State Agency Looking Into Ongoing SNAP Benefits Theft
The state Department of Human Services said hundreds of Oklahoma households have had their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit stolen.
Department officials said about $1.4 million in benefits was stolen from roughly 2,600 households from July 2023 to the end of June 2024.
The thefts can happen through card skimming and cloning, and other methods like phishing.
This is a problem across the nation. Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which allows households to recover stolen benefits until Dec. 20 of this year.
Department officials urge people to protect their SNAP benefit cards and say the department is on track to launch chip-enabled cards next summer to increase security.
Oklahoma County Jail Lining Up Its Own Medical Staff
The Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority met Monday to discuss medical care at the Oklahoma County Jail.
Turn Key Health has provided medical and mental health services at the jail, but the contract is set to expire Oct. 9.
Last month, jail officials terminated the contract following criticism of the organization's ability to provide medical care.
In the meantime, Jail CEO Brandi Gardner said the jail is working to establish its own in-house medical unit.
“So far, we’ve hired 62 medical staff. We have a mental health consultant that's on board, and then we have a medical consultant,” Gardner said.
The jail is in the process of formulating a request for proposals to secure a long-term contractor for medical services.
Charter School Board Requests U.S. Supreme Court Review
Lawyers representing the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a lawsuit involving what would be the nation’s first publicly funded religious school.
The move comes three months after the school’s contract was ruled unconstitutional.
The law group Alliance Defending Freedom announced Monday it had petitioned the nation’s high court to review a decision by the Oklahoma Supreme Court regarding the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School.
State Attorney General Gentner Drummond originally filed the lawsuit a year ago and successfully argued to the state supreme court that Oklahoma law prevents taxpayer dollars from going to sectarian institutions.
In a statement released Monday, Drummond vowed to keep fighting, should the U.S. Supreme Court take it up.
“This unconstitutional scheme to create the nation’s first state-sponsored religious charter school will open the floodgates and force taxpayers to fund all manner of religious indoctrination, including radical Islam or even the Church of Satan,” Drummond wrote.
The Supreme Court’s term began Monday.
Records Conceal Governor Stitt’s Aircraft Travel Information
An investigation by non-profit news outlet Oklahoma Voice reveals Gov. Kevin Stitt’s travel logs are missing some details required by state law.
From Colorado to Tennessee, the Governor’s Office authorized more than 100 flights with a state plane over five years, costing taxpayers around $300,000.
In 2023, Stitt and his family began taking more trips out-of-state, and officials became more secretive about the purpose of the flights and passenger names.
Last year, the Stitts only disclosed the purpose of their travel once, according to flight logs obtained through an open records request by Oklahoma Voice.
If the governor uses the plane for personal reasons, he is responsible for reimbursing the money.
The missing details about Stitt’s travel make his compliance hard to track, but his office affirms they are following the law.
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