In an announcement that could shake up the foundations of public trust in Oklahoma, House Speaker Kyle Hilbert and Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton have called upon the state Auditor to conduct a comprehensive examination of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS). This statement was made in partnership with Gov. Kevin Stitt, acknowledging troubling financial discrepancies within the department.
As reported by the Oklahoma House of Representatives website, the joint statement underscored a sense of urgency, pressing the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) to "determine why this unacceptable shortfall exists, what its breadth is, and how we prevent it from ever occurring again." The call to action comes as the Constitution binds the legislature to finalize a state budget no later than 12 weeks hence.
Efforts to address the financial concerns at ODMHSAS will be two-fold. Hilbert and Paxton have instructed LOFT to hasten the process of financial scrutiny to fulfill legislative responsibilities before sine die adjournment. In parallel, they stressed the need for a forensic audit by the state Auditor to root out any potential instances of "waste, fraud or abuse associated with this shortfall."
The harmonized request between the House and Senate leaders, buttressed by the Department's own support, is a tactical maneuver intended to yield both immediate and comprehensive insights into the financial strains at ODMHSAS. "LOFT can provide us the quick answers we need to do our constitutional duties before sine die adjournment while the breadth of a forensic audit from the State Auditor is needed to ensure there is no waste, fraud or abuse associated with this shortfall," they claimed in the statement.
