The Legislature stepped in to remove the state’s top mental health official, Allie Friesen, marking the first time in 100 years such a move has been made.

Q: How was the Legislature able to do this if the Governor has hiring and firing power?

A: While Governor Kevin Stitt has authority over five key agencies, including the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS), lawmakers added a safeguard in 2019 that gives the Legislature oversight and the power to fire a commissioner with a two-thirds majority vote.

Q: Was the removal of Commissioner Friesen a personal decision?

A: Senator Paul Rosino stressed it wasn’t personal. “There was no pleasure taken in doing it,” he said, “we just felt the department was not moving in the right direction.”

Q: What

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