Oklahoma House of Representatives
Media Division
December 22, 2003

OKLAHOMA CITY - A rural legislator wants the director of the Office of State Finance to consider supplemental appropriations for the Rural Economic Action Plan, a grant program that improves Oklahoma's rural infrastructure, and to restore a state-funded nutrition program that fell victim to budget cuts last year.

State Rep. Mike Mass, D-Higgins, sent a letter to State Finance Director Scott Meacham after the lawmaker noticed an article in a state newspaper which did not include supplemental appropriations to the REAP and to the Community Expansion of Nutrition Assistance (CENA) program.

"Both the REAP and CENA programs are extremely important to rural Oklahoma," Mass said in his letter to Meacham. "Unfortunately, neither one has a state agency advocate. As such, I am requesting that you keep these two programs in mind for Fiscal Year 2004 supplemental appropriations."

Mass was principal co-author of the legislation that created the REAP in 1996, and Rep. Randall Erwin, D-Nashoba, was principal author.

That program helps finance public infrastructure rehabilitation in municipalities of 7,000 population or less, particularly areas with 1,500 or fewer Oklahomans who otherwise could not afford the improvements. The Legislature has appropriated $141.86 million to the REAP over the past eight years, ledgers reflect.

Mass told Meacham he has filed House Bill 1819 along with Reps. Jerry Hefner, Joe Hutchison, Bob Plunk and Erwin. The bill would provide a $9.5 million supplemental appropriation to the REAP, and a $2.29 million appropriation to the REAP programs, administered by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.

The measure also would earmark $20 million in appropriations to ensure the program would continue to raise the quality of life for rural Oklahomans for fiscal year 2005.

Mass said he also called Meacham's attention to House Bill 1818, which was filed by the same group of legislators. The measure would appropriate $3 million to reinstate CENA, a program "started by rural legislators who saw a need for a state-funded nutrition program to serve meals to senior citizens without all of the bureaucratic strings
attached," Mass said. "I might suggest this program be restored this year through a Fiscal Year 2004 supplemental appropriation."

The Legislature established CENA in 1997 to help fund independent senior centers throughout the state and statistics reflect the program's success.

Approximately 1,020,433 meals were served to 235 senior centers in Oklahoma prior to the CENA program. In 2001 the total number of meals served more than doubled to 2,261,476 in 344 statewide independent senior centers funded with CENA dollars. Prior to the program's existence, 13,143 persons were served statewide. Just over 27,000 people in the same category were served in 2001, an increase of almost 106 percent.

And the State Independent Senior Center reported the population of older Oklahomans is increasing.

If approved, HB 1818 would direct the state Commerce Department to administer the state-funded nutrition program. The Department of Human Services previously administered the program but eliminated it when that agency's budget was reduced.
Three state agencies recently have sought an additional $44.1 million in appropriations from lawmakers, with the Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education asking for the largest $27.4 million chunk.

The state Department of Corrections is asking for approximately $15.4 million more in appropriations and the Oklahoma Department of Health say they need an additional $1.3 million.

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Scott Hancock
Media Specialist
Oklahoma House of Representatives
1-800-522-8502 ext 422  ¶ 12:14 PM