Source: http://okhighered.org/leg-info/1997/5-2dist.htm
Timestamp: 2018-06-20 13:10:55
Document Index: 152130866

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 2505', '§ 3', '§ 1', '§ 3218', '§ 2', '§ 924', '§ 2946', '§ 6060', '§ 3207', '§ 63', '§ 3204', '§ 1210']

University Hospitals Merger Bill Passes House: On Thursday the House of Representatives passed HB 1644, the bill which authorizes the proposed merger of the University Hospital Authority with Columbia HCA. The bill passed by a vote of 68 ayes, 24 nays. Proponents of the bill say that, without the legislation, the hospitals would face a bleak financial future due to declining numbers of patients and revenue, and requiring substantial increases in state funding to remain viable. Of major concern to higher education officials is the integral role of the hospitals in the training of medical students from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
The Senate is expected to consider the bill as early as Monday, May 5.
Legislature Extends Deadline: In a rare action, the Legislature extended its own deadline for filing of initial conference committee reports from April 30 to May 8. The move provides additional time for the numerous conference committees to draft and submit final versions of pending legislation.
Speakers Support Tuition and Fee Proposal: On Tuesday, at a public hearing on the State Regents’ tuition and fee proposal, all eight speakers endorsed the proposition. The speakers included:
Keith Hill and Keith Edwards, both members of the student government association at the University of Oklahoma. The two had authored a resolution, which approved by the association, supporting the tuition proposal but also calling for the Legislature to increase higher education funding by at least $60 million and to increase funding for the Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant (OTAG) program.
Ron Beer, Vice President for Student Affairs at Oklahoma State University, presented the institution’s plans and needs in regard to student activity fees, library resources fees, and student health care fees.
Paul Day, president of the Oklahoma Student Government Association (OSGA), presented resolutions adopted by the Association in support of the proposal.
Jill Hilburn, a student at the University of Oklahoma and also a member of OSGA.
Saul Magana, president of the Student Advisory Board to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
Kathryn Jones, Executive Director of the Higher Education Alumni Council of Oklahoma.
Amy Williams, president of the student body at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
Governor’s Appointments: Governor Keating announced the following appointments:
Richard Riley, of Mustang, to the Redlands Community College Board of Regents, to serve a term ending April 2004;
Ramona Clawson, of Idabel, to the McCurtain County Higher Education Program Board of Trustees, to serve a term ending June 2006;
Burns Densmore, of Pauls Valley, to the Ardmore Higher Education Program Board of Trustees, to serve a term ending June 2006;
Dave Guthery, to the Tulsa Community College Board of Regents, to serve a term ending June 2004.
All appointments require Senate confirmation.
Citizens’ Commission on the Future of Oklahoma Higher Education; Tuesday, May 13; 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; at the Springlake campus of Metro Tech in Oklahoma City.
May 8, Wednesday -- Deadline for filing of initial conference committee reports
(deadline was extended from April 30 to May 8)
none scheduled as of Friday, May 2.
SB 78 – central purchasing; clarifies exemptions (Senate concurred in House amendments, sent to Governor)
SB 473 – retirement; increasing cap on post-retirement earnings (now goes to House)
HB 1644 – University Hospitals; merger authorization (now goes to Senate)
SB 78 – central purchasing; clarifies exemptions
SB 87 – health insurance, chiropractic services
SB 552 – health insurance; penalty for fraud
HB 1598 – maternity benefits; length of stay
HB 1817 – financial vouchers; securities
SR 33 – declaring Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Week
Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, Northeastern State University
University Hospitals (cont’d)
Reported Status as of 5/2/97
IN COMMITTEE - CONFERENCE 05/01/97
LAID OVER - SENATE 04/23/97
HOUSE AMENDMENTS ADOPTED - SENATE 04/28/97
BILL PASSED - SENATE 04/28/97
SIGNED & TRANSMITTED TO GOVERNOR 04/29/97
* SB 87 (Leftwich/Glover) - HEALTH INSURANCE. Provides that an HMO or prepaid health plan shall be deemed in noncompliance if certain forms contain definition of words or terms that are contrary to or inconsistent with words or terms in certain statutes; modifies the requirement for comprehensive health services to provide that, with respect to chiropractic services, such covered services shall be provided on a referral basis within the network at the request of an enrollee who has a condition of an orthopedic or neurological nature if a referral is necessitated in the judgment of the primary care physician and treatment for the condition falls within the licensed scope of practice of a chiropractic physician. (63 § 2505)
CCR READ - SENATE 05/01/97
CONFEREES CHANGED 04/21/97
IN COMMITTEE - CONFERENCE 04/24/97
CCR ADOPTED - SENATE 04/30/97
BILL AND EMERGENCY PASSED - SENATE 04/30/97
SIGNED & TRANSMITTED TO HOUSE 04/30/97
* SB 674 (Leftwich/Glover) - WORKERS’ COMPENSATION. Requires written notice of an employee election to participate in a certified workplace medical plan be given the employer on forms prescribed by the administrator; requires that the election be made available to the employee prior to the annual open enrollment period; requires forms to be prescribed by the administrator and be made available to the employee at least 30 days prior to the date of election; requires that the form include information on employee rights. The conference committee substitute is a shell bill with a stricken title. (85 § 3)
CCR-CCS SUBMITTED 04/30/97
CCR READ - SENATE 04/30/97
* SB 730 (Maddox/Askins) - WORKERS’ COMPENSATION. This is a comprehensive bill reforming the Workers’ Compensation Act. The conference committee substitute is a shell containing only a stricken title and an enacting clause. (85 § 1.1)
* SB 746 (Williams/Steidley) - SUPPLEMENTAL FEES. This is a shell bill relating to the cap on the per-semester-credit-hour library automation and materials fee at State System institutions. (70 § 3218.11)
ADOPTED - SENATE 04/21/97
* SR 30 (Dickerson) - RAY HENSON. Congratulates Ray Henson upon his selection as national chair of the North Central Association.
* SR 33 (Muegge) – COOPERATIVE EXTENSION. Declares the week of May 11-17, 1997, as Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Week.
SENATE AMENDMENTS - REJECTED 05/01/97
CONFERENCE REQUESTED 05/01/97
* HB 1038 (Settle/Monson) - WORKERS’ COMPENSATION/OU. Relates to the Workers’ Compensation Act, making numerous reforms; Section 19 requires the University of Oklahoma Business Research College to conduct a comparative study of injured workers’ benefits; requires the study to include a comparison among the states of Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas; requires the study to reflect a national comparative ratio and to be based on workers’ compensation benefit data for the year 1998. (85 § 2.5)
CONFEREES CHANGED 04/28/97
* HB 1203 (Kinnamon/Maddox) - WORKERS’ COMPENSATION. This is a comprehensive reform bill for the Workers’ Compensation Act. (360 § 924.2)
COMMITTEE REASSIGNMENT - CONFERENCE 04/30/97
* HB 1337 (Begley/Weedn) - AD VALOREM TAX. Creates a 25-member Task Force on Centrally Assessed Property to review state laws and rules relating to the Court of Tax Review, the definition of public service corporation, determining the values of public service corporations and values of business personal property; requires the task force to make recommendations for changes relating to centrally assessed property and submit a report by Dec. 1, 1997. The conference committee report returns the measure to the form in which it passed the House, deleting language added in the Senate that would have increased the membership from 23 members to 25 by adding the chairs of the House and Senate education committees. (68 § 2946.4)
CCR SUBMITTED 04/29/97
WITHDRAWN - FROM GCCA 04/29/97
* HB 1540 (Erwin/Brown) - RESIDENTIAL CARE/EDUCATION TRAINING. Provides that an individual applying for administrator training certification pursuant to the Residential Care Act may at any time make the institution of higher learning aware of past educational courses taken and work experiences; provides that the institution can then make a determination of possible credit hours towards certification for that individual; authorizes an existing certified administrator to request that the Health Department place the administrator’s certification on inactive status for up to five subsequent calendar years; provides that all existing certified administrators who have taken the 50-hour course shall be eligible to take 16 hours of continuing education to become active or ask the department to place their certificate on inactive status. (36 § 6060.4)
* HB 1561 (Wells/Morgan) - CREDITS/EDUCATIONAL EXPENSE/PREPAYMENT PROGRAM. Extends to Jan. 1, 1998, the date by which the State Regents must submit to the chairs of the respective legislative education subcommittees a report on the progress made in ensuring that students move smoothly from one level of education to another; provides that any indebtedness by an individual to an institution, constituent agency or higher education center in the State System shall be considered an educational expense. The conference committee returned the bill to the form in which it passed the House. Language has been restored to permit state higher education institutions to establish a prepayment program whereby individuals may selectively establish a short-term saving account with the institution of their choice for the purpose of prepaying educational expenses.(70 § 3207.1)
* HB 1601 (Roach/Henry) - WORKERS’ COMPENSATION. Provides that if an employer secures workers’ compensation insurance within 30 days after receiving notice of a violation for failure to provide such insurance, the employer shall be liable for a civil penalty of $50 per employee; provides that an employer who knowingly and willfully requires an employee or subcontractor to obtain a certificate of non-coverage for which the individual is not eligible, shall be liable for a civil penalty of not more than $500 for a first offense, and not more than $1,000 for a second or subsequent offense. (85 § 63.1)
* HB 1644 (Ervin/Robinson) - UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS. Changes certain references to Oklahoma Memorial Hospital to University Hospitals. The conference committee substitute creates a governing committee for the University Hospitals, to include both state appointees and individuals appointed by the private entity with which the state enters into an agreement to operate the hospitals; requires that the committee approve termination or transfer or material addition or diminution of medical services at the Oklahoma Medical Center related to and part of a teaching program of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and other major decisions as may be agreed upon by the trust and the private entity; requires that the agreement be submitted to the Contingency Review Board; provides that if the board does not disapprove the proposed agreement, within 30 days after time for the board to act has expired, the University Hospitals Authority and the University Hospitals Trust may petition the Oklahoma Supreme Court for a declaratory judgement on the validity of the proposed agreement; provides for a 10-day protest period prior to the hearing on the petition; provides that the Institutional Maintenance and Construction Unit and the Architecture and Engineering Planning Unit of the Department of Human Services shall have authority to submit bids and enter into contracts with and to perform services for the Oklahoma Medical Center for construction and remodeling projects that fall within the scope of services of the unit. (63 § 3204)
CCR ADOPTED - HOUSE 05/01/97
BILL PASSED - HOUSE 05/01/97
(68 AYE / 24 NAY / 0 ABSENT / 8 EXCUSED / 0 NOT VOTING)
EMERGENCY PASSED - HOUSE 05/01/97
(69 AYE / 22 NAY / 0 ABSENT / 9 EXCUSED / 0 NOT VOTING)
* HB 1872 (Hamilton/Haney) - APPROPRIATIONS/TEACHER PREPARATION. Appropriates to various education entities. Section 7 appropriates to the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation; Section 8 requires that beginning with the appropriation for FY99, the Legislature shall pass the final appropriations for all education entities by the first Monday in April of each legislative session.
* HB 2017 (Betty Boyd/Williams) - TEACHER PREPARATION/ADVANCE PLACEMENT. Directs the State Board of Education to promulgate rules to establish the Oklahoma Advanced Placement Incentive Program; defines terms; authorizes the State Board, contingent upon available funds, to award certain financial incentive awards related to advance placement development; requires the State Board of Education to set aside a portion of the funds appropriated annually for professional development for the purpose of funding intensive professional development institutes developed by the Teacher Preparation Commission in reading for elementary school teachers, in hands-on inquiry-based science for elementary teachers and mathematics for teachers of grades five through nine; requires the State Board of Education to ensure the participation of the Oklahoma public schools in the National Assessment of Education Progress; requires the State Board to submit to the Legislature a proposal for implementing a system of performance standards for public schools; requires performance-based assessment of reading skills for students in first through third grades; requires that students found not to be reading at the appropriate grade level to be provided an individual reading instruction plan before the close of the current school year; authorizes the State Board, contingent upon funding, to establish an education incentive grants program. (70 § 1210.701)
IN COMMITTEE - CONFERENCE 04/10/97
* HCR 1031 (Benson) - STATE AGENCY RECOGNITION. Declares that the Legislature joins with the Governor in proclaiming the week of May 5-11, 1997, as Pubic Service Recognition Week; extends welcome to state employees who will be participating in State Agency Recognition Day at the State Capitol; recognizes all state employees who were directly impacted by the bombing.
HOUSE INTRODUCTION AND FIRST READING 04/22/97