LAWTON — State Rep. Daniel Pae wants to initiate a pilot program for families who live in difficult situations, but the initiative will require high levels of accountability for parents.
Pae (R-Lawton) hosted an interim study session in October before the House Children, Youth and Families Services Committee, to examine an Arkansas program that could benefit Oklahoma families who live in dysfunctional settings.
“It would be a pilot program and would update the current (Children in Need of Supervision) system,” Pae said of the Family in Need of Services (FiNS) program used in Arkansas.
Pae intends to introduce legislation that would allow for the pilot program and additional funding, which would be an estimated $10-11 million each year. The proposal will be submitted when the Oklahoma Legislature convenes in February. The FiNS system uses court orders to ensure parents and guardians participate in the services they’ve been referred to, like family therapy, Pae said.
Legislators can adapt the FiNS program to meet Oklahoma’s needs instead of copying Arkansas’ version.
“Even with the current CHiNS system, we can make some adjustments to the eligibility criteria, for example, adding in kids who are sexually trafficked or demonstrate a threat to themselves or other people or those who are in group homes,” Pae said.
American Rescue Plan funds coming to counties and cities could be used to fund the pilot program, Pae said.
“I think for those of us in the legislature when it comes to this type of initiative, where we can really help kids and families in need, I think that’s absolutely worth our time and effort,” the legislator said.
Modern open meetings
Pae also plans to introduce a House bill that would “modernize” Oklahoma’s Open Meetings Act and bring it into the 21st Century. The proposal would allow state agencies to conduct virtual public meetings in certain situations like the way government operated during the height of the COVID-19 crisis.
“We learned that you can get things done,” Pae said in reference to 2020, when the legislature and other government entities continued to operate despite the spread of the fatal virus.
“We want to be transparent on all agenda items and be open to the public.”
Feeding students
The Lawton lawmaker is planning to propose the Hunger Free Campus Act, which would ensure that college and university students do not suffer from food insecurity.
The bill would create a partnership with the Regional Food Bank to set up parameters for the program and provide some of the food. A state matching grant within the proposal would allow for food banks at yet-to-be determined campuses. The schools that benefit from the program will be determined by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education based on geography and will include 2-year and 4-year schools.
The cost of the pilot program is estimated at $200,000, Pae said. Other food contributions will come from public and private donations.