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Oklahoma Senate confirms cabinet nominee and multiple board appointments
Summary
The Oklahoma Senate voted to confirm Jeffrey F. Starling as secretary of energy and environment and approved several nominations to state boards and commissions, with most approvals unanimous and two behavioral health board nominees approved 38–7.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday confirmed Jeffrey F. Starling as cabinet secretary of the Energy and Environment Cabinet and approved a slate of other executive and board nominations, most by unanimous roll call votes.
The chamber voted 45–0 to confirm Starling, whose nomination was moved by Senator Hicks, to serve “at the pleasure of the governor” with a term reference recorded as ending Jan. 11, 2027. The Senate also confirmed Sydney Ellington to the Oklahoma Veterans Commission by the same 45–0 tally.
Votes at a glance: Jeffrey F. Starling — Confirmed 45–0; nominated as Cabinet Secretary of Energy and Environment; motion moved by Senator Hicks; term listed as ending 01/11/2027. Sydney Ellington — Confirmed 45–0 to the Oklahoma Veterans Commission; motion moved by Senator Hines; term listed as ending 07/01/2028. Dr. Johnny Fredman — Confirmed 38–7 to the State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure; motion moved by Senator Jett; term listed as ending 10/31/2028. Larissa (name variant in transcript: Belile/Bridal/Bilal) — Confirmed 38–7 to the State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure; motion moved by Senator Jett; term listed as ending 10/31/2028. Group confirmation (considered as a block) — Abdul Khan Sahibzada to the Health Care Workforce Training Commission (term ending 06/05/2030), Michael W. Herndon to the Oklahoma State University Medical Authority, and Kelly M. Collins to the State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure; the grouped nominations were confirmed 45–0 when taken together.
Most of the individual nominations were presented by the clerk, followed by a motion for advice and consent from the senator who introduced the nominee; the Senate clerk then opened roll calls. For the nominations that attracted recorded opposition, the presiding officer announced roll-call results showing 38 ayes and seven nays for each of the two State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure nominees listed above. Several nominations were presented and confirmed without debate; the transcript records “seeing no debate” before the roll calls in multiple instances.
The confirmations included both executive-branch cabinet-level appointments and appointments to independent and advisory state boards and commissions. The transcript lists the home cities or affiliations of several nominees where read (for example, Jeffrey F. Starling of Oklahoma City and Johnny Fredman of Shawnee). The precise professional titles for nominees were read into the record where applicable (for example, “Dr. Johnny Fredman” and the cabinet designation for Starling). For one nominee to the behavioral health board, the transcript contains multiple spellings (appearing variously as “Larissa Belile,” “Larissa Bridal,” and “Larissa Bilal”); the Senate clerk read the name aloud and the nomination was confirmed 38–7.
No policy debate on the substantive duties or authority of the offices named was recorded during the motions; several motions were followed immediately by roll-call votes. The clerk repeatedly announced the results and the presiding officer declared nominations confirmed when tallies were read into the record.
Looking ahead, the Senate adjourned until Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at 1:30 p.m., after routine announcements about committee meetings and scheduled events.
