Sulphur Times-Democrat

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Push To Loosen Restriction
Jan
t.
n
On Tobacco Settlement
04 Money Continues In State
2018 o by Catherine Sweeney
The Journal Record
e.
Page OKLAHOMA CITY – As threats to Medicaid and other health
0009 n services linger, conservative lawmakers and politicos continue their
push to loosen restrictions on tobacco settlement money.
Clip y After most of the 50 states settled lawsuits against some of the
resized tobacco industry’s biggest players, the companies agreed to make
49%
n annual payments to the states as long as cigarettes were sold. The
figures are based on national cigarette sales. After the companies
settled their lawsuits, some states took out hundreds of millions in
bonds and implemented payback plans with the annual settlement
money. Others created savings accounts statutorily, which allowed
legislatures to come in and reappropriate the money during hard times.
In 2000, Oklahoma approved a state question creating a consti-
tutional amendment that protects the funding. Most goes into the
Tobacco Endowment Settlement Trust, which is also known as TSET.
Officials can use the principal only to invest, and they use the earnings
on health-related programs.
The fund holds about $1 billion now, and officials use the interest to
- pay for programming such as campaigns to end smoking or discourage
r sugary drink consumption. Agency officials said the money is used
e for preventive measures so that Oklahoma can spend less on medical
A care down the road, but some have advocated broadening the agency’s
e scope to allow it to use its money for immediate medical services.
y That has become more popular as programs such as Medicaid
s have faced funding problems. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority
f manages that program, which uses state and federal funding to provide
medical coverage to low-income residents.
Lawmakers appropriated $70 million in projected money from the
cigarette fee they created this year to the authority. When that fee failed
y an Oklahoma Supreme Court challenge, the money disappeared and
s created a budget gap. Continued special legislative sessions have kept
. the agency afloat for most of the fiscal year, but legislators will still
l need to find funding for the agency’s last two months of operation.
e State Sen. Josh Brecheen, R-Coalgate, sponsored two pieces of
f legislation that would allow state officials to tap TSET money for
- Medicaid and other medical services. A Senate joint resolution would
h put the issue on a statewide ballot, which would be required to change
d constitutional laws. Senate Bill 3 would adapt the statutory provisions
l regarding TSET.
Commenters on both sides of the argument say that TSET officials
- can give money to medical programs already. In November, the gov-
m erning board voted to give the Department of Human Services and the
s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services about
- $3 million to help with senior nutrition services and mobile mental
t health crisis response teams.
- TSET supporters often say the constitutional provisions protect the
e money from lawmakers, who might not use the money responsibly.
d Drew Edmondson is a gubernatorial candidate, and he was the Okla-
g homa attorney general who helped organize TSET. He said giving the
m Legislature authority over that money would be a mistake.
s “Oklahomans wisely voted to protect the tobacco settlement funds
t and keep those dollars out of the legislature’s appropriation process,”
h he wrote in an email. “Even a cursory look at our state’s current budget
g situation provides plenty of evidence to support that choice.”
e Trent England is the executive vice president of the Oklahoma
r Council of Public Affairs, a conservative policy organization that
s has advised changing TSET. He said the American political process
hinges on allowing the legislative branch to build budgets.
e “People don’t like the Legislature, but they can kick out their leg-
d islators,” he said. “There are no elections for the people who manage
g TSET funds. It’s important to understand TSET has almost unlimited
k discretion today over how they spend that money.”
a He said this bill is a step in the right direction, but the agency
e should be reformed from the ground up.
-

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 Clip
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Altus Times
STATE NEWS BRIEFS
2 seek GOP nomination
for vacant seat in
Oklahoma House
OKLAHOMA CITY
(AP) — Two Republicans
are seeking the party
nomination in a special
election for a vacant seat
in the Oklahoma House.
Marlow Mayor Brad
Boles and Chickasha
businessman Dustin
Payne are facing off for
the GOP nomination in a
special election today. The
winner will face Demo-
crat Charles L. Murdock
of Cheyenne in a special
general election March 6.
The vacancy was cre-
ated by the resignation of
Rep. Scott Biggs, a Repub-
lican from Chickasha who
stepped down after three
terms to accept President
Donald Trump’s appoint-
ment as Farm Service
Agency state director. As
FAS state director, Biggs
will help implement U.S.
Department of Agricul-
ture policies in planning,
organizing, and adminis-
tering FSA programs in
the state.
The District 51 seat in
the House includes Grady,
Stephens and McClain
counties.
Oklahoma Corporation
Commission member
calls for rate cut
OKLAHOMA CITY
(AP) — A member of
the Oklahoma Corpora-
tion Commission says he
supports cutting rates
charged by five public
utilities in the state to
prevent windfall profits
that he says would result
due to lower federal cor-
porate tax rates.
Commissioner Bob An-
thony said in a statement
orig.pdf 1
Monday he believes rate-
payers need lower rates
after the new corporate
tax rates went into effect
Jan. 1 and “not just IOUs
to be paid later.”
Attorney General Mike
Hunter’s office has asked
the commission to consid-
er cutting rates to reflect
the new law that cut the
highest corporate income
taxes from 35 percent to
21 percent.
The commission will
consider the request
today.
The utilities affected
are Oklahoma Gas &
Electric, Public Service
Company of Oklahoma,
Oklahoma Natural Gas,
CenterPoint Energy and
Arkansas Oklahoma Gas.
Oklahoma agency wants
help on new license
plate design
OKLAHOMA CITY
(AP) — Officials at the
Oklahoma Department of
Environmental Quality
want the public’s help in
selecting a design for new
license plates.
The Oklahoman
reported that the state
will soon release envi-
ronmental awareness
specialty plates. Voting
opened Monday on three
possible designs and will
continue through Jan. 19.
Two winners will be an-
nounced Jan. 22. Voting is
being conducted at www.
deq.state.ok.us under the
“Environmental Educa-
tion” column.
The choices include
the state bird, the scissor-
tailed flycatcher, flying
over the western plains;
a grazing buffalo and a
vivid sunset over a field
of flowers.
Each specialty plate
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
will cost $38, with $24
going to a program that
provides funding to Okla-
homa schools so they can
work on environmentally
focused projects.
Oklahoma gubernatorial
field weighs in on
medical marijuana
OKLAHOMA CITY
(AP) — Oklahoma’s
Republican gubernato-
rial candidates have
mostly avoided taking a
clear stance on whether
the state should legal-
ize medical marijuana,
though both Democratic
candidates support the
policy change.
Gov. Mary Fallin on
Friday set a June 26
election for the medical
marijuana legalization
question, the Tulsa World
reported .
The measure would al-
low those with a state-is-
sued medical license from
a board-certified physi-
cian to possess certain
amounts of marijuana.
It would also establish a
regulatory regime for the
growing and selling of
marijuana.
Democrats Connie
Johnson and Drew
Edmondson both said
they support the use
of medical marijuana.
Johnson is a former state
senator and Edmondson
is a former state attorney
general.
“I think people know
my advocacy,” Johnson
said. “I am not ashamed
for advocating for a policy
change on this.”
Placing the measure
on the primary ballot
instead of the November
general election, where
voter turnout is typically
higher, is concerning,
Edmondson said.
“This is an important
issue and certainly one
where all Oklahomans
should vote — despite
Gov. Fallin’s efforts to
stifle their voices,” he
said.
Republican Lt. Gov.
Todd Lamb said his cam-
paign will focus on more
“substantive issues,” The
Oklahoman reported .
Republican Kevin Stitt,
a Tulsa businessman, said
while he’d support mari-
juana being prescribed
for legitimate purposes,
but he’s concerned the
ballot measure is too
broad.
Former Republican
state Rep. Dan Fisher said
he also supports marijua-
na for medical purposes
but not for recreational
use.
Will Gattenby, a spokes-
man for Oklahoma City
Mayor Mick Cornett, said
voters should read the
initiative carefully.
“One of the strengths
of Oklahomans is their
willingness to help peo-
ple. If this ballot measure
can help Oklahomans, it
is likely to pass,” he said.
Republican candi-
dates Gary Richardson
and Gary Jones didn’t
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AltusTimes ?
The
respond to The Oklaho-
man’s requests for com-
ment.
Oklahoma treasurer
says December state
revenue up 12 percent
OKLAHOMA CITY
(AP) — Oklahoma’s trea-
surer says taxes collected
by the state in Decem-
ber jumped 12 percent
over the same month a
year ago, indicating that
Oklahoma’s economy is
growing.
Treasurer Ken Miller
says gross receipts to the
state treasury in Decem-
ber totaled $1 billion, up
$108 million over receipts
in December 2016. Miller
says gross receipts for the
year totaled $11.45 billion,
about $668 million more
than collections in 2016.
Miller says gross re-
ceipts in 2016 were higher
than the same month of
the prior year in all but
one month.
Gross production
taxes on oil and natural
gas production gener-
ated about $56 million in
December, an increase
of about 43 percent from
December 2016. Personal
and corporate income tax
collections totaled $351
million, an increase of
10 percent from the prior
year.
Oklahoma man burned
in fire set at estranged
wife’s house
INOLA, Okla. (AP) —
Authorities in Rogers
County say a 31-year-old
man suffered extensive
burns after he allegedly
set fire to his estranged
wife’s house.
Rogers County Sheriff
Scott Walton says the
incident occurred about
2 p.m. Saturday after the
woman returned home
and found a man under
her porch with a machete.
Sgt. Logan Eller says the
couple is in the process
of getting a divorce and
she had a protective order
against the man. The
names of the man and
woman were not made
public.
Deputies who were
called to the scene in-
structed the man to leave
the home and smoke be-
gan billowing from inside
the house. Walton says
authorities believe the
man started the fire.
Walton says deputies
managed to rescue the
man, who was hospital-
ized with burns and
smoke inhalation.
11-Jan-18 17:13:34
 Durant Daily Democrat

Oklahoma
Jan
09
gubernatorial
2018 field weighs
Page
0001 in on medical
Clip
resized
51% marijuana
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s Re-

publican gubernatorial candidates have
mostly avoided taking a clear stance on
whether the state should legalize medi-
cal marijuana, though both Democratic
candidates support the policy change.
Gov. Mary Fallin on Friday set a June
26 election for the medical marijuana le-
galization question, the Tulsa World re-
ported .
The measure would allow those with
a state-issued medical license from a
board-certified physician to possess cer-
tain amounts of marijuana. It would also
establish a regulatory regime for the
growing and selling of marijuana.
Democrats Connie Johnson and Drew
Edmondson both said they support the
use of medical marijuana. Johnson is a
former state senator and Edmondson is a
former state attorney general.
“I think people know my advocacy,”
Johnson said. “I am not ashamed for ad-
vocating for a policy change on this.”
Placing the measure on the primary
ballot instead of the November general
election, where voter turnout is typically
higher, is concerning, Edmondson said.
“This is an important issue and cer-
tainly one where all Oklahomans should
vote — despite Gov. Fallin’s efforts to
stifle their voices,” he said.
Republican Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb said
his campaign will focus on more “sub-
stantive issues,” The Oklahoman report-
ed .
Republican Kevin Stitt, a Tulsa busi-
nessman, said while he’d support mari-
juana being prescribed for legitimate
purposes, but he’s concerned the ballot
measure is too broad.
Former Republican state Rep. Dan
Fisher said he also supports marijuana
for medical purposes but not for recre-
ational use.

SEE MARIJUANA, PAGE 2

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 Clip
Jan 2018 Page resized From
09 0002 141% 0001

Durant Daily Democrat

MARIJUANA willingness to help peo-

ple. If this ballot measure
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
can help Oklahomans, it
Will Gattenby, a spokes- is likely to pass,” he said.
man for Oklahoma City Republican candi-
Mayor Mick Cornett, said dates Gary Richardson
voters should read the ini- and Gary Jones didn’t
tiative carefully. respond to The Oklaho-
“One of the strengths man’s requests for com-
of Oklahomans is their ment.

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 McIntosh County Democrat


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Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.