On a quest to cut waste, Oklahoma House releases its list of ‘DOGE Ideas of Note’

OKLAHOMA CITY — Over 30 complaints of government waste and inefficiency in Oklahoma have been flagged as “ideas of note” and considered by House lawmakers during budget discussions.

House budget chair Trey Caldwell, R-Faxon, said the House’s Government Efficiency Portal, which launched in December, received around 250 complaints, but many were “spammy and junk.”

The portal, which was modeled after President Donald Trump’s federal Department of Government Efficiency, received about 75 actual submissions, about 20% of which are legitimate claims of waste, he said.

Some of the submissions were used in budget hearings to inform questions lawmakers asked of agency directors, he said. Some of the “spam” was as simple as what people receive in their email inboxes, Caldwell said, but many were filled with “vitriol against a specific statewide elected officer.” Caldwell said he did not want to name that person.

House leaders voluntarily provided a list of 35 submissions, which they’ve identified as “DOGE Ideas of Note” in response to a request by Oklahoma Voice.

Ideas on the list ranged from consolidating within state agencies to reducing the number of traffic signs on Oklahoma highways.

Three submissions recommended reducing the number of school districts to consolidate administrative staff and share resources, while another recommended doing the same with the state’s 25 public institutions for higher education.

Consolidation of state storage and warehouse facilities, state vehicle fleets, and printing services were also recommended.

Other submissions noted inefficiencies when working with state agencies to obtain car tags, medical assessments, food stamps, childcare, health care and “vital records.”

One submission said the “over abundance” of unnecessary traffic signs “numbs drivers” and “litter” highways. An example included “speed limit signs increasing over a short distance” because “people know how to speed up.”

A couple of submissions questioned the need for Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to air television and radio advertisements. Someone else questioned why the OTA and the state Department of Transportation were separate agencies and if there was overlap in services.

Another recommended comparing job titles of state employees to consolidate duplicative tasks and re-evaluating the salaries of highly paid public servants.

The submissions provided to Oklahoma Voice only included the submitted idea and not any identifying information about the person using the portal.

Oklahoma Voice (oklahomavoice.com) is an affiliate of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization, supported by grants and donations. Oklahoma Voice provides nonpartisan reporting, and retains full editorial independence.