Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat will not be at the Contingency Review Board Meeting Wednesday afternoon.
His communications director said his son is in the hospital after suffering a medical issue on Tuesday from the lingering effects of a near-fatal car accidentin January.
The Treat family reports that Mason is stable, and would appreciate privacy and prayers during his dealing and recovery.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond called theContingency Review Board Meeting scheduled on Wednesday a “sham”.
Drummond said the meeting was likely hastily called to “reject a class-action lawsuit settlement that would save the state many millions of dollars.”
Briggs v. Slatton-Hodges claims the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) violated due process rights by failing to provide timely court-ordered competency restoration services for some pretrial defendants deemed not competent to stand trial.
Other states that face similar litigation have been hit with up to $100 million in court-ordered costs and fees, according to Drummond.
“The Governor appears bound and determined to force Oklahomans to ultimately pay untold millions of dollars and ignore a years-long failure of the state Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services,” Drummond said. “Rather than seizing an opportunity to deliver justice and save taxpayer dollars, Gov. Stitt would rather stage political theater. This is disappointing, if not entirely surprising,” Drummond said.
