OKLAHOMA CITY – Six American Rescue Plan Act projects, totaling more than $89 million, were among the first to be approved by a joint legislative committee last week and will be considered by the full Legislature when it reconvenes in special session later this month.
The proposals, which range from funding a school of optometry to ways to address the nursing shortage and increasing broadband access, were endorsed by the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding.
The requests are among the first to be examined by the Legislature. Last year, the state created a public portal which allowed any resident of the state to submit a request to fund a project.
Oklahoma has about $1.8 billion in ARPA funding available. A media statement released by the House of Representatives said the portal received about 1,400 submissions totaling $18 billion.
State Rep. Kevin Wallace, a Republican from Wellston who serves as co-chair of the joint committee, said lawmakers want to fund as many projects as possible.
“The Legislature is committed to a deliberate, transparent process and will continue working through the interim to appropriate funds to projects serving all Oklahomans," he said. “From start to finish, we will make sure the funds go to projects benefitting as many Oklahomans as possible, and the legislative process is the proper way to make that happen.”
Wallace said lawmakers will continue to consider projects through the summer and fall.
“Working groups will continue to consider objectives to be achieved for each of the priority areas established by the joint committee, program areas to advance specific outcomes, and potential projects to achieve the objectives,” he said. “The working groups will make recommendations to the joint committee for specific projects to be funded. Program areas and specific projects approved by the joint committee will be placed into appropriations bills for consideration by the Legislature during the special session.”
That special session is expected to convene on June 13.
A second special session – called by Gov. Kevin Stitt – is also supposed to convene at that same time. Some legislative leaders, however, said Stitt’s call for tax reform, could be included in first special session by adding tax reform to the original call for the session.
During the Legislature’s regular session, lawmakers approved more than $140 million in ARPA projects, including $75 million in water infrastructure, $50 million for higher education nursing programs, $4.5 million for medical professional training, $2 million for broadband mapping, $365,000 for broadband technician training, $634,000 for CareerTech nursing programs and $7.5 million for pediatric emergency room behavioral health needs.
Projects approved by the joint committee last week include:
• Healthcare Workforce – $15 million to complete the new Northeastern State University School of Optometry, to be coupled with $18 million in existing funds.
• Nursing Workforce – $8.8 million in projects addressing the nursing workforce shortage through the Career Technology Center system. Combined with previous ARPA allotments, a targeted investment of $64 million will address the nursing shortage and produce over 2,500 additional licensed and trained healthcare workers within the next five years.
• Nursing Workforce – $250,000 for the Health Workforce Training Commission to administer nursing workforce programs.
• Nonprofit Recovery Program – $25 million grant pool for eligible nonprofits, with priority given to nonprofits that applied for ARPA funds.
• Behavioral Health – $39.4 million to complete the Oklahoma Children's Hospital Behavioral Health Center, addressing the critical need for pediatric behavioral health services in Oklahoma.
• Broadband – $500,000 to provide preliminary administrative support to open the State Broadband Office, to be reimbursed by administrative allowances in other federal funds once accessed.