Governor Stitt, House Speaker Charles McCall and Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat announced an agreement which would give the governor the power to hire and fire large agency heads and provides more legislative oversight.
There are five active bills which would give the governor hiring power over the leaders of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (Senate Bill 456), the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (Senate Bill 457), the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (House Bill 2480), the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs (House Bill 2479) and the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (House Bill 2483).
The agency accountability bills include the following provisions:
The Governor would have the authority to hire and fire the agency leader.
Senate would have confirmation authority of the agency leader.
State agencies would maintain governing boards, but board members will serve at will and the legislation will include a conflict of interest provision.
The Governor would appoint a majority of the board members, and the House and Senate would gain appointment seats on the boards.
The House and Senate would be able to remove agency leaders by achieving a two-third vote in both Chambers.
Stitt, McCall and Treat held a joint press conference to announce the agreement. You can view that House video below.
Senate Democratic Leader Kay Floyd said this move isn’t increasing transparency.
“The Senate Democrats are concerned about the latest Republican proposal to increase the executive power of the Governor. We believe agency directors should be experienced professionals, not political appointees accountable only to the Governor.
“Currently, agency boards make decisions, which impact millions of Oklahomans in an open meeting with input from the public. Under this proposal, agency directors would be able to make decisions behind closed doors with no public accountability. Oklahomans expect transparency from their state government; unfortunately, this proposal is a move in the wrong direction.”
House Minority Leader Emily Virgin echoes Floyd’s contention.
“We have reached a point where the term ‘government accountability’ has lost all meaning,” Virgin said. “By taking away the decision-making power of our boards, we are moving decisions from a venue that falls under the Open Meetings Act and is in view of the public to a venue that is literally behind closed doors and lacking transparency.
Additionally, we have had many agency heads that have pushed our state in the right direction in spite of Capitol politics. By removing the oversight ability of the boards, we are creating an environment that will not only allow political patronage but will demand it. This plan isn’t about providing transparency. It is about acquiring power.”
