Department of Public Safety Mental Wellness Division; expanding scope of eligibility. Effective date.
Summary
SB 146 amends Oklahoma law governing the Department of Public Safety’s Mental Wellness Division. The bill keeps the division in place to provide mental wellness services and programs for public safety personnel and retirees, and it clarifies that the division may also serve a broader group of eligible individuals by expanding the scope of eligibility. It also updates statutory references and language to conform to the current code structure.
The measure continues the division’s authority to operate separately from other DPS divisions and to maintain its own offices, records, communications, information technology, equipment, and other resources. It also preserves the revolving fund used to finance the division’s services and programs, allowing money appropriated or deposited into the fund to be spent for mental wellness services for public safety personnel and retirees. The bill takes effect November 1, 2025.
Impact
SB 146 amends Sections 9101 and 9102 of Title 74, reinforcing the statutory framework for the Mental Wellness Division within the Department of Public Safety. It broadens eligibility for services, updates cross-references and terminology, and preserves the division’s separate operational structure and dedicated revolving fund. The bill affects DPS administration, public safety employees and retirees, and any additional individuals who become eligible under the expanded scope.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed both chambers with unanimous or near-unanimous votes at each stage, including committee, floor, and final readings, indicating strong bipartisan agreement on the value of mental wellness services for public safety personnel. The absence of recorded opposition or committee debate suggests a generally favorable sentiment toward the measure.
Contention
There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available record. The main policy choices in the bill are the expansion of eligibility and the continued use of a separate, dedicated division and fund, but no recorded votes or transcripts indicate organized opposition. Any potential concern would likely center on the breadth of eligibility, privacy protections for mental health information, or the use of public funds and private partnerships, but these issues were not reflected as disputed points in the legislative history provided.