Business Briefs (Week of March 19)
Monday, March 22, 2021
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Looking for business briefs? This week's roundup (for the week of March 19) from the Journal Record.
Conflict simmers over health department posts
The latest version of a bill to insert the Oklahoma commissioner of health into the operations of the state’s two largest county health departments is better than it was when originally filed, but is still a solution in search of a problem, Oklahoma City leaders said. House Bill 2504, by Rep. Chris Kannady, R-Oklahoma City, would enable the state commissioner to make appointments to the boards of county health departments and otherwise influence the decisions made on the county level. The bill applies to counties with a population of more than 500,000 – namely, the Oklahoma City-County Health Department and the Tulsa Health Department.
House turns down controversial eviction bill
A bill to prohibit government agencies or courts from intervening on behalf of renters, ordering landlords to allow people to stay in properties even if evictions are legally merited, failed in the Oklahoma House of Representatives on a vote of 26-51. House Bill 1564 by state Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, would have affirmed that provisions in the Oklahoma Residential Landlord and Tenant Act would be enforceable even during a catastrophic health emergency, such as the current pandemic. It would have allowed a landlord to immediately apply to a sheriff for enforcement of the right to possession upon entry of a judgment of eviction.
Civil service legislation progressing at Capitol
A bill advancing in the Oklahoma Legislature proposes to significantly change how state agencies go about hiring, paying, promoting and retaining state workers. House Bill 1146, authored by state Rep. Mike Osburn, passed through the House on a unanimous vote. If it is similarly favored by the Senate and goes on to be signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt, it would alter policies – many in place for decades – affecting some 36,000 state employees.
Arnall Family Foundation donates $85 million to OCCF
The Arnall Family Foundation has announced an $85 million contribution to the Oklahoma City Community Foundation to benefit people across the state. Most of the money will be distributed over the next five years as grants for nonprofit organizations working to improve outcomes for children, adults and Oklahoma families involved in the child welfare and criminal justice systems. The OCCF will manage grant administration. Grant-making decisions will be made by OCCF trustees.
Health experts: Managed care won't work
Oklahoma’s current Medicaid system may not be perfect, but a switch to managed care would simply mark a return to methods already proven not to work for the state, according to a group of health care providers. The fee-for-service system currently in place is largely the result of troubles with the managed care system implemented in the 1990s, which resulted in restricted access to health care for Oklahomans and diminished job opportunities in health care, say some providers who remember what it was like before. Gov. Kevin Stitt and health care providers across the state are in complete agreement that health care for all Oklahomans should be improved – the question is how best to go about it, said Mary Clarke, president-elect of the Oklahoma State Medical Association. Stitt says managed care will improve efficiency, and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority has already approved contracts that would return Oklahoma to a managed care system come September. However, those contracts must yet be funded by a state Legislature that was left out of the decision-making process.
OKC to adjust March water bills
The Oklahoma City Council voted to adjust March water bills for residential and commercial customers to lower the cost of dripping faucets during last month’s record cold temperatures. The city normally charges customers more for water when larger amounts are used. The tiered water rates are designed to encourage water conservation. But from Feb. 7-21, city officials urged customers to use more water by continuously dripping faucets to prevent water lines from freezing.
Duke launches operation of wind power project
Duke Energy Renewables, a commercial business unit of Duke Energy, announced the commercial operation of its largest wind power project, the 350-megawatt Frontier Windpower II project in Kay County, Oklahoma. The project is an expansion of the 200-MW Frontier Windpower project, operational since 2016, the company said in a release. Together, Frontier I and II will generate enough power to serve 193,000 average-size homes. AT&T and Ball Corp. have signed 15-year virtual power purchase agreements to buy 160 MW and 161 MW of power generated at the site.
New law: Paid leave for vaccination, recovery
In light of the travel and other factors that may place a burden on workers, the latest round of federal coronavirus relief, dubbed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, expands qualified reasons for paid sick leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to include employees’ time spent obtaining and recovering from the vaccine. The Rescue Plan extends payroll tax credits that were originally scheduled to expire Dec. 31, 2020, to once again be available from April 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2021. The FFCRA required employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide paid leave for qualifying reasons related to COVID-19, though the measure was originally passed before the vaccine had become a reality. Now, qualified leave may include time off taken to obtain the vaccination. Employees suffering from side effects related to the vaccination may take time off to recover.
A tribute in public art
A mixed-media mural titled “Freedom to Dream” will cover one wall of an auditorium in Oklahoma City’s new flagship recreation center under construction at 909 Frederick Douglass Ave. The City Council approved an agreement with a team of Oklahoma City artists to create the public art project at the Willa D. Johnson Recreation Center at a cost of $117,000. The artists will work with many students at nearby Douglass High School this semester and next fall.
SPP: Storms were a learning experience
February’s winter storms proved to be a learning experience for the Southwest Power Pool, as the historic weather event highlighted areas where the reliability of the region’s power grid can be improved, according to an executive who spoke before the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. Lanny Nickel is executive vice president and chief operating officer for SPP. The regional transmission organization oversees the electricity market in a territory encompassing 17 states, including Oklahoma. The polar vortex that swept across the region the week of Feb. 15 provided situations the Southwest Power Pool had never before encountered, breaking 3,000 daily and 79 all-time local low temperature records. The extreme weather hindered power generation in multiple ways, freezing equipment, causing fuel pressure loss and placing unprecedented demand from customers struggling to stay warm, but the main issue affecting the grid was a shortage of fuel – particularly natural gas.
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