Special Counsel Appointed For State Investigation Into Mental Health Agency
A state ordered investigation is beginning into the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Monday that he appointed attorney Robert McCampbell to serve as special counsel.
Stitt said McCampbell will investigate potential abuse, waste, mismanagement, and fraud at the state agency.
“Robert and his team will leave no stone unturned, because the people of Oklahoma deserve to know exactly what went wrong and who is responsible,” Stitt said.
“I want ODMHSAS to earn the public’s trust and operate with the integrity that Oklahomans expect and deserve. These problems didn’t develop overnight and solving them won’t happen overnight either. But we are moving quickly, and we are not looking the other way.”
The investigation will be conducted independently, and the special counsel will report directly to the Governor’s Office.
Stitt said the special counsel review is part of a broader set of immediate reforms to stabilize the agency.
Commissioiner Allie Friesen told state lawmakers recently that the mental health agency has a budget shortfall and can't make its payroll this month.
Three Months In, DOGE-OK Portal Flooded With Criticism
It’s been three months since Gov. Kevin Stitt announced the DOGE-OK online portal during his State of the State address.
The portal invites the public to submit ideas on how to make state government more cost-effective.
A new analysis from Oklahoma Voice looks at 90 responses the portal has received so far.
Reporter Emma Murphy says the majority of them antagonized the state’s elected officials.
“Half of the submissions, though, were trolling Republican leadership, specifically the governor and state Superintendent Ryan Walters, criticizing them, saying we should fire them, replace them and that the state of Oklahoma would be more efficient without them. Some of it got a little explicit and offensive," said Murphy.
Some submissions appeared to take the portal more seriously. Respondents suggested several ideas, including cutting public relations contracts and using AI to fulfill public records requests.
Oklahoma Human Services Extends Child Care Accreditation Deadlines
Oklahoma Human Services is extending the deadline for certain child care programs to provide proof of national accreditation applications or achievement. This follows stakeholder feedback, saying the original timeframe to comply was too short and could cost them thousands.
DHS approved rules this year asking certain child care programs to pursue and obtain national accreditation or face a quality level reduction tied to their reimbursements.
They had until April 10 to prove they were trying to get accredited. Now, DHS is giving them until June 20.
DHS is also offering potential extensions for programs to become accredited.
Originally, providers had until Sept. 1 to complete a process they say takes one to two years. Now, they can apply to get an extension until the end of the year.
Jaesha Quarrels, the director of child care services for DHS, says in a press release these adjusted timelines will “help providers meet that goal while keeping our child care system strong.”
Parts of Oklahoma City Are Slowly Sinking
A new study found much of Oklahoma City's land surface has sunk over the past decade.
It's not a very dramatic change, but parts of the city sank up to 6 millimeters a year between 2015 and 2021. The most significant shifts happened on the east side, which sits over the Garber-Wellington Aquifer.
In fact, large cities all over the country are sinking, according to a new study in the research journal Nature Cities this month. The authors attribute much of it to the extraction of groundwater.
Over time, the sinking can increase flooding risks and harm infrastructure, although the study rates the risk to OKC’s infrastructure as low to medium.
The researchers hope communities will apply the new data to develop land use plans and improve infrastructure resilience.
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