Senator Roger Thompson’s Senate Bill 844 wants to switch the responsibility of determining the savings from State Question 780 to fulfill the promises of State Question 781 to fund counties for mental and behavioral health services in local communities. Currently, the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) has that responsibility. Thompson’s bill would move it to the Legislative Office of Financial Transparency (LOFT).
SQ 780 and SQ 781 were approved by voters in 2016. SQ 780 made simple possession of drugs a misdemeanor in Oklahoma. SQ 781 directed the money saved by not sending drug offenders to prison to go to local mental health efforts.
“The problem has been, how do you accurately figure out what those savings really are? OMES looked at total arrests, and said those people didn’t go to prison, so we’ll see a savings of over $63 million. But not everyone who is charged goes to prison,” Thompson said. “And you can’t just look at the Department of Correction’s bottom line because that doesn’t take into account inflation and other cost increases. We needed a better way to get those figures and utilize those funds to change lives.”
Thompson believes LOFT is better equipped to handle the job.
“LOFT is the perfect agency to dive into those numbers and determine the best way to calculate the savings. Those funds will go into a special account in the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to support a range of services like housing, employment, mental health and substance abuse programs,” Thompson. “SB 844 honors the will of the people who voted for these changes and the intent of the law, but most importantly, it will help change lives for the better throughout Oklahoma.”
Over the past week, SB 844 has won approval from the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee. It now heads to the Senate floor.
