Nelson, Dorman Team Up, Study Administrative Law Judges

OKLAHOMA CITY – Average Oklahomans come into contact with administrative laws frequently, former administrative law judge Gary Payne told lawmakers today.

Administrative law is created by state agencies when lawmakers enact legislation that authorize agencies to create rules. Administrative law judges interpret these laws and try cases affecting everything from professional licenses to corporate regulations when a state agency takes action against those they license or regulate.

In Oklahoma, administrative law judges are often imbedded in or contracted with by the state agencies, creating an inherent conflict of interest, according to state Reps. Jason Nelson and Joe Dorman, who jointly requested the study.

“An administrative law judge can certainly act impartially even while imbedded in a state agency,” said Dorman, D-Rush Springs. “But how does a citizen feel when they are before the ‘DHS judge’ in appealing a DHS decision? How does a business feel when they are arguing with a licensing or regulatory authority and are dealing with the agency’s administrative law judge? I think we need to find a way to address this inherent conflict of interest.”

Judge Gary Payne speaking at a legislative study on
Administrative Law Judges at the Capitol today 

Nelson said imbedded administrative law judges create circumstances where agencies serve as the “prosecutor, judge and jury.”

“I have personally witnessed several blatant instances of a bias in favor of the agencies where the citizens paid the price,” said Nelson, R-Oklahoma City. “Citizens deserve and have a constitutional right to an impartial process before an impartial administrative law judge when their ability to make a living is on the line.”

“This bias benefits many state agencies because they assess fines and penalties that are used help fund the agency.”

Lydia Lee, an administrative law judge for the Oklahoma Merit Commission and the Oklahoma Department of Labor, said agencies cannot all be treated in the same manner. She also said that she is aware of cases in which citizens were not properly served.

Lee and Kay Floyd, another administrative law judge, said the Oklahoma Merit Commission is an excellent example of an appropriate process.

Five sets of procedural rules govern administrative law judges, Floyd said. She also noted that licensed administrative law judges are observed by colleagues, who can turn in complaints to them to the Oklahoma Bar Association or Council of Judicial Complaints if actions are inappropriate.

Hearing officers are not licensed and have less oversight of their actions, she said.

Tony Mastin, executive director of the Oklahoma Tax Commission, said he does not believe moving around the location of administrative law judges and hearing officers will improve the perception of impartiality or increase impartiality.

Nelson and Dorman co-authored a bill to address administrative law judges in the 2012 legislative session that failed to make it through the process. They plan to file a new bill for the 2013 legislative session, Dorman said.

Lawmakers Study Reform of Legislative Process

OKLAHOMA CITY – Jared Saxton, Managing Partner of BlueLid Technologies, gave Oklahoma lawmakers a lesson in technical legislative processes today.

Saxton spoke to the Oklahoma House of Representatives Government Modernization committee about the work of BlueLid Technologies on an XML-based legislative content system to replace an outdated system used by the Iowa Legislative Services Agency.

Iowa’s old content system had multiple problems, Saxton said. It was difficult to train staff on its use, to publish content, to generate tables and indexes and to implement new content projects, he said.

The XML-based LINC system created to replace it created production efficiencies and flexibility to get content out to the general public faster and in more forms. It was also more user-friendly for staff members.

State Rep. Jason Murphey, who requested the study and serves as chair of the committee, said the presentation was informative.

“Our informative technology staff have done an excellent job of supporting the work of state lawmakers,” said Murphey, R-Guthrie. “We’ve been increasingly paperless and more transparent. I think an XML-based system might be an additional tool to create greater efficiencies and greater transparency.”

Saxton said Iowa has spent about $5 million on the new system.

House Director of Information Technology T.J. Robinson said he also enjoyed the presentation.

“There are definite improvements that an XML-based system would bring to the technical side of the legislative process, but lawmakers will have to decide if the cost of these improvements are acceptable,” said Robinson.

Murphey said he will be looking deeper at the potential cost-savings created by the improvements.

Shannon: State Must Prepare for Federal Budget Cuts

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. T.W. Shannon said last week he will be conducting a legislative study to examine contingency plans for scenarios in which state agencies lose federal funding due to potential federal budget cuts.

“We can no longer wait for the federal government to lead,” said Shannon, R-Lawton. “We have to be ready to self-sustain core services and deal with potential cuts. State agencies are addicted to federal spending. We need to tailor agency spending to ensure core government services remain unaffected. If we are to have major reform in this country, it will have to come from the states.”

Shannon’s goal will be to require every state agency to develop a contingency plan for when cuts occur, he said.

“When the federal government is spending in such an unsustainable way, it is likely that our funding will cease to exist at current levels,” said Shannon. “The federal government is now borrowing $1 of every $2 it spends. Our national deficit reached $16 trillion this year. It is inevitable that states will experience drastic cuts at some future date. The spending level is not sustainable.”

Shannon said he will release more details of the study, which will take place in October, at a future date.

Office of State Finance Undergoes Name Change

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Office of State Finance is no more—now it's the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, effective Friday, Aug. 24.

"This name change reflects our agency’s expanded role under a 2011 consolidation law that folded four other important agencies into the OSF," said Secretary of Finance Preston L. Doerflinger, who worked with legislative sponsors and the administration of Gov. Mary Fallin on the government modernization effort.

Although the name change did not take effect until Friday, the four agencies became part of the OSF a year ago. They were the Department of Central Services, the Office of Personnel Management, the Oklahoma State and Education Employees Group Insurance Board and the Employees Benefits Council.

"This has been an enormous undertaking that has improved services and saved taxpayers millions of dollars, and we’re just getting started," Doerflinger said. "We have several projects in the works, including those that will improve state government transparency.

"The cornerstone of our efforts is to create an agency that is FAST—flatter, agile, streamlined and technology-driven. We have made many strides toward that objective."

The Office of Management and Enterprise Services, or the OMES, will have eight divisions. The core Administrative Division will continue to be located at the State Capitol, where the OSF has performed budget and revenue reporting functions since it was created in 1947 as the Budget Division of the Executive Branch.

Carol McFarland has been serving as interim director of the OSF since Doerflinger agreed earlier this year to fill in as interim director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services on a temporary basis. Doerflinger will return to the finance agency when a permanent director of the OKDHS is named.

McFarland was earlier chosen by Doerflinger to be transition project manager for the consolidation project. She said she also is pleased by the streamlining progress.

"We’ve already found millions of dollars in savings, while improving services to the public, state agencies and employees," McFarland said.

Among the divisions of the OMES is the Information Services Division, which also is headed by a cabinet-level official, Alex Pettit, the state's first chief of information technology.

Other sub-groups of the OMES include the Central Purchasing Division and the Division of Capital Assets Management, which formerly were parts of the Department of Central Services.

Also, the Budget, Policy and Communications Division; the Employees Group Insurance Division (formerly the Oklahoma State and Education Employees Group Insurance Board); the Division of Central Accounting and Reporting, and Human Capital Management, which incorporates the former Employees Benefits Council and was formerly known as the Office of Personnel Management.

IT Consolidation to Save Taxpayers $40 Million Annually

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma taxpayers are set to save $40 million during the current state budget year and each year thereafter, according to a recent report.
            
The Information Services Division of the state’s Office of Management and Enterprise Services released its fiscal year-end report detailing the savings from the recently enacted plan to consolidate state government information technology processes. The report shows savings estimates continuing to climb and demonstrates that approximately $40 million in annual savings has already been achieved even though many state agencies still have not been incorporated into the consolidation process.
            
The savings can be attributed in part to lower software costs due to the combining of the state agencies’ purchasing power and a 17 percent reduction in the number of IT positions needed to maintain the consolidated IT infrastructure. The plan also details additional levels of cost avoidance in addition to the $40 million in savings, including $1.8 million of potential cost avoidance after the centralized IT operation rectified software licensing-related liabilities previously incurred by state agencies.
            
When the Oklahoma Legislature passed the proposal, it required IT officials to realize a savings of at least 15 percent of the state’s IT spend. The report demonstrates that the consolidation has met this goal.
            
Last fall, Oklahoma Chief Information Officer Alex Pettit told the House Government Modernization Committee that the consolidation had allowed $30 million in annual savings. On the morning of Sept. 11, Pettit, will again testify before the committee and will inform members of the newest savings numbers. Pettit is expected to field questions on his department’s mitigation of legacy IT information security liabilities and the potential for additional savings as the consolidation continues.
            
“CIO Pettit is doing a fantastic job implementing this plan,” explained the consolidation’s legislative author, state Rep. David Derby, R-Owasso. “During the next legislative year, we are committed to continuing the passage of legislation that will enable these savings to continue.”
            

Rep. Jason Murphey
R-Guthrie

The IT consolidation provides a great example of a modernization reform that will save millions of dollars each year,” said House Modernization Committee Chair Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie. “The report demonstrates that the plan has been successful and it si now our job as policymakers to export the concept to other policy venues to ensure even more savings are realized.”
            
Pettit’s testimony is expected to take place at approximately 11 a.m. Sept. 11 in Committee Room 432A at the state Capitol building. The meeting is open and the public is encouraged to attend.

Former Commissioner Dow on Eliminating the DHS Commission

Child Advocacy Group Praises DHS Reform Efforts

Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy Executive Director Linda Terrell expressed support last week for a slate of DHS reforms passed by the Legislature during the 2012 session. 

“The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy fought hard to demand bold reforms at DHS to fix the broken child welfare system this legislative session and Oklahoma lawmakers delivered,” Terrell said. "The reforms that passed the Legislature send a strong message: It's unacceptable for a system created to protect children to fail in that mission, and it's time for change.”

Doerflinger Addresses Administration Issues at OSF During His Absence

OKLAHOMA CITY – Office of State Finance Director Preston Doerflinger, while assuming a new role as interim director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, will remain as secretary of finance in the cabinet of Gov. Mary Fallin.

"I am humbled by my appointment to the DHS position on a temporary basis and determined to make a contribution to improvements in the agency that the Commission of Human Services is charged with overseeing," Doerflinger said. "I feel fortunate that Carol McFarland will be able to step in and continue the progress we have made in government streamlining. She has done a great job as transition project manager since four other agencies were folded into the OSF by legislation enacted last year."

"Working together with the consolidated agencies, we achieved greater savings than the 15 percent mandate in the government modernization law and are on a course to achieve even greater savings in the future," Doerflinger continued.

Under the law, which took effect last August, the Department of Central Services, the Oklahoma Education and State Employees Group Insurance Board, the Employees Benefits Council and the Office of Personnel Management were consolidated into OSF.

"As part of my duties as secretary of finance, I will continue to be in contact with Carol and other key personnel of the consolidated OSF," Doerflinger said. "The fact that we have so many capable people at the OSF was a major factor in my decision to accept this interim position."

Doerflinger held the elective position of Tulsa city auditor when he was appointed to the dual role of OSF director and finance secretary in January of last year.

He said as finance secretary, he would continue to stay abreast of revenue issues and economic conditions and advise Governor Fallin in those areas.

"We just had a drop in unemployment as we continue to outperform other states in recovering from the national recession," Doerflinger said. "The governor is striving hard to advance the state economically and I want to do all I can to help.

I want to stress that this is a temporary appointment and I look forward to my return to the OSF after a permanent director is selected at the Oklahoma Department of Human Services."

Doerflinger informed OSF employees of the developments in an e-mail Wednesday afternoon.

"I won't be gone long and am anxious to continue the work we've started," the finance secretary wrote. "Based on the (legislative) session so far, it looks like there are other exciting opportunities ahead. Carry on in my absence and as the saying goes, 'I'll be back.'"

McFarland echoed Doerflinger's comments about the quality of staff at the OSF and said her challenge is "to maintain the momentum we have going in creating a "FAST" agency -- flatter, agile, streamlined and technology-enabled."

"I will be relying on the experts we have in place in such areas as the budget, state revenue and technology as we move forward and intend to keep Secretary Doerflinger apprised of our progress," she said.

McFarland is a certified public accountant and certified governmental financial manager. She came to the OSF from the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, where she was performance and reporting manager.

Government Modernization, Pension Reform Plans Announced

OKLAHOMA CITY – House Republican leaders last week unveiled another round of policy proposals designed to make government more efficient and fiscally stable.

Next session, Rep. Jason Murphey and other House Republicans will carry a series of government modernization proposals to continue consolidating and improving duplicative or ineffective state services, while Rep. Randy McDaniel will carry proposals to continue reforming the state’s fiscally unstable pension systems.

The proposals are part of the House Republican commitment to fiscal conservatism, saving taxpayer dollars and improving efficiency across state government.

“Government efficiency is now the rule rather than the exception,” said House Speaker Kris Steele, R-Shawnee. “As we continue building a pro-growth Oklahoma, we must continue bringing fiscal order to state government. These proposals are all critical to that effort. We’ve promised the public a more effective, fiscally stable government, so we’re intent on delivering one.”
Government Modernization

Murphey, chairman of the House Government Modernization Committee, noted that legislators “cleared the deck” in 2011 by passing more than 20 pieces of government modernization legislation that were later signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin.

“We left nothing on the table,” said Murphey, R-Guthrie. “Last year was a tipping point, so this year we’re going to take that momentum and run with it.”

Murphey named several House Republicans who will carry government modernization legislation next session:

1. Rep. David Derby, R-Owasso, will carry legislation consolidating the state’s fiber network to include OneNet;
2. Rep. David Brumbaugh, R-Broken Arrow, will carry legislation on purchasing, education spending transparency and fleet reform;
3. Rep. Elise Hall, R-Oklahoma City, will carry legislation improving transparency into the state’s bond indebtedness;
4. Rep. Josh Cockroft, R-Tecumseh, will carry legislation creating a one-stop-shop for open records requests through the office of Chief Information Officer Alex Pettit;
5. Rep. Aaron Stiles, R-Norman, will carry legislation building on his business licensing one-stop-shop legislation from last year;
6. Rep. Lewis Moore, R-Arcadia will carry legislation to reform the way the state manages state agency workers’ compensation spending; and
7. state House Speaker-designate T.W. Shannon, R-Lawton, will carry legislation requiring reforms to the management of state assets.

Murphey will carry two bills focusing on purchasing reforms and transparency.

“House Bill 2197 will focus on purchasing reform and will create options for higher education to take advantage of some of the savings we have been able to enact in past purchasing reforms,” Murphey said. “The intent of House Bill 2196 will be to create online information in a dashboard-type performance matrix to aid the public and press in getting agency data and gauging agency effectiveness.”

An example of a government agency performance matrix can be found at track.dc.gov.

Steele will carry a follow-up to House Bill 2140, last year’s government agency consolidation bill. The follow-up bill, HB 3053, would consolidate the Merit Protection Commission and State Bond Advisor into the Office of State Finance and rename OSF the Office of Enterprise and Management Services. HB 3053 would also consolidate the Oklahoma State and Education Employees Group Insurance Board and Employment Benefits Council Board into the Oklahoma Health and Wellness Board.

Steele noted that as a package, the government modernization legislation of the two-year 53rd Legislative Session is expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in savings.

“These reforms are huge parts of our larger effort to find savings across government so we can lower the tax burden on all Oklahomans,” Steele said.
Pension Reform

McDaniel, chairman of the House Pension Oversight Committee, noted that while last year’s pension reforms shaved more than $5 billion off the state’s unfunded liability, more needs to be done to further stabilize the state’s pension systems.

“The goal is to put all our systems on a sustainable path, which would be a notable accomplishment for public workers and taxpayers alike,” McDaniel said.

Much of last year’s pension reform legislation focused on the pension systems for teachers, state employees and judges, so McDaniel will carry legislation this year to improve the fiscal stability of the firefighter and law enforcement pension systems.

“We have negotiated with representatives from both the firefighter and law enforcement organizations. I think we have come to an agreement that is fair to our public safety employees and fair to taxpayers,” McDaniel, R-Oklahoma City, said. “Employees and employers will both pay a little more into the system in order to ensure the pension plans are financially strong over the long run.”

McDaniel will also file a resolution seeking a constitutional amendment that would require more accountability in future pension system decisions.

“The constitutional amendment contains the fundamental principles of proper pension oversight. We need a higher law that takes into consideration the future generations of Oklahomans,” McDaniel said.

The amendment would:

(1) Protect plan assets by prohibiting diversion of pension funds to other uses;
(2) Institute a prudent investor rule to ensure wise investments of pension funds;
(3) Reduce future debts by directing adequate funding to pension systems;
(4) Require funding standards and practices to be established before additional benefits are authorized.

NOTE: For accompanying video, go to http://www.okhouse.tv/iViewVideo.aspx?VideoID=400

Rep. Murphey: State Government Needs A Performance Audit

Rep. Jason Murphey
R-Guthrie

Oklahoma City - Rep. Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie, discusses on his blog the need to establish regular performance audits by the State Auditor. Below are excerpts from his post this morning.

"One of the most important components of this year’s House government modernization effort will involve acting on a request from State Auditor Gary Jones.

"Jones has requested the Legislature to take action and allow his office to establish a performance audits division that could conduct a series of performance audits of state government entities during each year.

"The proposal would allow the people of Oklahoma to vote next November to place this proposal into the Oklahoma Constitution.

"Currently, the Auditor can conduct these audits at the request of the Governor, the Legislature, or the head of an agency. As you might image, it is highly unlikely agency officials from a poorly performing agency would ever request the Auditor to audit their agency.

"Earlier this year, Governor Fallin authorized a performance audit of the state-owned Grand River Dam Authority. That audit was released last week and brought to light a number of concerning details questioning the method by which millions of dollars were being spent."

Click here to read Rep. Murphey's complete post

Lawmakers Study Privatization of State Parks, Golf Courses

OKLAHOMA CITY (September 1, 2011) – Public-private partnerships like those used by the U.S. Forestry Service could be the model for Oklahoma to run state parks more efficiently, the fiscal policy director for the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs told lawmakers today.

Jonathan Small
Fiscal Policy Director
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Jonathan Small, OCPA fiscal policy director and a certified public accountant, said privatizing some park operations is one of the few things the federal government has done right.

“One of the things the federal government has done right is outsource the complete operation of many U.S. Forestry Service federal parks,” Small said. “The U.S. Forestry Service has approximately 300 private concession contracts fully operating hundreds of parks throughout the United States. In many cases, these privatization arrangements have resulted in savings of millions of dollars to states and the federal government.”

Rep. Leslie Osborn
R-Mustang

State Rep. Leslie Osborn said with legislative efforts to reduce the size of state government, privatization is a good tool to avoid elimination of a program or state-owned asset.

“The private sector can run these state parks better than our state government and save taxpayers money that they would probably put to better use,” Osborn said. “I think our state needs to move towards public-private partnerships to run its parks.”

More than 11 million people visited state parks in 2010 and more than 79,000 rounds of golf were played at state golf courses, according to the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department’s presentation.

The study also focused on the location of state parks. After Oct. 1, 2011, there will be 35 state-run parks. Ten of these parks are located west of Interstate 35, while 25 parks are located east of the interstate. Only six of the parks are located in the six most populous Oklahoma counties. The state ranks 22 out of 50 states in parks per capita.

State golf courses are 81 percent self-sufficient, but the tourism agency is working to make them 100 percent self-sufficient.

Deby Snodgrass
Director, Oklahoma Tourism &
Recreation Department

Osborn and Small both praised current Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department Director Deby Snodgrass for her efforts to make the operation of state parks more efficient.

“I appreciate the steps Director Snodgrass has taken to reduce costs,” Osborn said. “With Director Snodgrass’s strong leadership, it should be easy for lawmakers to work with her in finding ways to improve the efficiency of the state park system.” 

“Director Deby Snodgrass and the OTRD should be commended for their leadership and effort to operate state parks in an efficient manner that minimizes the use of taxpayer dollars. Increased privatization can add to the success and stewardship that is taking place at the OTRD thanks to the new leadership of Director Snodgrass,” Small said.

OCPA Website Empowers Oklahomans To Hold Government Accountable

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs recently unveiled a new transparency website AccountAbilityOK.com. The site allows anyone to search, in a very user-friendly format, financial data for state government. The data for the website comes from the Oklahoma Office of State Finance, but the site uses innovative business-intelligence software called QlikView which allows for fast navigation through the data.


Jonathan Small, Fiscal Policy Director for OCPA, points out in a statement:

"In years past, scrutiny of Oklahoma government spending largely has been reserved for a few powerful legislators, staffers, and the occasional lucky journalist who stumbles upon a confidential tip. AccountAbilityOK.com changes all that. As the name implies, it gives citizens the ability to search the accounts—and thus empowers citizens to bring accountability to government."

I have included this new website in my State Government Links on this blog. I continue to encourage my constituents and all Oklahomans to take advantage of sites like this and to share your thoughts and findings with your legislators. I appreciate OCPA's work on fiscal responsibility and transparency in State government. 

A Refreshing Change of Pace

Rep. Jason Murphey
R-Guthrie

State Rep. Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie, posted on his website today: 

"In addition to getting the word out about the Governor’s hard work for reform, I feel it is also important to mention the work of other newly elected and appointed statewide officials." 

A Refreshing Change of Pace, a column by Murphey reflects on his work with "several new officials on various modernization proposals" and how he "enjoyed observing and (when possible) assisting them in their efforts to institute reforms."


In this first in a series, Murphey highlights new Secretary of State Glenn Coffee. 

Auditor & Inspector Gary Jones: “rapid progress” in closing audit backlog

By Patrick B. McGuigan at www.CapitolBeatOK.com (Published: 22-Jun-2011

Oklahoma Auditor and Inspector Gary Jones
was surprised, he says, at how far behind the office was on required audits of county governments when he took the helm on January 10.

“As policy, those audits are supposed to be done every year, and must, by statute, be done every other year. When I took office and worked with the staff to identify challenges, it became clear that some counties had not been audited since 2005,” he said in an interview Wednesday (June 22).

It was a challenge, he admits, “to figure out how to approach the backlog, do the audits right, yet get caught up. There are 77 counties, and the simplest way to put it is that we have to do at least two years of work in one year.”

The pace of work is summarized, he said, by comparing three months of productivity this year with that of 2010. The agency completed 78 audit reports in the first three months of 2010; it had finished 112 audits the same time period this year.

Jones is most concerned about special investigative audits -- which come at the request of the attorney general and local District Attorneys -- must be given priority. The long-anticipated investigatory look at the Broken Arrow public school system was finished this month. That audit was first requested in April 2009.

“I thought that kind of time gap was the exception, but learned it was the norm,” Jones told CapitolBeatOK.

House Approves Government Financial Service Reforms

The Oklahoma House of Representatives has approved legislation designed to transform inefficient state agency financial services systems.

Senate Bill 541, by state Rep. Jason Murphey, (R-Guthrie) and state Sen. Anthony Sykes (R- Moore), was proposed following a report by the Hackett Group, which demonstrated massive inefficiencies in the way state agencies conducts financial services.

The report compared Oklahoma agencies’ financial services processes to those of other public and private sector peer organizations of like complexity. The report demonstrated the inefficiencies by stating that it costs Oklahoma taxpayers $20.05 to process one accounts payable invoice while comparable peer groups pay $3.58 for each similar service.

“It is incredible and unacceptable that Oklahoma taxpayers are paying nearly six times the cost of what comparable groups are spending for that same process,” Murphey declared. “This legislation is designed to fix that.”

The study also stated that Oklahoma state government has a significantly higher number of full time employees employed to conduct these operations than peer organizations. Oklahoma processes 2,039 accounts payable occurrences for each employee while peer groups are able to account for 15,693 of these same processes with each employee.

The House approved Senate Bill 541 by a vote of 61-34. The legislation now returns to the Senate for additional consideration.

Location:Oklahoma State Capitol

Grau Praises New Medical Examiner Appointment

Rep. Randy Grau
R-Edmond

State Rep. Randy Grau today praised the appointment of Dr. Eric Pfeifer as Oklahoma’s new chief medical examiner.

“Dr. Pfeifer’s qualifications are impeccable and make clear that the Office of Medical Examiner is undertaking the steps necessary to re-establish a reputation for experience and professionalism at the agency,” said Grau, R-Edmond. “I applaud Dr. Pfeifer’s hiring and expect he will be instrumental in giving the ME’s office a fresh start in Edmond.”

Pfeifer previously worked at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and as the Olmsted County coroner in Minnesota.

Grau and state Sen. Clark Jolley (R-Edmond) have authored legislation, Senate Bill 671, to reform the Office of the Medical Examiner.

The legislation renames the agency’s governing board as the Board of Forensic Pathology, allowing for new board members to be named and authorizing the hiring of the new executive director.

“Our legislation will be crucial in giving the ME’s office a new start by giving it a new name, new board, and a new administrative structure,” Grau said. “I believe it is time to give this agency the tools it needs to serve the citizens of Oklahoma.”

Governor’s Business Licensing One-Stop Plan Approved

The Oklahoma House of Representatives has approved Gov. Mary Fallin’s request to provide convenience to Oklahoma business owners this week.

Rep. Aaron Stiles
R-Norman

House Bill 1601, by state Rep. Aaron Stiles (R-Norman) and state Sen. Clark Jolley (R-Edmond), would establish a one-stop shop through which business owners could establish a new business and obtain the licensees and permits they need in one convenient location.

"This plan is designed to cut through the government bureaucracy, which is a strong disincentive to the creation of new businesses and jobs," Stiles explained. "Business owners should not be forced to navigate through a gauntlet of multiple agencies and government red tape in order to start their business."

"Governor Fallin’s proposal will enable Oklahoma businessmen to spend less time dealing with government and more time focusing on their business," added House Government Modernization Committee Chairman Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie).

House Bill 1601 was approved by a vote of 90-7 and now goes to the Senate for additional consideration.

House Votes to Reform State Legal Services

House lawmakers voted yesterday to reform the way the state handles legal services, particularly the hiring of outside attorneys, in an effort to ultimately reduce legal costs for state government.

Rep. Mark McCullough
R-Sapulpa

"In recent years, Oklahoma government has come under the spotlight for the millions of taxpayer dollars expended on private law firms," said state Rep. Mark McCullough, R-Sapulpa. "This legislation will give the public greater confidence that future expenditures of that type are legitimate and that contracts were not awarded as a sweetheart deal for politically connected law firms. The reforms contained in this legislation provide improved safeguards against such potential waste of public money."

House Bill 1223, by McCullough, would create the "Legal Services Reform Act." Under the proposed law, state agencies would have to gain the approval by the Office of the Attorney General for all outside attorney contracts.

If an agency receives permission to seek outside counsel, the contract would then have to go through a Request For Proposal (RFP) process.

In addition, all outside attorney contracts would have to be posted online on the agency’s website within four months. Under current law, contracts of $20,000 and less were exempt from public posting requirements.

"The Office of the Attorney General is where state agencies’ legal representation was originally vested, and this bill returns that power to the office – not with contract lawyers," McCullough said. "Throughout the years as agencies were granted exemptions to hire outside firms, we’ve seen the price tag associated for legal services skyrocket."

McCullough, an attorney, previously worked in the Civil Division of the Illinois Attorney General’s office. His role in that office was to defend a variety of state agencies against a wide range of claims.

In recent years, he noted Oklahoma has been criticized by the Wall Street Journal in an editorial noting the lack of transparency in the state’s hiring of private attorneys.

"I know from my own experience that the vast majority of claims filed against an agency can, or could be handled by the agency’s attorney of record – the Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General," McCullough said. "And in those cases where outside counsel is necessary, we should have a transparent process that prevents political influence from impacting a hiring decision."

House Bill 1223 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on a 64-34 vote today. It now goes to the state Senate.

Governor's Plan to Save $3.6 Million Approved by Committee

Governor Mary Fallin

Governor Mary Fallin’s proposal to modernize the state’s vendor payment system and save $3.6 million per year has been approved by the House of Representatives’ Government Modernization Committee.

House Bill 1086 proposes to utilize electronic payments methods such as direct deposit to pay the state’s thousands of vendor invoices. The bill is sponsored by state Reps. Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie), Josh Cockroft (R-McLoud), and state Sen. Clark Jolley (R-Edmond).

Fallin called on legislators to approve the reform during her State of the State address. Fallin proposed the change after the Office of State Finance indicated that the state could be spending up to $13.50 per vendor payment for each payment made using traditional paper conveyances such as payment warrants. This compares to electronic payments which cost the state approximately 5 cents per transfer.

Currently, approximately 230,000 checks are made with traditional paper payment conveyances. If House Bill 1086 is approved, it will require nearly all vendor payments to be made by electronic payment with an estimated savings of $3.6 million each year.

“This is an important reform,” Murphey explained. “This should have occurred several years ago and I appreciate the leadership of Governor Fallin and Treasurer Miller in introducing and supporting this innovative reform.”

In addition to the electronic payment proposal, House Bill 1086 represents an omnibus approach to using technology to enable taxpayer savings through efficiencies and spending transparencies. It includes Governor Fallin’s proposal for a shared state payroll system, which is also estimated to save at least $2 million each year, the placement of common education spending transactions on the data.ok.gov website, and a one-stop shop for many state documents and annual reports to be located in a searchable format for easy purview by the taxpayers at the website documents.ok.gov.

House Bill 1086 was approved by a vote of 11-1 in the last committee vote to take place before the 2011 House committee House Bill consideration deadline and now goes to the full House for approval.

Lawmakers Look to Rein in State’s Legal Bills

Legislation approved by a House committee this week could ultimately reduce runaway legal costs for state government.

Rep. Mark McCullough

"When millions of taxpayer dollars are being expended on private law firms, the public should have confidence that those expenditures are legitimate and that contracts are not a sweetheart deal for a politically connected law firm," said state Rep. Mark McCullough, R-Sapulpa. "The reforms contained in my legislation will provide greater safeguards against such potential waste of public money."

House Bill 1223, by McCullough, would create the "Legal Services Reform Act." Under the proposed law, state agencies would have to gain the approval by the Office of the Attorney General for all outside attorney contracts.

If an agency receives permission to seek outside counsel, the contract would then have to go through a Request For Proposal (RFP) process.

In addition, all outside attorney contracts would have to be posted online on the agency’s website within four months. Under current law, contracts of $20,000 and less were exempt from public posting requirements.

"The intent of this bill is to return legal representation of the agencies back to the attorney general’s office, where it was originally vested and intended to reside – not with contract lawyers," McCullough said. "That authority has gradually eroded over the years due to agencies asking for and getting statutory exemptions, and the price tag associated with those outside attorneys has continued to climb."

McCullough, an attorney, previously worked in the Civil Division of the Illinois Attorney General’s office. His role in that office was to defend a variety of state agencies against a wide range of claims.

In recent years, he noted Oklahoma has been criticized by the Wall Street Journal in an editorial noting the lack of transparency in the state’s hiring of private attorneys.

"I know from my own experience that the vast majority of claims filed against an agency can, or could be handled by the agency’s attorney of record – the Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General," McCullough said. "And in those cases where outside counsel is necessary, we should have a transparent process that prevents political influence from impacting a hiring decision."

House Bill 1223 passed out of the House Government Modernization Committee this week. It now proceeds to the floor of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.