Lawmakers seek funding answers for Oklahoma seniors
BY MICHAEL MCNUTT
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Published: November 4, 2009
On the eve of a state Capitol rally expected to attract more than 100 older Oklahomans, legislators scurried Tuesday to suggest ways to restore cuts to some senior nutrition programs.
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Two Democratic state senators were camping out overnight in chilly weather on the state Capitol grounds to show their support for seniors they said were left out in the cold by the cuts.
Rural Republican senators called on
Gov. Brad Henry to use 5 percent of his $105 million in discretionary federal stimulus funds for the program.
The governor earlier said those funds already were committed and they are to be spent on one-time projects.
The state
Department of Human Services cut $7.4 million earmarked for some senior nutrition programs to deal with a monthly 5 percent cut in state funding. Those monthly funding cuts are expected to continue through June, the end of this fiscal year, because state revenue has come in 26 percent below estimates for the first quarter.
The governor said funding still is intact for nutrition programs that serve low-income seniors. Henry said he and Republican legislative leaders want to avoid the cost of calling a special session and to deal with the budget situation when legislators return in February. He said Monday the state is facing a financial crisis, and the funding loss for the senior nutrition programs was "just a tip of the iceberg.”
The 13 members of the
Senate Republican Rural Caucus met Tuesday and said they are concerned that some senior nutrition sites have closed. Funding ended Sunday.
"We recognize that all state agencies and programs are experiencing a funding shortfall,” said
Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid, a member of the rural GOP Senate caucus. "But we feel this particular program is critically important, especially as we move into the winter months.”
Meanwhile, Democratic Sens.
Kenneth Corn of
Poteau and
Tom Ivester of
Elk City camped on the Capitol grounds to draw attention to the cuts.
Corn, who is running for lieutenant governor, denied that it was a political stunt. He earlier called for a special session to restore the funding.
Sen. Mike Johnson, chairman of the
Senate Appropriations Committee, said it is unfair for Democrats to blame the Republican-led Legislature for the cuts.
"I’ve got to wonder where they were in 2003 when DHS suffered similar cuts,” said Johnson, R-Kingfisher. "I didn’t see any of them pitching a tent and rolling out sleeping bags to show their concern for the elderly when they were in the majority and failed to fully restore this funding for two years.”
Johnson said all Democratic senators approved the DHS budget for this fiscal year and that they know cutting the senior nutrition program was an executive agency decision.
Older Oklahomans plan to rally to get funding restored to the programs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today on the Capitol’s second-floor rotunda.
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