Sowecke named

director & shareholder of firm

Crowe & Dunlevy recently announced that Edmond attorney Tim Sowecke has been named as a director and shareholder of the firm. As shareholder, Sowecke enjoys the benefits of being a fellow equity owner of the firm with full voting privileges.

Sowecke is a member of the Energy, Environment & Natural Resources and Real Estate Practice Groups.

Sowecke

His comprehensive environmental and energy practice includes state and federal regulatory compliance and litigation, and in recent years he has made significant contributions to law and pol- icy discussions surrounding perand polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals.”

A graduate of the University of Wyoming College of Law, Sowecke served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Kate Fox of the Wyoming Supreme Court. He received his undergraduate degree from The Evergreen State College and holds a Master of Energy Environment and Natural Resources from The University of Wyoming Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources.

Sowecke serves in the firm’s Oklahoma City office.

State seems ready to fix childcare woes for workers

HB2451, authored by Rep. Suzanne Schreiber, D, Tulsa and Sen. John Michael Montgomery, R, Lawton continued its journey to becoming law by passing through the Senate Finance Committee this week.

The bill aims to address workforce shortages by expanding access and affordability to childcare.

According to a study released by the Pew Research Center this February, half of all workers quit because they were unable to find childcare solutions that met their needs.

The bill not only offers tax credits to employers who offer financial support to employees for childcare costs, but employers can also receive a tax credit by building or retrofitting a childcare center for employees. Finally, the bills seeks to attract and retain much needed childcare staff by offering a tax credit for those on the professional development ladder. Rep. Schreiber said "Our employers need a workforce that has their childcare needs met and this bill seeks to support them in being innovative about how they can help meet those needs. The bill also recognizes that one of the largest barriers in childcare availability is lack of staffing. Much like we do when wanting to stimulate the technology or aerospace or medical fields, this bill offers tax credits to stimulate the much need childcare industry."

The U.S. Chamber recently released a study noting that breakdowns in the childcare system cause states to lose an average of $1 billion in economic activity. Part of that lost revenue stems from the cost of parents missing work because quality childcare was not available or unaffordable.

The bill next heads to the Senate Appropriations and Budget Committee and then could be eligible for a full vote on the Senate floor.

Optometry and a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry.

She has dozens of publications to her credit that have appeared in Modern Optometry, Optometry Times, Review of Optometry, and Optometric Management.

As OAOP president in 2020, Dr. McGee led the association through the beginnings of COVID and helped to launch the first ever Giving Sight Day, the association’s largest charitable event.

“Dr. McGee is an Oklahoma Optometry treasure,” said OAOP Executive Director Joel Robison. “Her leadership has helped to elevate optometry across the state. She also never loses sight of what this profession is all about: helping patients by providing them with the very best possible vision care. We are proud to recognize her with the highest honor bestowed by our association.”