Lawmakers grew increasingly frustrated as the chief financial officer of Oklahoma's mental health agency repeatedly failed to provide details about the department's budget crisis on Thursday.
"I think that we still have a lot of questions," committee chair Rep. Mark Lawson, R-Sapulpa, said after the meeting. "I don't know that I have any more confidence today than I did when we started."
The meeting was the second in a series called by the House of Representatives after the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services reported it was $43 million short of its budget.
Interim Chief Financial Officer Skip Leonard said he first became aware of the deficit two months after he assumed the position in January. He told lawmakers the department was able to decrease the initial amount from $63.7 million to $43 million, but couldn't clearly identify what measures were taken to do so.
He cited vague cost-saving efforts, including $2.9 million saved from contract cancellations and $8 million in "fixed utilization savings." But Rep. Kyle Hillbert, R-Bristow, noted his total was still short of the $20.7 million difference between the two numbers.
"The math isn't adding up," Hilbert said. "It's just not making sense."
Lawmakers were primed for Leonard's appearance after agency leader Allie Friesen repeatedly deferred budgetary questions his way.
Leonard told the board he had worked with large budgets at the city and county levels, but had no agency experience before joining the department.
"My job as interim at that point was really just to 'keep the trains running,' make sure that bills got paid," Leonard said. "I was not prepared for what we saw."
Rep. Ellyn Hefner, D-Oklahoma City, asked why a job listing for a permanent CFO hasn't been posted, given Leonard's acknowledgement that he hasn't received formal training for his position. He told her the department decided it wanted to "get through" its current troubles before bringing in someone new.
"Respectfully, Mr. Leonard, do you recognize your lack of knowledge and skill?" Hefner said. "Why would you stay in this position, with all these months going by, making critical decisions that have definitely hit providers in our districts?"
The department's money problems have sparked fear among providers across Oklahoma who depend on state funds to perform essential mental health and substance abuse services.
Rep. T.J. Marti, R-Broken Arrow, said every other agency in the state has already filed its budget request for the next fiscal year, a responsibility the legislature is still waiting for the department to fulfill.
"I'm guessing I'm not the only one in here at this point that's mildly confused at the CFO of the agency not being able to be the one that can do a deep dive into issues," Marti said.
Leonard said the request would be ready next week, but did not specify which day.
Lawmakers also asked the mental health department's general counsel, Christina Green, about nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements signed by agency executives.
Rep. Chris Kannady, R-Oklahoma City, noted the discrepancy between the lengthy nondisclosure agreements some staff members signed and the one-page confidentiality documents signed by others.
Green said the longer version was drafted using a template already housed in the department. She said Friesen requested employees sign the NDAs because of "internal investigations" she refused to elaborate on.
Kannady asked whether staff were required to sign, and told lawmakers he learned the agency's director of workplace violence and behavioral threat assessment said he told employees he would go "full cop mode" in a meeting if they refused.
Green said the NDAs were "symbolic in nature" and was on vacation at the time of the meeting Kannady referenced.
She and Leonard said they both said they voluntarily signed confidentiality agreements.
Lawson expressed interest in holding an executive session to understand more about the NDAs. The committee is expected to continue hearings next week.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
