House Passes Major Agency Reform Bills

3/6/2019

This afternoon Majority Floor Leader, Jon Echols, presented a series of bills to fundamentally change the top structure of 5 state agencies which currently are completely managed by unelected boards. His language empowers the legislature and the governor to select the board members and allow the governor to directly appoint the commissioner with advice & consent of the senate. The governor may remove the commissioner at will and set the commissioner salary. The legislature would also have power to remove by super-majority.
The first bill restructured the Dept. of Juvenile Affairs (HB2479) That measure was met with lengthy questions and robust debate. Echols declared that Oklahoma had failed the challenge that Ben Franklin presented to the early Americans in Philidelphia in 1787; "You have a republic, if you can keep it." Echols declared that Oklahoma had not kept that republic form of government by keeping the agencies accountable to the voters.
The vote was 76-22, with one Tulsa Democrat voting with the Republicans. The emergency clause passed and the bill goes on to the senate.

Then Echols presented a similar bill on the Dept. of Corrections (HB2480). That agency spends over $1 Billion annually. There were no questions and the House went to lengthy debate before voting. Rep. Regina Goodwyn (D-Tulsa) reminded her colleagues that former Gov. Alfalfa Bill Murray was a racist and denigrated blacks while in office. Other Democrats introduced the term 'FROG's as Friends Of The Governor. Echols rejected that notion and referred to the son of the former Democrat House Leader Steve Kouplen (Sean) whom Stitt appointed to high office.
This vote also had 76 'yea' votes.
Lastly, Echols presented a bill to overhaul the Dept. of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services (HB2483). Democrats agreed that Commissioner Terri White has been a controversial figure. Echols had no criticism to voice about White or the other 4 commissioners who currently hold the positions being restructured. Rep David Perryman (D-Chickasha) opposed the bill but commended Rep. Echols for avoiding any critical comments of present agency commissioners. Perryman decried the removal of any set professional qualifications for the commissioner or board members.

The vote again fell on party lines.

All in all it was a masterful display of statesmanship by Jon Echols in how he transcended a very partisan divide on the issue and kept the level of discourse elevated and respectful of all.

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David Van Risseghem is the Publisher of SoonerPolitics.org. The resource is committed to informing & mobilizing conservative Oklahomans for civic reform. This endeavor seeks to utilize the efforts of all cooperative facets of the Conservative movement...

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