After Swadley's debacle, Oklahoma lawmakers won't reform tourism agency this year

The Oklahoma Legislature will not act this legislative session to change the power structure at the state's Tourism and Recreation Department as a result of the agency's questionable deal with a local barbecue chain.

With mere days remaining in the session, lawmakers have no immediate plans to return power to the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission, which would reverse a 2018 law that vested control and oversight of the agency with the department's executive director.

Related: Tourism official's land buy near Lake Murray State Park happened amid park improvements

As multiple investigations, including a criminal probe, dive deeper into the tourism department's now-defunct partnership with Swadley's Foggy Bottom Kitchen to operate state park restaurants, Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell asked the Oklahoma Legislature to change the agency's structure.

In 2018, the Legislature gave the governor the power to appoint the department's executive director while also giving that person the authority to run the agency. Previously, those powers were vested with the tourism commission.

Pinnell asked the Legislature to return power to the commission and require the panel to approve all agency budgets and contracts. Pinnell requested the change after Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Tourism Director Jerry Winchester's resignation.

A spokeswoman for the lieutenant governor said Pinnell is urging the Legislature to make the changes as soon as possible, but he acknowledges that the legislative session is nearly done.

"The lieutenant governor sees it as his responsibility to not only get to the bottom of the Swadley’s issue, but also make sure that proper systems are in place to prevent something like this from happening again," spokeswoman Mariah Carter said.

Pinnell will continue working with lawmakers until they amend House Bill 3603 from 2018, Carter said.

Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, said he didn't want to rush through the change in the last few weeks of session. He also said he hasn't personally spoken to Pinnell about the proposed changes.

"It's something we'll consider," he said. "I consider Matt Pinnell a very good friend and a good leader in Oklahoma. We'll have that discussion."

Treat co-authored HB 3603, the 2018 legislation that changed the power dynamic at the tourism department.

More: Here’s how one Oklahoma tribe is fighting inflation

In late April, the chairman of the House Special Investigative Committee examining the Swadley's deal said it was logistically too late in the legislative session for lawmakers to pass bills to reform the agency.

About a week later, Pinnell requested the specific changes at the tourism department.

Rep. Ryan Martinez, R-Edmond, also said he's focused on letting the special House committee's investigation drive what happens next.

The Senate has not partnered with the House on the special investigative committee because of a reluctance to get involved while there is an ongoing criminal investigation, Treat said.

The bipartisan committee has only met once so far, but meetings are expected to pick up after the Legislature adjourns Friday.

"I think that this will be a longer process," Martinez said. "I think everybody wants to do this correctly, wants to make sure we're digging in and getting as many facts as possible prior to making any assumptions."

Democrats largely opposed the 2018 legislation that gave the governor more power. They also opposed similar legislation in 2019 to diminish the authority of additional governing boards and give the governor the power to directly appoint the heads of five other state agencies.

Since then, they have advocated for greater legislative oversight of state agencies where the governor has more control than ever before.

"We want qualified people serving the state of Oklahoma, whether they're elected or appointed," said Senate Minority Leader Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City. "These agencies, boards and commissions are very, very important. They oversee a lot of money, they make a lot of important decisions, sometimes they're not as transparent as they should be, sometimes they're not as accountable as they should be."

More: Marijuana products recalled in Oklahoma after samples found with salmonella, E. coli

Swadley's has said it is proud of its work to improve six state parks. The company expressed dismay when the tourism department canceled its contract for Foggy Bottom Kitchens in the parks.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: After Swadley's debacle, Oklahoma lawmakers put off Tourism reforms