Latest news with #HB1389
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Oklahoma's female lawmakers celebrate overriding Stitt's mammogram bill veto
Twenty-eight female state lawmakers – both Republicans and Democrats – have signed a letter to Gov. Kevin Stitt expressing 'profound disappointment' in his veto of a measure to expand insurance coverage for breast cancer imaging and advanced diagnostic tests. In the letter, dated Saturday, May 31, they also told Stitt they are celebrating the Oklahoma Legislature's override of that veto. House Bill 1389 was authored by Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa – who is battling breast cancer – and Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City. In his veto message, Stitt, a Republican, said he was 'deeply sympathetic to the women across our state who have bravely fought breast cancer' but he thought the bill would 'impose new and costly insurance mandates on private health plans that will ultimately raise insurance premiums for working families and small businesses.' The female legislators disagreed. 'Your veto is disheartening to patients, doctors, families and the very values we all hold dear in our great state,' they wrote. 'The Legislature passed HB 1389 with overwhelming, bipartisan support. We celebrate the override of your veto this past Thursday and we will continue fight for the women and families who need these protections.' During a marathon legislative session that didn't end until after midnight on May 30, lawmakers overwhelming overrode that veto. In an emotional scene on the Senate floor, Provenzano – a House member – sat next to Stanley during the override vote. After the vote, Stanley introduced Provenzano and gave her a high-five, saying, 'We did it!' A spokeswoman for Stitt did not immediately return a message seeking a response to the letter. There are 34 women among the 146 legislators who currently comprise the Legislature – 20 in the House and 14 in the Senate. (Three House seats currently are vacant.) Among those signing the letter were two women in House Republican leadership: Rep. Tammy West, R-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin. House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, and Provenzano led all female House Democrats in signing. Prominent Republican senators who signed the letter included Stanley (who's on Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton's leadership team), Sen. Kristin Thompson, R-Edmond, and Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore. Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, and Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, were among the Democratic senators who signed. Only one female House member, Rep. Molly Jenkins, R-Coyle, did not sign. She was one of only five legislators – and the only woman – to vote against the veto override. Five female senators also didn't sign – Senate Majority Floor Leader Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville; Sen. Julie McIntosh, R-Porter; Sen. Kendal Sacchieri, R-Blanchard; Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman; and Sen. Nikki Nice, D-Oklahoma City. Those signing the letter wrote about the importance of breast cancer screenings covered by the bill in detecting cancer at earlier stages. 'This screening is intended for cases of breast cancer that are harder to detect due to dense fibrous breast tissue; while not suitable for everyone, individuals in this category face a higher risk of their cancer going undetected until it is larger or has already begun to spread. 'HB 1389 was a bipartisan effort that passed the House 95-0. It included contrast-enhanced mammograms and molecular breast imaging in the definition of diagnostic breast cancer exams and required insurance coverage for supplemental screenings based on personal and family medical history. These screenings are not experimental. They are recommended by experts and widely recognized as essential tools in the early detection of breast cancer, which saves lives.' This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma female lawmakers celebrate overriding mammogram bill veto
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawmaker battling breast cancer vows to challenge Oklahoma governor's veto on diagnostic screening
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa, speaks during a swearing-in ceremony Nov. 20. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — A Democratic lawmaker, who is battling breast cancer, said Wednesday that she plans to try to override the governor's veto of a bill designed to improve access to diagnostic screening of the disease. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa, said Gov. Kevin Stitt's veto of House Bill 1389 generated a 'lot of shock' and felt personal even though she's well through the diagnostic screening process for her own breast cancer. She said that close to 1 in 6 Oklahoma women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, which is above the national average. The measure sought to add contrast-enhanced mammograms and molecular breast imaging to the list of diagnostic examinations that insurance companies must cover without patient cost-sharing. Supporters said such diagnostic tests are essential to early detection, treatment and improved outcomes. Provenzano said lawmakers in 2022 passed legislation requiring the coverage of diagnostic mammograms, but she has since discovered that access to the same machines depends on where you live. 'I've also fielded call after call from women who say their insurance companies are pushing back on coverage, despite what the law says,' Provenzano said in a statement. 'In the simplest of terms, HB 1389 clarifies the language so no matter where you live – be it Guymon, Tulsa or Broken Bow, your access to care is there. This bill seeks to make sure every woman can get care, regardless of her zip code.' Her bill was one of four vetoed Tuesday by Stitt. 'I am deeply sympathetic to the women across our state who have bravely fought breast cancer,' Stitt wrote in his veto message. 'While early detection and access to care are critical priorities, this legislation imposes new and costly insurance mandates on private health plans that will ultimately raise insurance premiums for working families and small businesses.' He wrote that mammograms are already covered, and doctors are empowered to order further tests that can be covered by insurance. Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City, the Senate author, said she felt 'sincere disappointment' over the veto of a measure that she believes is 'life-saving.' 'House Bill 1389 aimed to ensure that all Oklahomans, especially those at higher risk or with a family history of breast cancer, had access to affordable and comprehensive breast cancer screenings,' she said in a statement. 'This legislation was vetoed due to the belief that the provision of this care could contribute to higher insurance premiums, although the reality is that the costs of providing preventative screenings are minuscule when compared to the costs to treat late-stage disease.' She pledged to continue to work until every man and woman can access the care without also enduring financial hardship. Before heading to Stitt's desk, the measure passed unanimously through the House and by a 34-11 vote in the Senate. It would take a vote of two-thirds of lawmakers in both chambers to override Stitt's veto. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Indianapolis Star
21-04-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Lawmakers try to stop Fishers, Carmel rental caps ahead of city council votes, in 11th-hour move
Show Caption Carmel and Fishers' controversial plans to regulate the number of rental properties in their communities could be squashed by the Indiana legislature. In an 11th hour move, language to prevent local governments from putting caps on rentals was added on Monday morning to House Bill 1389, a bill limiting local governments ability to restrict vehicle and outdoor equipment sales. The language that would impact the Hamilton County cities wasn't discussed in committee prior to Monday's conference committee on HB 1389, during what's supposed to be the final week of the legislative session. The Fishers ordinance could be voted on at a city council meeting Monday night. 'It really fits in 1389 because we're talking about local regulations,' said Rep. Jim Pressel, who authored the legislation. '(It's) what units of government should be able to regulate and what they shouldn't frankly." Fishers officials have said its first-of-its-kind proposal is an effort to curb large corporate investors from buying swaths of single-family homes and converting them to rentals. Some homeowners and renters in Fishers have been joined by real estate interests in pushing back against the ordinance, which would place a 10% cap on the number of rentals allowed in a subdivision. In Carmel, the discussion is just getting under way. Carmel's ordinance would limit rental units to 10% of all homes within any subdivision or the City of Carmel as whole. That ordinance will be introduced at Carmel's city council meeting Monday night. Both city's ordinances would establish rental property registries. Brian Burdick, an attorney with Barnes & Thornburg, spoke on Fishers' behalf during Monday's conference committee. '(Fishers) has had an incredible problem over the last five or six years where a number of significant hedge funds have moved in and have purchased up nearly half of the homes in neighborhoods to turn into rental properties,' Burdick said. Fishers' ordinance is about preventing a barrier to first-time home buyers, who are getting outbid for homes by hedge funds, he added. 'There's a lot of constitutionality issues around the issue,' Burdick said. 'Our firm has drafted the ordinance with constitutional lawyers to get around this very issue and to balance property rights.' Amy Krieg, the government affairs director with Accelerate Indiana Municipalities, also spoke against the legislative add on. 'We aren't supportive of this language at this time, and it is important communities retain the tools to create cohesive and livable neighborhoods,' said Krieg, whose organization advocates for hundreds of Indiana municipalities. On the other hand, representatives of several interest groups spoke in favor of the legislative provisions that would stop Fishers' and Carmel's ordinance before they even took effect. 'As an organization, we have a longstanding position of supporting private property rights and we also are an inherently free market organization,' said Maggie McShane, representing the Indiana Association of Realtors. Families with young children and young people trying to save to buy a home would be impacted by the rental restriction ordinances, McShane said. Representatives from the Indiana Apartment Association and the Indiana Builders Association both spoke in support of adding language to House Bill 1389 that would squash Fishers' and Carmel's ordinances. "We from our standpoint believe this is bad housing policy,' said Brian Spaulding, president of the Indiana Apartment Association, of the Fishers ordinance. 'It's going to result in increases in the cost of rent overall when you're capping that supply.' A Fishers spokesperson said Mayor Scott Fadness was unavailable for immediate comment but was talking with legislators to sort out the implications of the General Assembly's action. Lawmakers from both chambers still need to sign off on the proposed final language in HB 1389, so the bill could still change before it crosses the finish line.
