Oklahoma House Democrats released on Monday their legislative agenda for 2020.
Their latest "Brand New State" plan encompasses dozens of bills they’ve filed to address issues in different areas, mainly education, health care, criminal justice reform, and the economy.
Minority Leader Emily Virgin said there’s been progress in some of those areas over the past couple legislative sessions, but not enough.
"Our classrooms are still overcrowded and so are our prisons and jails. We still have many Oklahomans who don’t have access to quality, affordable health care, including mental health care," Virgin said.
Some of their plan's main goals are bringing kindergarten through 12th grade per-pupil spending to No. 1 in the region, expanding Medicaid through the traditional model, restoring the Earned Income Tax Credit and reforming mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent crimes.
Another of their criminal justice reform proposals is expanding access to mental health courts. Rep. Collin Walke said he’d like to see savings realized from diverting people away from prison and into treatment reinvested in courts so they’re less reliant on fines and fees.
Walke said that system has led to Oklahomans holding more than $600 million in delinquent court debt.
"This debt trap then leads to disproportionate jail stays due solely to an inability to post bond, creating a debtors prison right here in the heartland of America," Walke said.
Other proposals include creating automatic expungement opportunities and lowering mandatory minimum sentences for juveniles.
Rep. Mickey Dollens said their 17 pieces of economic legislation aim to create a state that works for everyone.
"A few of those examples is raising the state minimum wage. It also involves restoring local control back to municipalities to set their own state minimum wage," Dollens said.
Other economic proposals include granting retired state employees a cost of living adjustment and undoing income tax cuts for the state’s top earners.
