Bill to Keep Veterans Center in Talihina Passes Committee

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Jim Grego (R-77, Wilburton) announced today that a bill to stop the removal of the Oklahoma Veterans Center currently located in Talihina has received the support of the House Rules Committee.

House Bill 1149 would repeal previous legislation, signed into law last year by then-Governor Fallin, that authorized the transfer of the center. The bill passed the Rules Committee 6-2 and is now eligible to be heard by the entire House.

“I’m thankful to each of the committee members who voted in support of this bill,” Grego said. “Hopefully we can get this measure heard on the House floor.

House Judiciary Committee Chair, Rep. Chris Kannady, himself a veteran, issued the following statement about the bill: “Representative Grego and I are continuing conversations regarding the future of the Talihina Veterans Center and how our state can best serve our veterans while ensuring rural Oklahoma has access to good jobs.”

It was announced last fall that the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA) would move the 175-bed, long-term veterans care center to Sallisaw, but supporters of the center remaining in Talihina have continued to fight against the relocation.

ODVA had moved forward with seeking a new location despite a scathing 75-page special audit from Oklahoma State Auditor Gary Jones.

The audit alleged a "culture of fear and intimidation" was being fostered by ODVA management in response to Talihina employees expressing their concerns over central office management of the center. Staff feared ODVA had been trying to sabotage the center by firing employees, removing medical equipment, closing the Special Needs Unit, not allowing veteran input and placing a hold on admissions.

The audit said that management's "negative statements about the Talihina center in the press might give the impression that they are not responsible for the condition of the center, even as they centralize various functions, removing facets of the center’s autonomy one by one."

Despite the audit’s findings ODVA the Oklahoma Veterans Commission pushed ahead with plans for a new facility. Although initial requirements mentioned that a move would only be made to pre-existing buildings, the winning bid from Sallisaw involved a complete, ‘green-field’ new build. Poteau and Muskogee were the other locations considered.

At the time of the Sallisaw announcement Rep. Grego insisted the removal was not yet a done deal. “This issue is of extreme importance to our veterans and to all of us in Southeast Oklahoma,” Grego said – a belief bolstered by today’s Rules Committee vote.