OKLAHOMA STATE SENATE / From the desk of Sen. Jessica Garvin
The race is on with just one day left until the bill request deadline on Friday, Dec. 8. I’m working on several bills for the upcoming session, and I’ll be sharing these with you in the coming weeks.
One of the bills I’ll be filing would require the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) to develop an eight-year plan, similar to what the Oklahoma Department of Transportation has for their roads and bridges project planning. This would help the state to have a long-term plan for continued maintenance and improvements for all state-owned properties. In our meeting earlier this month, the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) shared with our oversight committee that OMES needs to be more organized when it comes to planning for and paying bills, as well as being financially prepared to make infrastructure improvements, along with necessary computer, software, and other technical upgrades to keep our state agencies running efficiently and providing the best services. Developing an eight-year plan would organize and prioritize building upgrades and improvements, as well as help the Legislature prioritize funding for future projects.
In my first term, I have made it a personal mission to draft bills that improve the lives of Oklahoma women, so when the Attorney General’s Office contacted me to work with them to address the statute of limitations on rape cases, it immediately became a priority for me. Although rape does occur against male victims, women make up the majority of rape victims in the United States and Oklahoma; and sadly, many victims never report their situation to law enforcement. With advances in technology and DNA testing, paired with the investment Oklahoma has made in Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner programs over the past year, I believe updating current laws to address the short, seven-year statute of limitations, will encourage more victims to report these horrific crimes. We are fortunate to have an Attorney General in Oklahoma who has prioritized crimes against women, and I am hopeful that these changes could possibly help victims receive justice for rape cases that are past the current statute of limitations.
I’ll also be refiling my legislation to improve the safety of the medical marijuana industry and better protect patients. Among other reforms, my bill would create a registry of recommending physicians and require them to have specific education about medical marijuana to be registered and also undergo continuing education to ensure they know how to properly and safely prescribe these products. The bill would also require the OMMA to establish continuing education requirements for employees of medical marijuana businesses to ensure they are making safe recommendations to patients.
We’ll discuss more of my bills in the coming weeks. If you have any questions or concerns on legislative matters, please contact me at the Capitol by writing to Senator Jessica Garvin, State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. Room 237, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105, emailing me at Jessica. [email protected] or calling 405-521-5522.
