State Agency Freezes Funding For Mental Health Clinics
Oklahoma’s Department of Mental Health is freezing payments to partner health clinics statewide.
The move comes after a $43 million shortfall in its budget.
Commissioner Allie Friesen paused all payments to Oklahoma’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, or CCBHCs.
She said it’s an effort to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly.
A move, Gov. Kevin Stitt applauded.
“As soon as you start holding people accountable, you start asking questions. People start spinning. They start calling the media. They start saying people are going to die,” Stitt said.
Stitt said CEO payments at CCBHC GRAND Mental Health are out of control.
But a spokesperson for the agency said the governor has the numbers all wrong.
Either way, state officials say the freeze will remain in effect until the department’s requirements are satisfied.
Lawmakers Question Gov. Stitt’s DOGE-OK Report
State legislative leaders in both parties expressed concerns about Gov. Kevin Stitt’s recently published DOGE-OK report.
Senator Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton said the governor’s DOGE-OK efforts look an awful lot like those of the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency, or LOFT, which came about in 2019 after a reported lost – and later found – $30 million at the state health department.
"There is concerns that we're duplicating efforts that we're already accomplishing. Long before DOGE, LOFT was here, and the legislature uses that now, as far as DOGE goes, if it is complimenting the efforts that we're already doing, I'm all for it," Paxton said.
Through LOFT, lawmakers can audit state agencies, officials and other government entities, which can be useful for budgeting purposes and formal investigation requests.
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert shared Paxton’s sentiment toward the governor’s efficiency efforts. He says the House is working on getting the DOGE-OK report authors to visit his caucus at the Capitol.
Lawmakers are worried about the listed $157 million federal grant dollars being returned to the feds and possibly sent to other states and how Stitt’s administration aims to pare down the state’s workforce.
Former State Senator Mike Mazzei Enters Governor’s Race
The number of candidates vying to become Oklahoma's next governor is growing.
Former State Senator Mike Mazzei launched his campaign Thursday.
A Republican from Tulsa, Mazzei enters the campaign after having served as a state senator and Governor Kevin Stitt’s first secretary of budget.
He has also worked in the private sector as the founder of a financial planning firm.
Mazzei’s campaign places a heavy emphasis on government efficiency efforts seen under the Trump administration.
But he said his top priority is education - and that a unified state government is key to setting Oklahoma’s students up for success.
“What's really important for transformational reform is the leaders of the House and the leaders of the Senate working in conjunction with the governor's office,” Mazzei said.
Mazzei is the third major candidate to jump into the Republican primary. He faces competition from Attorney General Gentner Drummond, former House Speaker Charles McCall and others.
Oklahoma Turnpike Extension To Be Rerouted Away From Lake Thunderbird
The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority announced the proposed turnpike extension in Cleveland County will be moved.
The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority announced earlier this week the proposed southern turnpike extension in Cleveland County will be moving closer to Interstate 35.
Original plans had the turnpike running by Lake Thunderbird, but it's being moved because the proposed location was too close to Lake Thunderbird, and did not comply with federal regulations.
Homeowners in the path of the proposed turnpike extension told KOCO-TV this move doesn't help the situation as hundreds of more people are now at risk of losing their home.
The Turnpike Authority will be holding a public input meeting to discuss the new route in May.
Pike off OTA said they will be there to ask questions and support a no build option.
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