Okla. Admin. Code § 1:2015-11

Current through Vol. 42, No. 3, October 15, 2024

Section 1:2015-11

Human service transportation and transit services (hereinafter referred to as "passenger transportation services") are critical to the well-being of our citizens and the economic health of our State. Without dependable transportation, Oklahomans cannot get to work, to school, or to their health care providers. For certain segments of the population, including those who cannot drive and those who cannot afford a car, the absence of reliable transportation only exacerbates social and economic isolation. This, in turn, hurts all of Oklahoma.

That is why I, Mary Fallin, Governor of the State of Oklahoma, by the authority vested in me pursuant to Sections 1 and 2 of Article VI of the Oklahoma Constitution, hereby establish the Governor's Oklahoma United We Ride Council.

The purpose of the Council shall be to comprehensively assess passenger transportation services in Oklahoma in order to maximize their availability, efficiency, and quality. The Council shall evaluate existing State and federal funding programs and other resources; identify and devise pragmatic means to eliminate service gaps and barriers to access; and develop recommendations to improve coordination among passenger transportation providers.

The Council shall include, in its assessment, State agencies that provide passenger transportation services, and shall review interagency agreements regarding such services and recommend the consolidation or restructuring of inefficient or duplicative programs. All State agencies shall cooperate with the Council in implementing its recommendations, as well as the provisions of this Order, more broadly. The Council shall be composed of the following State officials, and will include the successors in office or function, when applicable:

1. Director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce or his or her designee;

2. Director of the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services or his or her designee;

3. Commissioner of Health or his or her designee;

4. Director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services or his or her designee;

5. Commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services or his or her designee;

6. Director of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs or his or her designee;

7. Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation or his or her designee;

8. Director of the Oklahoma Office of Disability Concerns or his or her designee;

9. Chief Executive Officer of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority or his or her designee;

10. Director of the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission or his or her designee;

11. State Superintendent of Public Instruction or his or her designee; and

12. Native American Liaison or his or her designee.

The Council shall elect a chair and vice chair from its membership. It shall report to the Governor regarding its progress and status on January 1, 2016 and annually thereafter.

The Council shall appoint an Advisory Committee, composed of the following individuals, to assist the Council in evaluating Oklahoma's passenger transportation services and formulating recommendations for their improvement: Two (2) members representing the transportation-disadvantaged population; three (3) members representing transportation providers; two (2) members representing transportation-disadvantaged organizations; and three (3) members representing community government organizations. Members of the Advisory Committee shall serve at the pleasure of the Council for a three-year term beginning upon appointment, and may be reappointed at the discretion of the Council. Each Advisory Committee member shall continue to serve until a new appointment has been made for his or her position.

The Council and the Advisory Committee shall meet at such times and places as the Council deems appropriate. Council and Advisory Committee members shall serve without compensation, but members employed by a State agency shall be reimbursed travel expenses related to their service on the Council or Advisory Committee by their employing agency, as provided for by State law. Remaining members of the Council and Advisory Committee shall be reimbursed for travel expenses related to their service pursuant to this Order as authorized by the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services, and in accordance with State law. Administrative support for the Council and Advisory Committee, including, but not limited to, personnel necessary to ensure the proper performance of the Council's and Advisory Committee's duties and responsibilities, and the design and maintenance of the Council's MyRide Mobility application, shall be provided by the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services.

This Executive Order shall be distributed to the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services, which shall cause the provisions of this Order to be implemented.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Oklahoma to be affixed at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, this 2nd day of March, 2015.

BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA

Mary Fallin

ATTEST:

Chris Benge

Secretary of State

Okla. Admin. Code § 1:2015-11

Adopted by Oklahoma Register, Volume 32, Issue 14, April 1, 2015, eff. 3/2/2015