Latest news with #Kirt
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Plans to overhaul Oklahoma mental health hospital move forward
Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow, attends a special session of the state Senate on June 12, 2024, at the Oklahoma State Capitol. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – A joint legislative panel on Monday moved one step closer to changing course on a new inpatient mental health hospital. The state had planned to build a state-of-the art inpatient mental health facility, the Donahue Behavioral Health Campus near the Oklahoma State University in Oklahoma City, but the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding voted to reallocate some of those funds to other projects. The new $130 million facility was to be funded in part with federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars and from $50 million the sale of the Norman facility. Lawmakers said Monday that they still plan to move the state's inpatient mental health hospital from Norman to Oklahoma City, but want to renovate an existing location. Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow, told the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding that the new $130 million construction project, set to open in December 2025, has become unworkable. 'The gap in funding is still not clear, but the last estimate was more than $100 million,' Haste said. 'The cost continues to escalate. The land has not been sold and the opening date is now sometime in 2028.' One site in Oklahoma City has been identified for renovation and can meet the needs to replace the beds at Norman's Griffin Memorial Hospital, Haste said. That facility has been in use for over a century. 'This pivot from new construction to renovation will save the state both time and money as the replacement of these beds remain critical,' Haste said. The excess dollars would be invested in the Tulsa Behavioral Health Project, which has a gap in funding, Haste said. Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, moved to reduce the amount awarded to replace Griffin from $87 million to $66.5 million. The motion passed. 'These funds will be used to pay existing expenses and to purchase and renovate a facility to provide additional behavioral health capacity,' Kirt said. The new campus will have 197 beds, which is more than Griffin Memorial Hospital, Kirt said. 'There's still a discussion about an annex building and whether that will end up being part of the final project,' Kirt said. The panel also voted to move $7.9 million from the Griffin replacement project to the Tulsa Center for Behavioral Health, a 56-bed state owned and operated psychiatric hospital. 'This project will provide much needed mental health services and additional beds for capacity,' Haste said. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Chuck Hall, R-Perry, said the changes will be put into bills and sent through the legislative process, which will give lawmakers and the public time to weigh in. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Plans to overhaul Oklahoma mental health hospital move forward
Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow, attends a special session of the state Senate on June 12, 2024, at the Oklahoma State Capitol. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – A joint legislative panel on Monday moved one step closer to changing course on a new inpatient mental health hospital. The state had planned to build a state-of-the art inpatient mental health facility, the Donahue Behavioral Health Campus near the Oklahoma State University in Oklahoma City, but the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding voted to reallocate some of those funds to other projects. The new $130 million facility was to be funded in part with federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars and from $50 million the sale of the Norman facility. Lawmakers said Monday that they still plan to move the state's inpatient mental health hospital from Norman to Oklahoma City, but want to renovate an existing location. Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow, told the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding that the new $130 million construction project, set to open in December 2025, has become unworkable. 'The gap in funding is still not clear, but the last estimate was more than $100 million,' Haste said. 'The cost continues to escalate. The land has not been sold and the opening date is now sometime in 2028.' One site in Oklahoma City has been identified for renovation and can meet the needs to replace the beds at Norman's Griffin Memorial Hospital, Haste said. That facility has been in use for over a century. 'This pivot from new construction to renovation will save the state both time and money as the replacement of these beds remain critical,' Haste said. The excess dollars would be invested in the Tulsa Behavioral Health Project, which has a gap in funding, Haste said. Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, moved to reduce the amount awarded to replace Griffin from $87 million to $66.5 million. The motion passed. 'These funds will be used to pay existing expenses and to purchase and renovate a facility to provide additional behavioral health capacity,' Kirt said. The new campus will have 197 beds, which is more than Griffin Memorial Hospital, Kirt said. 'There's still a discussion about an annex building and whether that will end up being part of the final project,' Kirt said. The panel also voted to move $7.9 million from the Griffin replacement project to the Tulsa Center for Behavioral Health, a 56-bed state owned and operated psychiatric hospital. 'This project will provide much needed mental health services and additional beds for capacity,' Haste said. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Chuck Hall, R-Perry, said the changes will be put into bills and sent through the legislative process, which will give lawmakers and the public time to weigh in. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Stitt vetoes bill that would extend Oklahoma eviction timeline
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — On Monday, Governor Kevin Stitt vetoed an Oklahoma Senate bill that would've extended the timeline for Oklahomans facing eviction. Senate Bill 128, a bipartisan bill authored by Senator Democratic Leader Julia Kirt (D-Oklahoma City) and Representative Daniel Pae (R-Lawton), would have extended the period between the eviction trial notice and court date from 5-10 days to 10-15 days. Kirt said the purpose of the bill was to give Oklahomans facing eviction more time to seek legal representation or catch up on their unpaid rent and keep their housing. SB 128 passed both the House and the Senate in April, but Stitt decided to veto the bill. 'This bill seeks to expand minimum wait times in eviction proceedings, making the already burdensome and difficult process of obtaining an eviction that much more burdensome,' reads Stitt's veto message. 'The existing procedures already provide adequate due process and notice. This bill would also do the opposite as intended. Instead of assisting renters in arrears, it would incentivize landlords to specifically not rent housing units to low-income households, for risk of greater eviction costs. We cannot overcome economic realities with good intentions.' Oklahoma lawmakers work across the aisle to address high eviction rates, Gov. vetoes bill News 4 reached out to Oklahoma Senate Democratic Leader Julia Kirt (D-Oklahoma City) for her reaction following the veto. 'I am disappointed by the Governor's veto,' Kirt said. 'This bipartisan bill would have improved our eviction process and increased housing stability across the state. This was the only bill still active addressing housing, which is one of the biggest challenges Oklahoma families face.' Kirt also said she has started conversations with leadership about a potential veto override, but a veto override would be very challenging, considering how close the original vote was to send the bill to the governor's desk. SB 128 passed the Senate with a vote of 26 to 19 and the House with a vote of 51-35. Two-thirds of the House and the Senate would need to approve a veto override to pass the bill into law. The Oklahoma Policy Institute released a statement on Tuesday, also expressing disappointment in the veto. Gov. Stitt's veto of Senate Bill 128 is more than a missed opportunity — it's a step backward for housing stability in Oklahoma. This bipartisan bill would have added just five days to the eviction trial timeline and increased the notice period from three to seven days. Five days could mean the difference between a family staying housed or landing in a shelter. The governor's veto demonstrates that he cares more for corporate landlords' interests than the needs of everyday Oklahomans who struggle to keep their families safely housed. Right now, large corporate landlords and bad actors can exploit Oklahoma's eviction laws to extract extra revenue from their tenants. Under the current system, landlords are able to bounce tenants on the street in under two weeks. This is almost no time to pay back rent, no time to ask off work and find child care, and no time to find a lawyer or prepare for court. And, as housing costs rise faster than wages, more families are falling behind. SB 128 wouldn't have stopped evictions—it just would have slowed the clock. That's not radical. That's meeting the needs of everyday Oklahomans. Sabine Brown, Housing Senior Policy Analyst for the Oklahoma Policy Institute Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Oklahoma City.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahoma lawmakers work across the aisle to address high eviction rates
KFOR and KGOU partnered for this report as part of a collaborative project under the Oklahoma Media Center. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR/KGOU) — Last month, Oklahoma State Senator Julia Kirt's Senate Bill 128 was heard on the Senate Floor. Currently, Oklahoma law requires a minimum of five days between an eviction trial notice being given to a tenant and the court date. This bill would increase the minimum to 10 days — which is the current maximum — and increase the maximum to 15 days. SB128 passed on the Senate Floor with a vote of 26 to 19. Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said extending the timeline could help both tenants and landlords. 'If someone gets noticed five days ahead that they're being evicted, three days ahead of what their actual date is, they can't get legal assistance,' Kirt said. 'What folks have found nationwide is if you give people a few more days to catch up, you are more likely to keep them in the property and they're more likely to pay you the back rent. And that's less time that landlord goes without having someone in that property,' she said. This isn't the first time Senator Kirt has attempted to extend the eviction timeline. A bill she filed last legislative session, Senate Bill 1575, proposed extending the timeline to a maximum of 20 days between an eviction trial notice and a court date — twice the current maximum. Kirt said that bill was met with some concern. 'Primarily, people are concerned about property rights and making sure that owners have the right to take their property back,' Kirt said. 'Last year, I filed the bill with a longer additional timeline, and I really compromised it down. That meant that the apartment association that had opposed the bill went neutral on it, because they felt like it was not going to change the eviction practices of most landlords,' Kirt said. Senator Kirt is a Democrat, and all 19 of the senators who voted against SB 128 were Republican. Despite this, there has been some bipartisan effort to extend the eviction timeline. Representative Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, is the House author for SB 128, and was the House author for SB 1575 as well. 'We don't have anywhere else to go': OU Motel closure adds to metro's affordable housing shortage 'I'm really glad to have Representative Pae as the House author. He's a Republican, he is in committee leadership. He also represents a community that has a very high eviction rate — Lawton,' Kirt said. Kirt and Pae represent two of the counties that have some of the highest eviction filing rates in the state—Oklahoma County and Comanche County, respectively. From March 2024 to February 2025, Oklahoma County had a higher eviction filing rate than any other county in the state at about 13.7%, according to data from the Legal Services Corporation. That means almost 14 out of every 100 renter households in the county were served with an eviction notice within that time frame. Oklahoma County had 1,200 eviction filings in the month of February alone. While Comanche County only had 104 filings in February, a seemingly small number considering the number of filings in Oklahoma County, U.S. Census data shows their population at around 121,400 is only about an eighth of Oklahoma County's 816,490. Because of this, Comanche County has the fourth-highest eviction filing rate in Oklahoma at 10.8%. Tulsa County (12.2%) and Cleveland County (11.4%) hold the second and third spots for highest filing rate. Representative Pae said the bill has garnered bipartisan support because some Republican lawmakers, like himself, see housing not just as a social issue but as an economic issue. 'This issue of housing has broad implications for our overall economy. Anytime there's a prospective employer who's wanting to come to the state of Oklahoma, they ask about the quality of our schools, of our access to health care, and the affordability of our houses,' Pae said. In terms of housing affordability in Comanche County, where Pae's constituents live, about 42.6% of renters are considered rent-burdened residents—meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities. 17.7% of Comanche County residents are also living in poverty, which is above the national poverty rate of 11.1% measured in 2023. The U.S. Census Bureau defines the poverty line as 'the minimum level of resources that are adequate to meet basic needs,' which includes food, clothing, shelter, utilities, and telecommunications. Those who cannot afford these basic needs are said to be living in poverty. In Kirt's district, Oklahoma County has a higher percentage of rent-burdened residents than Comanche County at 48.6%, but a slightly lower poverty rate at 15.7%. Megan Staughn, a tenant organizer in Norman, said while the extension would be a marked improvement, it would only scratch the surface of what tenants facing eviction need. Norman City Council, nonprofits seek new location for homeless shelter 'Moving the eviction notice from five to 10 days, that's double. That's wonderful. And 10 days is not very long. If you have multiple kids and a job, getting to court is a huge problem. So, I'm ecstatic to get that number of days moved up and we need so much more,' Straughn said. Beyond extending the eviction timeline, Straughn said one of the best ways Oklahoma lawmakers could help tenants is to protect them from retaliation. 'In Oklahoma, it is legal for a landlord to retaliate against a tenant for voicing their concerns about housing. Any sort of organizing action you take, you have to assess the risks that might occur to tenants. And that risk is homelessness,' she said. While trying to balance supporting tenants and respecting landlords' property rights, Senator Kirt said the impact eviction can have on a person — and oftentimes, a whole family — can last a lifetime. 'Eviction is not only because people might be living in poverty, but it also can cause poverty because trying to recover from an eviction is very hard and people miss work,' Kirt said. 'So I think we see ripple effects of that, and it's not just a one-time court appearance. We're talking about something that has ongoing economic challenges.' SB 128 has already passed through two House committees. To have a chance at reaching Governor Kevin Stitt's desk, it must pass on the House floor by May 8. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Future of federal heat and A/C bill assistance program in question after federal layoffs
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The future of a program that helps hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans pay their utility bills is in question after the federal employees overseeing it were laid off this Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) has helped low-income Oklahomans for years, providing financial assistance to cover electricity and heating costs. More than 180,000 Oklahoma households rely on it. Over the years, some of the Oklahomans helped by the program have shared their struggles with News 4. 'In a pickle and just can't find anybody out there to help,' said Theodore Cline in 2023. Oklahoma Forestry employees face uncertainty after Stitt calls for cutting department 'I honestly don't know what we're going to do,' said Karen White in 2014. 'Bill sometimes just higher and you need the extra help,' said Marilyn Rushings in 2012. Now, that help could be gone. This week, 10,000 federal employees at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) were laid off. That included all of the staff overseeing LIHEAP and its distribution of funds to states like the same time, energy costs in Oklahoma are rising. OG&E announced in March that its customers' bills will be going up by about $13 per loss of LIHEAP funding and rising energy bills have some state leaders worried that Oklahomans who depend on it may find themselves out of options.'My big concern is, are they looking at the consequences of those cuts?' said state Sen. Julia Kirt (D-Oklahoma City).Kirt said she is unsure whether the state is prepared to step in and replace the lost federal funds.'I think we have to look at what is impacting households in our state,' said Kirt. 'I know that working families are suffering from some of these cuts already, and I bet there's not a transition plan there.'Meanwhile, Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) told reporters Thursday the state has emergency funds available to help bridge any funding gaps that need to be filled, at least in the short term.'We now have four, maybe up to $5 billion in savings,' Paxton said. 'So we can use that for those areas where the federal government may be pulling back. And that's what the savings account is for. We can try to fill some gaps if we need to.'AARP Oklahoma is also raising concerns about what this means for older Oklahomans on fixed incomes.'HHS must ensure this critical assistance is delivered,' AARP Oklahoma's Director Sean Voskuhl told News 4. 'Given the significant health risk, it is vitally important that HHS ensures there are no disruptions to the program.'They also said utility companies should take action.'It is really important that PSO and OG&E understand the impact on their customers and step up and deliver real assistance for customers struggling with historic rate increases,' said Voskuhl. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
