.? Housing Programs: Housing navigation and temporary or transitional support for ?individuals returning to the community.? SQ 780/781 were passed by Oklahoma voters in 2016. SQ 780 changed from a felony to a misdemeanor non-violent lower-level property and drug crimes and required the incarceration ?savings to be invested in the above programs. Since then, a 2025 report from Oklahomans for ?Criminal Justice Reform says SQ 780 was responsible for over $200M in state savings and worked ?to invest $37.5M into local mental health and substance abuse services across 44 Oklahoma counties. ? -END-

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-