TRANSCRIPT
Announcer: Capitol Insider sponsored by the Oklahoma State Medical Association. Keeping Oklahoma physicians informed about advances in medical technologies, treatments and aftercare. More on the vision and mission of OSMA at okmed.org.
Dick Pryor: This is Capitol Insider - taking you inside politics, policy, and government in Oklahoma. I'm Dick Pryor with Quorum Call Publisher Shawn Ashley. Shawn, fair to say, at the beginning of the legislative session, we did not expect forestry to be a controversial topic, but here we are. Governor Stitt has forced out the Oklahoma Division of Forestry Director and is questioning whether there should even be a forestry division in Oklahoma. What is the governor upset about?
Shawn Ashley: Governor Stitt was not happy with the division's response to the March 14th wildfires. Stitt said Wednesday, “we didn't have all of our resources there on those fires. That's frustrating. Furthermore, the fact that we can't get answers about where their assets were around the state is further proof that this is a deep-seated bureaucracy that are trying to protect their actions.”
Dick Pryor: What's been the legislative reaction to the governor?
Shawn Ashley: House speaker Kyle Hilbert was joined Thursday by around one dozen members of the House Republican caucus to express their support for the division. Hilbert said, “what has happened is an insult, not only to the department of forestry, but also to the fire service in general.” Senate President Pro Tim Lonnie Paxton, a volunteer firefighter, called the forestry division “a very useful tool for fire departments in the state.”
Dick Pryor: The newly created Oklahoma Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, has issued its initial report. What are the findings in the report?
Shawn Ashley: The report covers a lot of ground, but only makes a few recommendations, specifically regarding federal funding for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority and the State Department of Health. But it also includes a report on the Regional University System of Oklahoma's Affordability and Transparency Framework, which was delivered to the State Regents for Higher Education in 2024, and information from the Office of Management and Enterprise Services regarding its implementation of an artificial intelligence-based program to help review state purchases. The agency had outlined that program to legislators during its budget hearing.
Dick Pryor: DOGE recommends returning to the federal government over $150 million in grants that were made to the Oklahoma Department of Health. Why did they recommend that?
Shawn Ashley: According to the report, the grants were duplicative of other efforts, including those by nonprofits, or provided more money than the program actually needed.
Dick Pryor: Legislative leaders from both sides of the aisle are questioning the DOGE analysis. What concerns them about DOGE's conclusions?
Shawn Ashley: Senate Minority Leader Julia Kurt pointed out Oklahoma has some of the worst health rankings in the nation and that it could use every dollar it could get to improve them. One of the grants Kurt noted addressed diabetes treatment. House Speaker Hilbert noted the recommendations from DOGE OK and the federal DOGE could lead to the elimination of senior nutrition programs that provide a second hot meal each day to the elderly. If the state does not support diabetes care, Kurt said, or ensure that elderly receive nutritious meals, Hilbert said, that leads to worse health outcomes that actually end up costing the state more money.
Dick Pryor: Last Monday Governor Kevin Stitt issued an executive order requiring state agencies to evaluate and report back to him within 90 days any regulations and policies that may exclude religious organizations from receiving state funds. What is the purpose of the order?
Shawn Ashley: Well, in a series of court rulings dating back to 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court has attempted to clarify the role of religious groups in the public sphere and has ruled that religious entities can access public funds for non-religious purposes. The legislature recognized that with a law change in 2023, but appears there are other state statutes, administrative rules, and possibly state agency policies and procedures that are inconsistent with that.
Dick Pryor: All right, thank you, Shawn.
Shawn Ashley: You’re very welcome.
Dick Pryor: For more information, go to quorumcall.online. You can find audio and transcripts at KGOU.org and look for Capitol Insider where you get podcasts. Until next time, with Shawn Ashley, I'm Dick Pryor.
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