food insecurity policy

It’s a busy week at the Capitol! February 26 and 29 are the first series of deadlines for filed legislation to make it out of committee. While it’s still early in the session, after this week we’ll have a better idea of which bills stand a fighting chance to make it all the way to the Governor’s desk.

It’s a busy week at the Capitol! February 26 and 29 are the first series of deadlines for filed legislation to make it out of committee. While it’s still early in the session, after this week we’ll have a better idea of which bills stand a fighting chance to make it all the way to the Governor’s desk.

Amid holiday celebrations and work deadlines, we’re bringing you a last hurrah for Capitol Insider 2023. December brought a pair of special elections for the state legislature.

Amid holiday celebrations and work deadlines, we’re bringing you a last hurrah for Capitol Insider 2023. December brought a pair of special elections for the state legislature.

Winds of change bring us cooler temperatures and a swift conclusion to the 2023 special session Governor Stitt requested on tax cuts and budget transparency. As we look ahead to the end of the calendar year, advocates will be focusing on the smattering of remaining interim studies scheduled in the coming weeks, a few special elections, and eagerly awaiting December 8 and January 18 deadlines for bills to be requested and filed for 2024’s Legislative Session.

Winds of change bring us cooler temperatures and a swift conclusion to the 2023 special session Governor Stitt requested on tax cuts and budget transparency. As we look ahead to the end of the calendar year, advocates will be focusing on the smattering of remaining interim studies scheduled in the coming weeks, a few special elections, and eagerly awaiting December 8 and January 18 deadlines for bills to be requested and filed for 2024’s Legislative Session.

Governor Stitt called for a special session regarding taxes and the state legislative budget process, which is slated to begin October 3.

The weather isn’t the only thing heating up as we approach the end of summer. Interim studies in the Oklahoma House and Senate have been finalized and are beginning to be scheduled.

The deadline for Governor Stitt to act on bills sent to him during Special Session was June 1. The Governor signed 344 bills and joint resolutions into law and allowed 15 other regular session measures to take effect without his signature.

The deadline for Governor Stitt to act on bills sent to him during Special Session was June 1. The Governor signed 344 bills and joint resolutions into law and allowed 15 other regular session measures to take effect without his signature.

Despite the May 26 deadline for regular session rapidly approaching, work for Oklahoma’s legislators is far from over. House and Senate leadership finally reached an agreement on this session’s vigorously debated education budget.

With May rapidly approaching, it’s crunch time for many legislators and advocates. April 27 is the deadline for the third reading of any active bills in their opposite chamber, so we anticipate another busy week at the Capitol. Here’s a status update on the remaining bills we’re tracking (including some that have already successfully reached the Governor’s desk!)

As the current Congress nears its end, federal lawmakers are negotiating one final spending package that could impact food security programs. At the time of writing, the just-released mega-bill includes:

As the current Congress nears its end, federal lawmakers are negotiating one final spending package that could impact food security programs. At the time of writing, the just-released mega-bill includes:

As the current Congress nears its end, federal lawmakers are negotiating one final spending package that could impact food security programs. At the time of writing, the just-released mega-bill includes:

As the current Congress nears its end, federal lawmakers are negotiating one final spending package that could impact food security programs. At the time of writing, the just-released mega-bill includes:

The Oklahoma legislature will have 15 new members of the House of Representatives and eight new members of the Senate. This means that 22% of the legislature will be new members come next session. Hunger Free Oklahoma will focus on educating new and returning legislators alike on the landscape of food security issues and policies. 

The federal public health emergency has been extended through January 11, 2023. At this time, we do not anticipate the emergency declaration will be extended past January 2023, though no official action has been announced or taken yet. The end of the federal public health emergency will mean several changes to federal nutrition programs. We are tracking this very closely and will keep our partners updated with the latest information. 

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health  We are extremely proud and honored to share that our Executive Director, Chris Bernard, received an invite to attend the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in person on behalf of Hunger Free Oklahoma. This […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy Child Nutrition Program Reauthorization The House Committee on Education and Labor passed H.R. 1850 out of committee on July 27, 2022. The reauthorization package is now eligible to be heard on the House floor, but an exact timeline is not clear at this point. The […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy Child Nutrition Program Reauthorization The House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Rep. Bobby Scott introduced legislation last week to modernize childhood anti-hunger programs through H.R. 8450, the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act. Though H.R. 8450 still needs to move through the legislative process, this represents […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy Child Nutrition Program Waivers Congress took an important step last week to combat childhood hunger with the announcement of a long-awaited agreement to extend child nutrition waivers. The bipartisan Keep Kids Fed Act by Senate Committee on Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Ranking Member John Boozman […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy 2022 Legislative Session Regular Session: The regular legislative session adjourns this week. The legislature completed their work on the budget last week and sent the budget bills, along with many additional bills, to the governor’s desk. Below is a brief update on a couple of […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy 2022 Legislative Session The state legislative session will adjourn in the next month. There are approximately 1,000 bills (down from about 5,000) still moving through the process following the recent legislative deadlines. An average of about 19% of bills filed ultimately make it to the […]