Senate HHS subcommittee presents budget recommendations; no votes taken

The Health and Human Services subcommittee presented its budget recommendations to the Oklahoma Senate Appropriations Committee and the recommendations were received for consideration; no formal action or final votes were taken at the hearing.

The subcommittee chair, Senator Jay Racineau, Chair of the Health and Human Services Subcommittee, told the committee the group met bipartisanly and vetted requests with agencies. “We did not cut. We just may not have given them all the increases that they've asked for,” Racineau said, adding the subcommittee considered federal reconciliation proposals that could change Medicaid matching rates and state obligations.

The presentation included itemized recommendation changes, most described as increases to agency operating budgets or the removal of one-time monies from agency base budgets. Racineau said the subcommittee recommended an increase of $126,073,126 for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, producing a proposed total appropriation of $1,436,582,226, and noted the committee was monitoring possible federal changes that could shift Medicaid match levels and create substantial new state costs.

Other subcommittee recommendations presented to the full Appropriations Committee included: - Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services: recommended increase $24,517,408 (proposed total $411,649,805) - State Department of Health: recommended increase $1,954,003 (proposed total $91,156,355) - University Hospitals Authority: recommended increase $17,918,000 (proposed total $273,817,437); the presenter noted $2,082,000 of one‑time monies were removed from the base - Oklahoma State University Medical Authority: recommended increase $77,918,000 (proposed total $173,848,189) - Department of Veterans Affairs: recommended decrease $4,100,000 - JD McCarty Center: recommended flat budget (proposed total $4,755,543) - Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority: recommended decrease $3,500,000 (proposed total $38,400,000) - Department of Human Services: recommended increase $21,370,365 (proposed total $819,688,447) - Department of Juvenile Affairs: recommended increase $4,000,673 - Department of Rehabilitation Services: recommended increase $150,000 (proposed total $42,402,951) - Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth: recommended increase $94,268 (proposed total $3,103,087) - Office of Disability Concerns: recommended flat budget (proposed total $327,095)

Committee members asked multiple follow-up questions on particular line items, including funding for competency restoration and forensic bed capacity at the Department of Mental Health, the status of one‑time versus recurring appropriations for medical residency slots at university medical authorities, and whether recommended increases would enable agencies to meet federal matching requirements. Senator Racineau and other presenters repeatedly noted that recommendations reflect the subcommittee’s assessment in February 2025 and that reconciliation with House proposals and certified revenue estimates will follow in coming weeks.

The chair of the full Appropriations Committee reiterated that the session was a receipt of recommendations, not a vote, and that the full Appropriations Committee will later hold public hearings to adopt the Senate’s budget position. Presenters and members emphasized the recommendations are subject to change as revenue and inter‑chamber negotiations proceed.

The presentation closed after members reviewed the subcommittee’s line items and asked staff to prepare for upcoming hearings where the full committee will consider subcommittee recommendations and reconcile numbers with certified revenues and House proposals.