OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma House Speaker Kyle Hilbert today commended Governor Kevin Stitt for issuing an executive order inquiring about contract employees across state agencies—a move Hilbert recently called for during his weekly press conference.
The Governor’s action aligns closely with legislation recently passed by the House aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in the use of contract labor within state government. The House passed House Bill 1607, authored by Rep. Emily Gise, R-Oklahoma City, in a unanimous 96-0 vote.
“I want to thank Governor Stitt for taking decisive action to rein in unnecessary contract hiring,” said Speaker Hilbert, R-Bristow. “This is exactly the type of fiscal responsibility Oklahomans expect. By closely evaluating contract hires, we can take a hard look at how our agencies are spending taxpayer dollars and ensure that every dollar is accounted for and spent according to legislative intent.”
Speaker Hilbert has cited an example he heard directly from the head of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse where the agency is paying contract nurses $200/hour when they could pay an internally-hired nurse $65/hour. This is just one example of many that have come to light as agencies have been told by the executive branch they cannot hire additional FTEs or ask for additional appropriations from the Legislature. Despite that directive, agencies have more than $1 billion in appropriations asks in front of the Legislature currently.
“This executive order complements our legislative efforts to shine a light on how the state utilizes contracted workers,” Hilbert continued. “We’re not saying contract work doesn’t have its place—but we are saying it deserves the same level of scrutiny as any other line item in the budget. We must continue to balance the need for core government services and those employees best suited to provide those services with private sector solutions that can provide better or more efficient services. Transparency allows for open dialogue between agencies and the Legislature on how to best spend taxpayer dollars and ensure Oklahomans are getting the critical services they need.”
The House has already asked LOFT to evaluate every state agency and the contract labor they have on the books to determine what is needed spending on core services vs. what is superfluous and could potentially be cut or brought in-house for cheaper.
House Bill 1607 requires state agencies to report the number and salaries of contract employees to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) using existing payroll software like Workday. The goal is to provide increased visibility into the scope and cost of contract labor across state government.
Following its passage in the House, HB1607 is now in the Senate for further consideration. If signed into law, it would take effect on November 1.
