OKLAHOMA CITY — After increasing Gov. Kevin Stitt’s energy, Republican lawmakers will take into account curbing it and implementing new legal guidelines that enhance their oversight of the state park system.
State Sen. Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, stated Senate Bill 4 restores the earlier oversight construction of Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department. It strips Stitt’s energy to rent and fireplace the company head, and returns that energy to a citizen-led oversight fee that has representatives from each congressional district.
Stitt has had the authority to rent and fireplace the manager director since January 2019 when legislators touted overhauls to current regulation and gave his govt director appointee sole decision-making energy. Lawmakers made the oversight fee, which had overseen company and employment choices, into an advisory board.
“I thought it would work. The evidence suggests otherwise,” Thompson stated. “We’ve had money that’s been misspent according to LOFT at tourism. I think we just need more oversight, and so I’m willing to admit that I made a mistake with casting my vote to give the governor that authority.”
Thompson stated his invoice will appropriate that mistake and put the ability again within the fingers of those that may give monetary oversight to the company that oversees state parks, together with Great Salt Plains State Park, close to Jet; Roman Nose State Park, close to Watonga; Gloss Mountain State Park, close to Fairview; Little Sahara State Park, close to Waynoka; Alabaster Caverns State Park, close to Freedom; and Boiling Springs State Park, close to Woodward.
Stitt’s workplace declined to remark Wednesday.
Thompson stated the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency, or LOFT, the Legislature’s fiscal watchdog division, discovered points with the state’s contracts with Swadley’s Bar-B-Q. Thompson stated he’s not blaming Swadley’s, however stated he believes the state wants to have extra oversight.
“We have not had the oversight that we need in that agency, and it has rested with one individual who was making unilateral decisions, and that’s not been good for the taxpayers of Oklahoma,” Thompson stated.
A legislative fiscal evaluation discovered the state spent greater than $2 million subsidizing Swadley’s losses as a part of a multimillion-dollar contract between Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department and the restaurant chain. Some lawmakers have raised questions on why Swadley’s obtained such a deal and why and the way the corporate was chosen to be the concessionaire in six state parks, together with Roman Nose State Park.
LOFT’s fiscal evaluation in April discovered that Oklahoma officers improperly valued state park property, prioritized the funding of tens of millions of taxpayer {dollars} into property the general public doesn’t notably care about and used public {dollars} to subsidize the losses suffered by the personal restaurant chain.
Stitt introduced in April that the state had sued Swadley’s for breach of contract amid the rising furor of the state’s park contract with the barbecue restaurant chain.
LOFT officers additionally stated they discovered lots of the questionable choices began after lawmakers in 2019 shifted the majority of state park oversight energy to an govt director and granted that official sole energy to purchase, lease or divest state property. That particular person successfully made multi-million greenback choices unilaterally with out the oversight of a citizen-comprised fee, LOFT discovered.
Park officers, although, contended at a public listening to they’re grappling with a long time of legislative funding neglect which have left billions in state property crumbling. They stated they’re not constructing issues like lodges and eating places, however merely investing in repairing the failing buildings, which in some circumstances sit in the course of state parks in unusable situation. They have rebuilt public restrooms at state parks, however solely to change people who not work.
Thompson stated he hasn’t mentioned his proposed change with Stitt’s workplace, however added he by no means discusses any laws with the governor’s workplace prior to submitting it.
Thompson additionally stated his invoice would give the governor the ability to appoint the eight-member fee, however members would want legislative affirmation. The measure additionally bars Stitt from eradicating any commissioner with out trigger.
State Sen. George Burns, R-Pollard, stated he helps Thompson’s invoice as a result of it will increase legislative oversight of the state’s parks system.
He’s operating his personal invoice — Senate Bill 3 — which requires legislative approval earlier than the parks and tourism fee can terminate or cancel a state park property lease or modifications the standing or possession of a state park.
Burns stated one purpose he’s operating his invoice is as a result of 15 years in the past, state park officers eradicated Hugo Lake State Park due to a “sort of political-type situation.”
“The bill is so those board members appointed can’t kill a park unless it goes through legislation, (and) that they just can’t decide to start wiping out state parks especially right now,” Burns stated.
Burns stated he continues to strive to get Hugo Lake reinstated as an official state park.
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