In preparation for the 2010 Oklahoma Legislative Session, the following update

1. The Oklahoma State Legislature by requirement of the State Constitution will convene for the 2010 Session on Monday, February 1st.
2. Also per the State Constitution, the 2010 Session must adjourn no later than the last Friday in May -- in 2010 that is May 28th.
3. The deadline for requesting bills to be introduced in the 2010 Session has passed and bills are now being written by Legislative Staff. We expect that we will start having access to "some bills" by sometime in early in January. Based on prior years, we hope to have the majority of bills available for review by mid-January. We will be reviewing these bills and will be developing a tracking list.
4. The state's revenue picture for next year continues to look bleak. The National Conference of State Legislature's recently recognized the Oklahoma State Budget as the most "upside down" -- with a projected shortfall of 18.5%. Arizona was second on NCSL's list with a shortfall of 18%, while Illinois was third at 16.5%. It will not be a good year, as major spending cuts are expected in all areas.
5. There is still discussion of a Special Session in January to deal with the shortfall in the current fiscal year that ends on June 30, 2010. However, the cost of a Special Session is estimated to be approximately $100,000 per day, so there are those who are encouraging to wait until the Legislators all come back to Capitol for regular session.
6. Earlier in the year to deal with the shortfall, monthly allocations to State Departments and Agencies were reduced by 5% per month, across the board. As the shortfall numbers have grown worse, the Legislative Leadership and Governor have agreed to increase the reduction to 10% per month. It is expected that that amount of reduction will still not be sufficient to get through to year's end, and so additional cuts are expected.
The Oklahoma Pharmacists Association.