The House Public Health Committee gave the go ahead to a bill which is meant to correct the issue with getting funds saved from State Question 780 into county mental health resources. Senate Bill 844 is now eligible for a House floor hearing.
Oklahoma voters passed State Question 780 and State Question 781 in 2016. SQ 780 lowered simple drug possession and raised the felony level for theft to $1,500. State Question 781 sends the savings from not sending those convicted of the low-level drug and theft crimes to prison to county mental and behavioral health services. However, the agency responsible for calculating the savings, the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES), claimed there were no savings.
A calculation by the Legislative Office of Financial Transparency (LOFT) found that since the measures were passed, there has been a cumulative savings of around $33 million.
SB 844 author, Representative Nicole Miller, says the bill moves the responsibility of the calculation of the savings from OMES to LOFT. It takes the responsibility of managing and distributing the funds from OMES and gives it to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
“Oklahomans made their voices heard when they approved State Question 781, and their elected officials and state government have an obligation to uphold their decision, but right now, the funding saved hasn’t been invested into local mental health resources as State Question 781 directed,” Miller said. “It’s my hope that redirecting which agency is in charge of these funds will result in the necessary investment into mental health resources and ultimately further reduce incarceration.”
