House Speaker announces Select Committee to review Dep't of Mental Health finances

House Speaker Announces Select Committee to Review Mental Health Finances

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 15th) – House Speaker Kyle Hilbert announced today the formation of a select committee to review the finances at the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS).

Majority Leader Mark Lawson will chair the committee for the House and the following members have been appointed to the committee:

• Rep. Chris Kannady, R-Oklahoma City
• Rep. Dell Kerbs, R-Shawnee
• Rep. Mark Lawson, R-Sapulpa – chair
• Rep. T.J. Marti, R-Tulsa
• Rep. Anthony Moore, R-Clinton
• Rep. Carl Newton, R-Cherokee
• Rep. Cynthia Roe, R-Lindsay
• Rep. Marilyn Stark, R-Bethany
• Rep. Josh West, R-Grove
• Rep. Kevin West. R-Moore
• Rep. Ellyn Hefner, D-Oklahoma City
• Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa
• Rep. Trish Ranson, D-Stillwater

"It is our constitutional duty to oversee and appropriate state funds, and we take that role very seriously," said Hilbert, R-Bristow. "We have just over a month left in this legislative session and we still don't have a clear understanding of how much state funding ODMHSAS needs. This public hearing will help us get to the bottom of what has happened and what needs to happen moving forward."

The Speaker first announced his desire to form this committee last week. Additionally, the state Auditor and Inspector is doing a forensic audit of the agency and Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) is reviewing existing contracts and finances to help give a third party perspective to the way the department has handled state appropriated dollars. The Governor also announced yesterday he will appoint a special investigator to review the agency's finances and actions.

"The people of Oklahoma are depending on the critical mental health services provided by the department and we need more information than what we have in front of us right now to make a decision on if state funds have been spent appropriately, and what additional dollars may be needed to ensure continuity of care," said Lawson. "We have seen contracts cancelled and have been told money appropriated by the Legislature for specific purposes is unaccounted for. The Legislature needs more confidence in what it will take to adequately fund mental health services both in the short and long term. This is an all-hands-on-deck approach as we near the end of the legislative session."

The Commissioner of ODMHSAS Allie Friesen will be called before the committee to address recent issues at the department, including but not limited to:

• The current financial condition of the ODMHSAS
• The unknown use of specific fund allocations such as the $5 million allocated for upgraded electronic medical records system, which was never implemented
• The use of current year appropriations to pay prior years expenses
• Cancelled CCBHC contracts
• The department's need for a FY25 supplemental to fulfill its financial obligations in the current fiscal year and the amount needed to do so
• Future budget needs for FY26
• Give an update of the current state of the federal court-ordered consent decree on the Department of Mental Health

The select committee will meet on Thursday, April 17, at 1:30 p.m. in Room 450 at the state Capitol.