AT THE CAPITOL: Mental Health Interim Study; Redistricting Update
By State Rep. Randy Randleman
On Monday, I cohosted an interim study with Rep. Collin Walke of Oklahoma City. We studied the correlation between the prevalence of quality mental health services and the frequency of law enforcement intervention.
We went into this study with two goals: first, to establish that Oklahoma needs more mental health crisis units and second, to help law enforcement recognize when an individual is dealing with a mental health disorder.
We heard from several excellent speakers, and they all shared helpful insights into the outlook of mental health care in Oklahoma. I encourage you to visit the House website to watch the study. It can be streamed at https://okhouse.gov/Video/
This is an area of policy that I believe is extremely critical, and I plan to continue to work with Rep. Walke to outline potential legislation to help these Oklahomans.
Between interim studies, legislators are also working on the redistricting process. I chair the State and Federal Redistricting Southeast Oklahoma Subcommittee, and we met with the House redistricting staff earlier this week to finalize changes to the southeastern districts in preparation for our special session later this fall.
The 2020 census figures from August showed more population decline in eastern Oklahoma than previously estimated. As a result, House District 15 and others in southeastern Oklahoma will need to shift further west and north.
House District 15 is expected to grow more into McIntosh and Muskogee counties and leave behind portions of LeFlore and Sequoyah counties. However, these boundaries aren’t finalized until we approve them in special session.
I recently received information regarding new population control tools for feral hogs, which is a significant problem in southeastern Oklahoma and across the state.
The Oklahoma Conservation Commission estimates there are anywhere from 500,000 to 1.5 million feral hogs in Oklahoma alone. Across the U.S., they cause an estimated $2 billion in damage annually.
Feral hogs disrupt our ecosystem by destroying pasture and natural grasslands, thereby ruining crops by rooting through soil to eat seed and anything else they can access. They have also been known to prey on calves and spread disease to domestic pigs and humans.
Part of the problem is that feral hogs have few natural predators, and, as a result, they’re hard to eliminate.
Thankfully, there is a new pesticide available to farmers to help fight against feral hogs.
In early August, HogStop Oral Contraceptive Formulation was registered with the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. The drug decreases the fertility of male feral hogs, thereby helping reduce the feral hog population.
HogStop can be purchased online at hiprofeeds.com or wherever Hi-Pro Feeds are sold. Producers in need of additional assistance with feral hog herd management can contact the Wildlife Services Division at (405) 521-4039.
As always, please contact me with anything I can help with at (405) 557-7375 or randy.randleman@okhouse.gov. Thank you for the honor of representing District 15!
Rep. Randy Randleman represents District 15 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which includes portions of Haskell, LeFlore, McIntosh, Muskogee, Pittsburg and Seqouyah counties.