Stimulus funds sought for Oklahoma's seniors

BY MICHAEL MCNUTT Comments 0
Published: October 23, 2009

A state senator says Gov. Brad Henry should use some of the discretionary funds he received as part of the federal stimulus dollars to replace money cut from Oklahoma’s senior nutrition program. However, legislators and the governor have already agreed to spend that money, a governor’s spokesman said Thursday.

Winnie and George Hall shop for groceries in Edmond, Okla., Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009. Oklahoma's grocery tax credit would be expanded under a proposal to be considered by the state Legislature. (AP Photo)

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Sen. Patrick Anderson sent a letter to Henry on Wednesday and issued a news release Thursday calling for the governor to use the federal funds to make up for the $7.4 million cut from the senior nutrition program. The money, which was to pay for senior nutrition centers and home-delivered meals to seniors, was cut by the state Department of Human Services.

"I can’t think of a better use for the governor’s discretionary money than to help ensure that our seniors don’t have to go without a meal,” said Anderson, R-Enid, in his news release.

Oklahoma received $641 million in stimulus budget stabilization funds and $105 million in so-called stimulus discretionary funds for this fiscal year.

All are earmarked to be spent in this fiscal year’s budget, said Paul Sund, Henry’s communications director.

"And even if those dollars were available, they are one-time funds that would leave another budget hole at the Department of Human Services as soon as they were exhausted,” Sund said. "It is most prudent to use those stimulus dollars on one-time projects that won’t cause future budget problems.

"With revenues declining and state agencies absorbing across-the-board cuts each month, we fear that the financial problems of the senior nutrition program are just the tip of the iceberg with regard to critical services across state government,” Sund said. "The bigger challenge in the months to come will be funding not just senior nutrition, but veterans’ services, education, health care, public safety and a variety of other vital programs.”