Ownbey, Nelson Bill Would Aid Foster Care Parents



OKLAHOMA CITY – Helping foster parents will help children in Oklahoma, said state Rep. Pat Ownbey today about a new bill to create a foster parent mediation program.



“After conducting a study where we talked to foster parents about their experience in the child welfare system, it became clear that foster parents need a third party to help them resolve conflicts that occasionally arise between child welfare workers and foster parents,” said Ownbey, R-Ardmore. “DHS on the whole does an excellent job of partnering with foster parents, but the current system provides little recourse for foster parents when a conflict does arise, because there is not a mediator to help resolve conflicts. My proposal is to designate a third party to mediate these conflicts.”



House Bill 2588 would create procedures for mediating and addressing grievances by foster care parents that would be overseen by the Oklahoma Commission of Children and Youth Office of Juvenile System Oversight.



The legislation would give foster parents the right “without fear or reprisal” to present grievances with respect to providing foster care services.



“Foster care parents came to us with a real problem that will improve their ability to help children and encourage more foster care parents to join the child welfare system,” Ownbey said.

STATEMENT on DHS Director Ed Lake Decision to Cancel Contracts for Recruitment, Retention of Bridge Resource Families

OKLAHOMA CITY – The bipartisan group of four members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives who constituted the working group on the state Department of Human Services reforms created in 2011, issued the following statement today in response to the cancelation by Oklahoma Department of Human Services Director Ed Lake of recently awarded contracts for the recruitment and retention of foster care Bridge Resource Families:

“We are in complete agreement with the decision today by Oklahoma DHS Director Ed Lake to cancel recently awarded contracts for the recruitment and retention of Bridge Resource Families.

“The reasons cited by Director Lake as the basis for his decision to cancel the contracts are the same problems we identified and shared with the agency. 

“Our biggest concerns are the arbitrary geographic boundaries which ignore the reality of what it takes to recruit a foster family and that only one vendor was selected for each geographic area. These concerns were shared by everyone we heard from concerning the results of this contracting process. 

“We realize that this move by the department will unfortunately further delay the essential step of partnering with private organizations to recruit, train and support foster families. However, we believe moving forward with the current process would yield significantly worse results over the long run compared to a delay in the short run necessary to address these significant issues. 

“This public-private partnership is the centerpiece of recent DHS reforms including the Pinnacle Plan.

“We have no concerns with any of the entities that were awarded contracts and the canceling of these contracts are not a reflection on those private agencies. We understand that every vendor who submitted a bid is a licensed child placing agency each with impressive credentials.

“We believe the action taken today by Director Lake is a bold and necessary step for the success of this public-private partnership which is vital to meeting the goals of the Pinnacle Plan. 

“We support this action and commend the employees of the Department for their extraordinary commitment to recent reforms.”

Members of the House working group on DHS:

House Majority Floor Leader Pam Peterson
Representative Jason Nelson
Representative Pat Ownbey
Representative Wade Rousselot

Read the letter sent to contractors by OKDHS Director Ed Lake

SQ 765 necessary to rebuild Oklahoma’s broken Department of Human Services

Supporters say the welfare of Oklahoma’s children need a voice

OKLAHOMA – Passage of State Question 765 is a major component of Oklahoma’s effort to rebuild and improve the state’s broken Department of Human Services (DHS). The welfare of Oklahoma’s children, families, aging and disabled need a voice, supporters and authors of the ballot measure said Friday at a news conference at the Oklahoma State Capitol.

“Currently, the Department of Human Services is largely governed by a volunteer board which, however well-intentioned, does not answer to voters,” said Governor Mary Fallin. “The passage of SQ 765 will put authority for appointing an agency director in the hands of the governor, who was chosen to represent the people of Oklahoma and whose job it is to be responsive to their concerns. I am supportive of SQ 765 because it offers the governor more flexibility to pursue the reforms and improvements needed to keep Oklahoma children safe and to deliver higher quality services.”

See also: DHS will be improved, not abolished by SQ765

See also: Vote YES on SQ765 for Real DHS Reform

Under the watch of the DHS nine-member board, the Oklahoma Commission of Human Services, numerous child deaths, lawsuits and the resignation earlier this year of the DHS chairman have occurred.

Five-year-old Serenity Deal died while in the custody of the state in 2011, after repeated concerns were expressed by her foster parents about the danger she was in. DHS employees testified as to the safety of her father’s home, despite proof of repeated physical injuries.

Linda Terrell

“The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy fought hard last session to bring bold reforms to the broken child welfare system through the Serenity Project,” said Linda Terrell, OICA executive director. “The next crucial step is for voters to say yes to SQ 765 to abolish an antiquated oversight commission to bring greater accountability and ensure the safety of our most vulnerable Oklahomans.”

“The death of any child is tragic, but when a child dies because a government bureaucracy failed them is simply unacceptable,” said Annette Deal, grandmother of Serenity Deal. “Voting yes on State Question 765 means we are doing everything in our power to ensure no family has to endure the pain of losing a child the way our family lost Serenity.”

Under the watch of the DHS commission, DHS recently paid $9,500 to settle a lawsuit filed after a temporary DHS worker picked up the wrong girl from a Harrah elementary school in 2006. Additionally, the agency is involved in a lawsuit with a New York-based child advocacy group, Children’s Rights, that alleges Oklahoma’s system of caring for abused and neglected children is so bad that children are being injured and otherwise harmed while in shelters and foster homes. Earlier this year, the state of Oklahoma paid $300,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a mother who hid her young girl after DHS workers allegedly rejected concerns the girl had been molested.

“The agency’s governance structure is broken. It’s a 1930s governance model that fails to meet the needs of a complex 21st century agency,” said Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City and leader of the House DHS Working Group. “Nearly all the agency’s major problems can be traced back to an unaccountable commission and the historical tendency to insulate the director from any real accountability. If DHS is really going to improve, it must start at the top.”

In 2009, 3-year-old Ryan Weeks was beaten to death after being placed back in his mother’s custody from foster care despite pleading with the agency not to return the boy to the home. The mother’s live-in boyfriend eventually pleaded no contest to first-degree murder.

“Weeks spent his entire life in a home plagued by drug abuse and domestic violence,” said Steven Dow, executive director of the Community Action Project of Tulsa County and former DHS commissioner. “Children like him need the support and encouragement of a child welfare system that works and acts as a savior.”

DHS Commission meeting earlier this year

Three former or current Oklahoma Commissioners of Human Services, including Dow, are in favor of SQ 765 and getting rid of the commission altogether. The additional members include, Anne Roberts and former chairman Brad Yarbrough, who is a current commissioner.

Voter approval of the measure would end Oklahoma’s distinction as the only state where the director reports to an unelected commission rather than a governor whose elected position makes them directly accountable to the people ofOklahoma.

If the state question passes, HB 3137, passed in the legislature earlier this year, would require the DHS director to be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. Currently, the director is hired by the Commission for Human Services.

“It puts the agency’s leadership closer to the people because the governor is accountable to all the people of Oklahoma,” Nelson said. “The pressure will be on the agency director to do what is right or they’ll have to answer to all the people ofOklahoma rather than an unelected, unaccountable commission. This agency is too important to leave it in the hands of people who don’t directly answer to the public.”

HB 3137 would also establish advisory panels that would monitor each of the agency’s divisions to help agency leadership make informed decisions. The legislation was developed and supported collectively by a bipartisan group of legislatures comprised of House Speaker Kris Steele, R-Shawnee; Reps. Wade Rousselot, D-Okay; Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City; Pat Ownbey, R-Ardmore; Pam Peterson, R-Tulsa; and Sens. Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City and Rick Brinkley, R-Owasso.

“The state question would not only abolish the commission but also a bad statute that goes back to 1936, Dow said. “Nothing has happened or can happen to improve the system because of the laws that are currently in effect. It’s time to change our system and SQ 765 is the first step.”

“A vote for SQ765 is a vote to fix DHS,” said Sen. Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City. “It is a vote to bring greater oversight and accountability that is desperately needed.”

House announces major DHS reforms

OKLAHOMA CITY – House Speaker Kris Steele and the House DHS Working Group today announced plans to finalize legislation designed to significantly improve components of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

The legislation comes as the agency prepares to implement the Pinnacle Plan, the child welfare services improvement plan the agency is developing with a panel of national experts.

“DHS is on the verge of the sweeping culture change it has so desperately needed for years,” said Steele, R-Shawnee. “The House DHS Working Group was just as involved in making the Pinnacle Plan the strong plan it is today as it was in developing these vital reforms. If these measures pass and the Pinnacle Plan is implemented, the most vulnerable Oklahomans will be far better served and the state as a whole will benefit tremendously.”

Among the group’s policy recommendations this session are to:

• Vertically integrate the agency’s child welfare division;
• Abolish the Commission for Human Services;
• Allow for gubernatorial appointment of the DHS director;
• Disclose more information on child welfare cases;
• Establish a worker certification program.

Specific legislative language outlining those proposals and others will be introduced this week into DHS reform measures that are awaiting action in conference committees.

The policy proposals were developed collectively by the bipartisan House DHS Working Group comprised of Reps. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City, Pam Peterson, R-Tulsa, Pat Ownbey, R-Ardmore, and Wade Rousselot, D-Okay.

“This legislation is about culture change from the top to the bottom,” said Nelson, the leader of the working group.

Since October, the House DHS Working Group has engaged in an aggressive, four-pronged strategy to improve DHS through significant study of and reforms to the agency’s governance, structure, personnel policy and resource allocation. Steele formed the group in response to a shared desire between House members, agency officials and other stakeholders to improve delivery of services by DHS, particularly for children in state custody.

The working group operated in an unconventional manner by holding nearly all of its meetings outside the Capitol, often times on the front lines with DHS workers across the state. So far, the group has met with more than 400 workers in 22 counties. The group will continue working in the future.

“Many of our recommendations are based on what we’ve learned from the DHS workers who do these critical jobs day in and day out. We wanted to hear from them rather than them hearing from us,” Peterson said. “A lot of our group’s ideas went into the Pinnacle Plan. Some of these bills complement parts of the Pinnacle Plan and others go beyond it with reforms that will reshape DHS for the better.”

THE LEGISLATION

Committee Clears Bill to Improve Data Gathering

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 5, 2012) – Legislation that would help lawmakers in their appropriation and policy decisions has been approved by a House committee.

Senate Bill 1451, by state Sen. Rick Brinkley and state Rep. Pat Ownbey, would require state agency strategic plans to include an analysis of the appropriated level needed to achieve certain listed measures for each of the five fiscal years of the plan.

“This bill, which is titled the Oklahoma Program Performance Budgeting and Accountability Act, is an attempt to have these agencies not only address expected changes in their services but also how they plan to meet those plans financially over a five-year fiscal period,” said Ownbey (R-Ardmore). “The more feedback and information we receive from state agencies, the better our decisions will be. This is a straightforward bill and I appreciate the support of my colleagues.”

The legislation was approved by the House General Government Committee and now proceeds to the House floor for consideration.

NewsOK Interview Regarding DHS Structural Reform Efforts, Death of 9 Month Old Jacob Hedger

Speaker Outlines New DHS Strategy, Rep. Nelson to Lead Effort

Speaker Kris Steele
R-Shawnee

OKLAHOMA CITY – House Speaker Kris Steele and a bipartisan group of five representatives today unveiled the first steps of a strategy to reform the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

The House’s aggressive, four-pronged strategy is designed to improve DHS through significant study of and potential reforms to governance structure, agency structure, personnel policy and resource allocation. The plan is in response to a shared desire between House members, agency officials and other stakeholders to improve delivery of services by DHS, particularly for children in state custody.

“Today we begin working together to find a better way,” said Steele, R-Shawnee. “The Legislature has made incremental DHS reforms over the years, but more improvements are needed. The comprehensive reform we seek is only achievable if we all truly cooperate and work toward a common goal. It won’t be easy, but what we’re saying today is we’re going to buckle down and get there together.”

Steele has asked a bipartisan group of five representatives to engage in a strategic review of DHS to develop policy to consider next legislative session.

Governor Mary Fallin released a statement today after the announcement.

“When I appointed Brad Yarbrough and Wes Lane to the DHS commission, I asked them to pursue reforms that would allow the agency to better protect our children and increase accountability, transparency and efficiency,” Fallin said. “The goals outlined today by Speaker Steele, a bipartisan group of legislators, and agency officials is the logical next step in that process.”

Leading the group will be Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City, who has spent this summer and past years reviewing DHS to look for potential reforms. Other members of the group are Reps. Pam Peterson, R-Tulsa, Pat Ownbey, R-Ardmore, Rebecca Hamilton, D-Oklahoma City, and Wade Rousselot, D-Okay. All members of the group have certain areas of expertise in human services.

“Make no mistake: This is no typical legislative committee. There will be no sitting in hearings making motions and watching PowerPoints all day,” Nelson said. “DHS faces serious challenges that necessitate us getting out of the Capitol and into the field.”

The group will operate in a unique manner, with much of its work occurring in small meetings with DHS workers in the field, where the group will observe how policies are implemented and analyze organizational strengths and needs. The group will also meet with other agency officials and leaders, DHS commissioners and other stakeholders.

“The Legislature already has a wealth of knowledge about this agency, so there is no need to duplicate what we’ve already done. Instead, we’re taking a somewhat outside-the-box approach,” Nelson said. “I’m confident this is exactly the type of approach needed in order to achieve real reforms that ensure DHS delivers the results Oklahomans expect. Our sense of urgency could not be any higher.”

The group’s meetings with workers will be private to allow for candid conversation and disclosure of sensitive information. The group will also engage in an in-depth study of the agency’s structure and resource allocation to determine if better results could be achieved through reorganization and reprioritizing resources. A public report on the group’s findings will be presented during a public meeting sometime next year.

Steele said DHS reform will be a policy priority in the House next session.

“My expectation is one I believe most Oklahomans share, and that is to do whatever it takes to produce serious improvement at DHS,” Steele said.

Officials at DHS – the largest agency in state government – pledged to give the group the access it needs to the agency in order to do its work.

“We thank Speaker Steele and the House for their willingness to work together to find solutions and look forward to assisting in every way possible,” DHS Director Howard Hendrick said. “This process will do a lot of good and I’m glad to be part of it.”

DHS commissioners also expressed support for the group’s plans.

“We are fully committed to building a better DHS for the 21^st century and appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with Speaker Steele and all legislators in this process,” said incoming Oklahoma Commission for Human Services Chairman Brad Yarbrough. “It won’t be easy, but the best work never is. We stand ready for the challenge.”

The Oklahoma Public Employees Association also expressed support for the House plan.

“We appreciate these representatives for their willingness to get out of the Capitol to spend time with the workers who are on the ground protecting Oklahoma’s children,” said OPEA Executive Director Sterling Zearley. “The front line employees’ unique perspective and their experience will be valuable in this critical process.”

Rep. Ron Peters, chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Human Services, said he is appreciative of the work the group plans to do.

“I am thrilled to see my colleagues and DHS working together on solutions. It’s the right thing to do and I commend them for it,” said Peters, R-Tulsa. “I stand ready to assist in any way.”

“As a state, we must all work together to prevent the abuse and neglect of our most vulnerable citizens,” Fallin said. That’s especially true when it comes to child abuse and the heart-breaking deaths of children in state custody. We have, unfortunately, seen too many instances of both recently, and the current results are unacceptable. Today’s announcement puts us on a path to reform our systems of child welfare and better protect vulnerable Oklahomans.”

Ownbey Requests Study of Tornado Shelter Need and Available Incentives

State Rep. Pat Ownbey has requested a legislative study to determine how the state can better incentivize greater access to storm shelters during severe weather.

“Oklahoma is tornado central; we just saw another set of devastating tornadoes hit the center of the state recently,” Ownbey (R-Ardmore) said. “I think it is important to see what the best options we have to address tornado deaths, to see if there isn’t something we can do to better protect Oklahomans.”

Multiple tornadoes touched down on May 24, damaging the Chickasha, Canton Lake and Piedmont communities and resulting in several deaths. However, it was the Lone Grove tornado that brought the issue to Ownbey’s attention, he said.

“The Lone Grove tornado took the lives of several Oklahomans,” Ownbey said. “Lives could have been saved if there had been greater access to tornado shelters.”

In 1999, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began the Oklahoma Residential Shelter Initiative. The rebate program was funded with $12 million in federal hazard mitigation funds. It resulted in the creation of 6,016 safe room shelters throughout Oklahoma.

In 2003, Oklahoma authorized Operation Safe Room, which was a similar rebate program giving more than $3 million in rebates by paying 75 percent of the cost of a storm shelter, up to a $2,000 maximum. Residents were given 30 days to register with the program and had to complete construction within 14 months.

That same year, the Tornado Shelters Act authorized the use of community development block grant funds for the creation of tornado shelters in manufactured home parks.

Storm shelter registries exist in many Oklahoma cities and counties, but there is no single statewide point of contact. These registries are voluntary and are designed to assist emergency workers find people who have survived severe weather in their storm shelter but may be trapped by debris and unable to leave.

“These are just some of the programs and issues we will examine in the study,” Ownbey said. “I think there may already be some opportunities to increase the number of shelters in Oklahoma.”

Legislation to Protect Disabled Adults Signed Into Law

Rep. Pat Ownbey
R-Ardmore

Legislation that would ensure individuals with developmental disabilities are protected in the handful of sheltered workshops that do not contract with the state has been signed into law.
House Bill 1228, by state Rep. Pat Ownbey, would authorize the Department of Human Services to issue, modify and revoke licenses for sheltered workshops. The legislation would also authorize DHS to inspect and evaluate workshops and require criminal background checks for all employees of a sheltered workshop.

“The legislation provides minimal standards for DHS to enforce,” Ownbey said. “These facilities generally have few problems, but because disabled adults are more vulnerable to abuse, I think it is appropriate that there are safeguards in place to ensure their well-being. Many of the sheltered workshops in the state are already overseen by the Department of Human Services Developmental Disabilities Services Division. There is no additional cost for DHS to inspect and license the remaining sheltered workshops that do not contract with the state.”

The new law will take effect on Nov. 1, 2011.

Representatives Approve Changes to Nursing Practice Act

Rep. Pat Ownbey
R-Ardmore

Legislation approved by the Oklahoma House of Representatives would modify the Nursing Practice Act to bring it more in line with regulations nationwide.

State Rep. Pat Ownbey, who authored the bill, said bringing the board and certification requirements in line with national regulations will ensure that nurses in the state are qualified for federal positions and employment with national companies.

“Oklahoma’s law just needs to be in line with national regulations and guidelines,” Ownbey, R-Ardmore, said. “This will help those who are seeking employment as a nurse to be able to work anywhere in the country and allow those coming in from out of state to be met with guidelines that they are familiar with. It’s basically a jobs bill.”

House Bill 1275, by state Rep. Pat Ownbey, would standardize the titles and roles of nursing professions that the State Board of Nursing can license or certify and create provisions for the licensure of advanced practice registered nurses and advanced unlicensed assistants. It would also clarify that no single fee for a license or certification be more than $125.

One of the more important provisions would be updating the criminal background check requirements, Ownbey said.

“The legislation contains many changes to update our nursing certification laws, but the background check changes are a key safety issue,” Ownbey said. “The new background checks will be more thorough and catch people that might have slipped through the system in the past.”

House Bill 1275 would also:

• Require that applicants for RN and LPN licenses be at least 18 years of age;
• Give the State Board of Nursing the ability to authorize or deny prescriptive and drug-related authority;
• Authorize the State Board or Nursing to discipline a license holder if the person defaults on the Peer Assistance Program or violates rules on professional boundaries with patients or sexual misconduct;
• Authorize the executive director to rescind the license of someone not entitled to it and suspend the license of certain incarcerated persons until action has been taken on reinstatement requests;
• Redefine nurses licensed in another state who can practice temporarily in Oklahoma; and
• Authorize the Board to recognize graduates of certain nursing education programs as qualified and promulgate related rules.

Ownbey said he was pleased to receive unanimous support of his bill.

“It was nice to sponsor a nonpartisan, win-win bill,” Ownbey said. “My hope is that this legislation will make things a bit easier for nurses in the state and entering the state.”

Bill Would Require Initiative Petitions to Identify Funding Source

Rep. Pat Ownbey

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Question 744 could not have reached the ballot if legislation filed today by state Rep. Pat Ownbey had been in place.

House Bill 1225 would require initiative petitions that mandate new spending to identify a funding source. Those submitting the petition would have to include a statement “outlining all sources of funding to be used in the measure.”

“Though we were able to get the word out about the consequences of State Question 744 and it ultimately failed, I think state questions that could bankrupt the state need stricter language,” Ownbey, R-Ardmore, said. “State Question 744 mandated spending but failed to say where that money would come from. Voters need to know what programs they will have to sacrifice to make room for the additional spending. Oklahoma lawmakers cannot raise taxes without a vote of the people, so either a tax increase needs to be included in the petition or it needs to specify what spending cuts will occur to provide funding.”

Ownbey said state questions like SQ744 are an attempt to trick voters.

“Everyone supports education,” Ownbey said. “At face value, that was all the state question was asking. In reality though, it was setting up the potential to bankrupt other state services. I think it was written in a way that was highly inappropriate. That is why I am pushing for this legislation.”

House Approves Legislation to Exempt Military Personnel from Vehicle Tag Renewal Fine While Deployed

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 19, 2010) – Under legislation approved by the Oklahoma House of Representatives today, military personnel deployed outside the state would be exempt from a fine if they failed to renew their vehicle tag.

Senate Bill 1816, by state Sen. Brian Bingman and state Rep. Pat Ownbey, would make military personnel deployed outside the state exempt from penalty during their assignment and for 60 days after that assignment ends.

“Deployment makes it difficult to keep up with a number of local details including vehicle tag renewal,” Ownbey, R-Ardmore, said. “Legislators have continually looked for ways to reward those men and women who choose to serve our country. This is my contribution, an exemption from a fine if they fail to renew their tag while they are deployed outside the state.”

In addition to the numerous Oklahomans who serve in other branches of the military, around 400 members of the Oklahoma National Guard are currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Maj. Gen. Myles Deering has recently said he expects some 4,000 Oklahoma National Guard soldiers and airmen will be deployed.

Rep. Ownbey Files Legislation to Prevent Tornado Deaths

OKLAHOMA CITY (January 19, 2010) – State Rep. Pat Ownbey has filed legislation to help protect Oklahomans from the type of devastating tornado that struck Lone Grove last year.

House Bill 2835 would require the owner of a mobile home park to provide tenants a plan for the sheltering or evacuation to a safe place of shelter of the tenants of the park during a tornado, high winds or flooding. The legislation requires the plan be developed with the assistance of the municipality where the mobile home park is located or the county emergency operations office or the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.

“The Lone Grove disaster resulted in the death of several Oklahomans,” Ownbey said. “Lives could have been saved if there had been more access to tornado shelters. Mobile home parks are particularly vulnerable and I think this legislation will save lives.”

Ownbey said that because the legislation has no cost, it can be approved even in a tight budget year.

“I deliberately chose a cost-free solution because I know it will be hard to get bills passed with price tags attached,” Ownbey, R-Ardmore, said. “I had looked at a tax credit for mobile home parks to install shelters, but I think this legislation moves us in the right direction by ensuring mobile home park residents have a safe place to go and know how to get there.”