TRANSCRIPT
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. Severe storms on July 4th caused extensive tree and property damage in Cleveland County and tens of thousands of central Oklahoma residents lost power for an extended period of time. Coincidentally, on Tuesday, Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed another lawsuit against an insurance company operating in Oklahoma. This time it's Allstate. Shawn, what is Drummond alleging?
Shawn Ashley: Like in the lawsuit against State Farm filed in June, Attorney General Drummond alleges Allstate used internal policies to deny or underpay valid storm-related claims across the state. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges, Allstate implemented an internal program referred to as the Disaster Payment Minimization Scheme that was designed to reduce claim payments and increase corporate profits.
Dick Pryor: In December, the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services announced it would seek requests for proposals to improve access and treatment in the state. What is the department doing?
Shawn Ashley: The department is privatizing the services provided through its Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, CCBHCs, in four specific regions of the state. Rather than clinics operated by the department, Family and Children's Services will provide CCBHC services in Cleveland County. GRAND Mental Health will be responsible for services in the Panhandle and nine Northwestern Oklahoma counties. CREOKS Health Services will be the service provider in 10 counties in Southeast Oklahoma, and Lighthouse Behavioral Wellness Centers will be responsible for seven and one half counties in Southwest Oklahoma.
Dick Pryor: The process for awarding these contracts was affected by a state law passed in 2019. Why is that important?
Shawn Ashley: The contracts are not subject to review or approval by the department's board, which was made advisory rather than governing back in 2019. That's when the legislature gave the governor the authority to appoint the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services commissioner and the executive director of four other state agencies. The department's board last met in April, well before these contracts were awarded, and it canceled its late June meeting. Now the current commissioner of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services could be replaced as well as the directors of those four other agencies when a new governor is elected in November and takes office in January.
Dick Pryor: Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton has approved almost a hundred interim studies to be conducted before the start of the next legislative session. Speaker of the House Kyle Hilbert will announce studies he's approved by July 24th. Some of those studies are requested by legislators who will not even be in office after the election. So, what's the point of doing these studies now?
Shawn Ashley: Well, first of all, unlike Congress, which mixes in hearings on certain subjects, along with its consideration of legislation, the Oklahoma legislature operates in a very segmented fashion. It considers bills and resolutions from February through May, and then it studies specific issues requested by members beginning in August and ending in late October or early November. And yes, sometimes outgoing members - those who are term limited, not seeking reelection or who eventually lose their reelection bids - request and are approved to conduct interim studies. But usually these involve issues that are going to be ongoing, whether that particular member remains in office or not, and it then gives other members the opportunity to be the banner carrier for that issue. They have additional information and can propose new legislation when the next legislative session rolls around.
Dick Pryor: When voters go to the polls in November, they will see Republican candidates listed first on the ballot. There's a reason for that and a process to determine the order…that you know very well.
Shawn Ashley: State law requires a drawing to be held to determine the ballot order for political parties and independent candidates for the general election. That drawing was conducted Wednesday. Republican Party candidates will be listed first, followed by Democratic Party candidates, then Libertarian Party candidates and any independent candidates will then be listed last. And yes, I am familiar with that process. In addition to covering the drawings over the years the State Election Board asked me on a couple of occasions as an impartial observer to draw the party names from the box to determine the order. So, if a listener's preferred political party was not listed first, that was my fault.
Dick Pryor: But not this year.
Shawn Ashley: Not this year.
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 video of Capitol Insider segments on the KGOU You Tube channel. Audio and transcripts are 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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