(The Center Square) - Oklahoma's Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding recommended approval of six requests for funding from the American Rescue Plan Act but a special session could be needed to approve additional projects, one lawmaker said.
Lawmakers are returning to Oklahoma City for a special session beginning Monday to approve the projects and consider a tax relief package from Gov. Kevin Stitt. The state has $1.8 billion available but has $17.8 billion in requests, legislative leaders said last month.
The projects greenlighted Tuesday include a $30.4 million request for the Oklahoma Children's Hospital Behavioral Health Center. The project would address what is called a "critical need' for pediatric behavioral health services in the state, lawmakers said in a news release.
Lawmakers also recommended approval of $15 million for the new Northeastern State University School of Optometry. The school is raising an additional $18 million in funding that would replace an 86-year-old building. The improvements would allow the school to graduate another 12 students each year.
Another $8.8 million is recommended to address the state's shortage of nurses. The project, through the Career Technology Center system, would be combined with an already approved $64 million in funding. More than 2,500 health care workers would be added in the next five years, lawmakers said. The committee also backed $250,000 for a new commission that would administer nursing workforce programs.
The committee also recommended a $25 million grant program for nonprofits. The grants would go to nonprofits with budgets of less than $750,000 that could receive grants of up to $50,000.
Also getting the OK from the committee is $500,000 that would be used to open the State Broadband Office. The money would be "reimbursed by administrative allowances in other federal funds once accessed," according to information from the committee.
"There is a lot of work ahead for the Legislature as we work to make targeted and transformational investments with these one-time funds in areas such as broadband, behavioral health, workforce, water and many others," said Sen. Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, Senate co-chair of the joint committee in a statement. "The effect of the investments we make now will be felt far into the future, and the joint committee is committed to doing our due diligence to make sure all approved projects will benefit our state now and in the future."
Lawmakers will likely return in the fall to award more projects.
"It would be our goal to see another special session sometime in late September, said Sen. Chuck Hall, R-Perry, during the meeting. "It would be the goal to put forth a pretty sizable package representative of the work that the working groups did and the joint committee throughout the interim."
via Oklahoma's Center Square News