Gov. Kevin Stitt Fires Energy and Environment Secretary
Gov. Kevin Stitt announced he fired Ken McQueen from his position as secretary of energy and environment and director of the department of energy. The decision came after McQueen attended a hearing over a nearly 20-year-old court case.
The lawsuit was filed by Oklahoma in 2005 against Tyson Foods and other poultry companies, claiming they were polluting the Illinois River Watershed with chicken and turkey waste.
Stitt said in a statement on X he was disappointed McQueen joined Attorney General Gentner Drummond and former Attorney General Drew Edmondson in a court hearing Tuesday with updated evidence on the case.
Stitt says McQueen was fired immediately, and Jeff Starling was appointed to replace McQueen. Starling has experience in both private and public sectors and lives in Oklahoma City.
The Attorney General’s director of communications, Phil Bacharach, says Drummond will continue to “seek a fair resolution to the case.”
McQueen did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Oklahoma State Agencies Submit $830M Budget Increase Requests as Legislative Session Looms
It’s the time of year for wishlists, including at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Oklahoma’s state agencies are collectively asking lawmakers for an $830 million budget increase heading into the next fiscal year.
State agency budget requests are due to the legislature by Oct. 1 every year.
That’s five months ahead of the legislative session in February – which usually runs until May, assuming lawmakers can agree on the state’s overall budget for the next fiscal year.
Agency appropriations make up a large part of the overall state budget. But the requests agencies file are nothing more than wishlists with attached dollar amounts.
The money appropriated to them doesn’t always reflect what they ask for. This year, agencies are asking for $13.3 billion. That’s about $833 million more than last year.
Lawmakers will spend long hours debating how state money should be moved around. The last budget they put together was about $12.5 billion.
Lawmakers do consider the agencies’ requests, but a slew of other factors, too, like the costs of implementing new and old legislation.
Stitt Joins GOP Push for Farm Bill Overhaul
Oklahoma’s Kevin Stitt is among more than a dozen Republican governors urging Congress to reauthorize the Farm Bill. Butt, the governors are also asking for changes.
The GOP governors write the nation’s farmers are in trouble because of issues with the previous farm bill coupled with high interest rates, inflation and agricultural trade deficits.
They ask Congress to pass a new version instead of just re-authorizing a 2018 Farm Bill as it did this year. The Farm Bill allocates money for agriculture subsidies and food programs like SNAP.
Nonprofit news outlet Oklahoma Voice reports Democrats have floated the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act to replace the old Farm Bill. That plan features $39 billion in new resources for farmers, SNAP families and rural communities. But Republicans in Congress have largely opposed it.
Oklahoma City Police Report 57% Drop in Mental Health-Related Calls
The Oklahoma City Police Department is seeing a decline in officers being sent to mental health-related calls.
The Oklahoma City Police Department has partnered with several mental health service providers to reduce the number of officers dispatched to mental health-related calls.
There’s been a 57% decrease in the past 13 months during its partnership with 9-8-8 mental health lifeline, service providers, and city programs.
The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services saw a 79% increase in 9-8-8 Lifeline monthly callers during the same time.
Oklahoma City Police Chief Ron Bacy says the partnerships allow people to receive the support they need without emergency law enforcement intervention.
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