A&B Public Safety Subcommittee

The Oklahoma House of Representatives today added to its transparency portal a government efficiency survey intended to root out duplication of services, waste and inefficiencies in state government.  This initiative piggybacks on the federal effort to eliminate government waste through the newly-created federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). "We will work hand-in-hand with President-Elect Trump and our federal delegation on broader efforts to make government more efficient with DOGE," said House Speaker-Elect Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow. "We want to ensure our state government is working as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. As lawmakers, we want the assistance of Oklahomans who have first-hand experience with duplicative and wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars." Oklahomans can enter any examples they have experienced of state governmental waste or duplication into the easy-to-use portal, which will be submitted to House budget leaders for review to be utilized during legislative budget hearings and the crafting of the FY26 state budget.  "We know Oklahomans get frustrated every day with the inefficiency of government, and we need their help to root out the most egregious examples so we can eliminate unnecessary expenditures," said Rep. Trey Caldwell, R-Lawton, who will serve as House Appropriations Chairman for the 60th Legislature. "The more efficient we can become, the more we can invest in critical government services and pursue lowering the overall tax burden for all Oklahomans." Constituents can file government waste complaints online by entering some demographic information, the issue area their example encompasses, and details of waste or inefficiencies. "We are confident we will get examples of inefficiency that we likely would not have known about otherwise," said Rep. John Kane, R-Bartlesville, who will serve as Vice Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee this upcoming session. "Every January we have an opportunity to walk through budget requests with state agencies, and we will have the ability to ask about these constituent submissions directly in an effort to make government as efficient and effective as possible." The portal is live today, and Oklahomans can immediately start entering examples of waste they have already encountered or will see in the future. "We hope to capitalize on the momentum we are seeing on the federal level with the efforts of President Trump at DOGE, and the national priority they have set to reduce waste," Hilbert said. "Oklahoma has the opportunity to align with these efforts and lead at the state and local level as we seek best practices and frameworks for auditing and reducing waste in government spending." The Government Efficiency survey may be accessed via the homepage of the House website, okhouse.gov, similar to the House Budget HQ , which was launched in the 2024 session and updated regularly. All submitted agency FY26 budget requests have been updated and can be viewed in the portal.  

OKLAHOMA CITY – Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday ceremonially signed a bill that updates the state's 911 system in hopes of saving more lives. Rep. Jim Grego, R-Wilburton, is the principal author of House Bill 1590, which was a request by the state's 911 Commission. "Working off of outdated technology, 911 dispatchers are challenged to find the right addresses in emergencies when every second counts," Grego said. "This upgrade will ensure pinpoint accuracy so no matter where someone lives, 911 will know exactly where that person is and get them the assistance they need in a timelier manner." Grego previously held an interim study on this issue asking constituents to share stories of when they or a loved one faced life-threatening situations while 911 calls were rerouted through different dispatch centers, and ambulance drivers struggled with navigating using outdated maps. Grego said the issue is a particular concern in rural areas or where someone who lives too close to a county line may face time delays while 911 calls are sent to different call centers while the system tries to locate their address. That was the case for Haiden Fleming for whom the bill is named. The 22-year-old Oklahoman died after suffering a cardiac incident. He was the former student of Sen. Blake "Cowboy" Stephens, R-Tahlequah, who is a co-author of the bill. Stephens also is a close family friend of the Flemings. “Haiden’s death was a heartbreaking tragedy that could have possibly been avoided if our state had a more updated and efficient 911 system. Time is of the essence in emergency situations, and hopefully by modernizing our system, no more families will have to face the horror my dear friends did when they lost their precious son Haiden,” Stephens said. Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, is the Senate principal author of the bill. “This new law and the upgrades that will be made to our state’s 911 system will save more lives,” Murdock said. “Oklahomans deserve to have the best emergency services, and the Next Generation 911 System will ensure faster response times through more precise caller location and improved response coordination between counties and communities.” In addition to infrastructure and computer upgrades, the bill also requires mandatory CPR training for emergency telecommunicators and will equalize fees charged for the service so it is uniform across the state. Grego said he's hopeful the updated fee structure will allow some communities to hire more dispatchers to help with emergency calls. He pointed out that the state's 911 system was last updated in 1975. The legislation takes effect Nov. 1. HB 1590 was formally signed into law in May. The governor frequently holds ceremonial bill signings to allow people outside the Legislature who were involved in the drafting of the bill to participate in the process.