BY JANELLE STECKLEIN
CNHI State Reporter Jul 22, 2021 PHOTO PROVIDED
OKLAHOMA CITY â State lawmakers Wednesday began the long process of deciding how to spend nearly $1.87 billion in federal American Rescue Plan funds aimed at helping Oklahoma recover from the pandemic.
In addition, Oklahomaâs 77 counties will split an additional $768 million. Its 10 largest municipalities will divvy up $300 million. Those include cities like Oklahoma, Tulsa, Moore, Norman, Enid, Lawton and Shawnee.
The remaining 580 Oklahoma communities with populations under 50,000 will eventually split $237 million â as long as they apply for funds through the stateâs Municipal League. The state will have some oversight in the distribution of those funds, and Wednesday, lawmakers serving on the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding looked at a proposal that would allocate the money based on population size.
By Janelle Stecklein/ CNHI State Reporter Jul 21, 2021
8 hrs ago
OKLAHOMA CITY â State lawmakers Wednesday began the long process of deciding how to spend nearly $1.87 billion in federal American Rescue Plan funds aimed at helping Oklahoma recover from the pandemic.
In addition, Oklahomaâs 77 counties will split an additional $768 million. Its 10 largest municipalities will divvy up $300 million. Those include cities like Oklahoma, Tulsa, Moore, Norman, Enid, Lawton and Shawnee.
The remaining 580 Oklahoma communities with populations under 50,000 will eventually split $237 million â as long as they apply for funds through the stateâs Municipal League. The state will have some oversight in the distribution of those funds, and Wednesday, lawmakers serving on the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding looked at a proposal that would allocate the money based on population size.
By Janelle Stecklein/ CNHI State Reporter Apr 12, 2021
4 hrs ago
A worker clears snow from the sidewalk Tuesday in anticipation of another round of snow headed to Norman. Kyle Phillips The Transcript
OKLAHOMA CITY â Oklahoma lawmakers plan to propose legislation that would help shelter consumers and utility companies from the more than $4.5 billion in energy generation costs as a result of Februaryâs winter storm.
Under the legislative measures expected to be filed this week, state Sen. James Leewright, R-Bristow, said state leaders plan to propose securitizing the debt incurred during the two-week winter storm that sent natural gas prices skyrocketing.
Credit Oklahoma Department of Transportation
State lawmakers say they are filing legislation to guard against massive utility bills in the wake of winter storms that put Oklahoma in the deep freeze in February.
Sen. James Leewright (R-Bristow) said the measures will set up a process for utility companies to package and sell off their debt from spiking natural gas costs, limiting how much of the impact can be passed along to consumers. If we do nothing . families, seniors on fixed incomes, single working families could be strapped with bills they struggle to pay, leaving them to choose between paying for necessities or paying the electric and gas bill. Businesses still reeling from the effects of the pandemic could be forced to make cutbacks, layoffs to pay off these high utility bills, Leewright said. Both of these scenarios will have rippling scenarios throughout our economy.