Bill Would Close Oklahoma Institution

OKLAHOMA CITY -- In a tearful plea, Sen. Susan Paddack urged members of a Senate budget panel to reconsider legislation that allows the closing of a Pauls Valley facility for people who have severe mental and physical disabilities.
"We have to be morally responsible,” said Paddack, D-Ada. "These people rely on us to make good public policy. This isn’t good policy. These are some of our most fragile citizens. This requires much more study.”
House Bill 2456 gives the Department of Human Services the authority to close the Southern Oklahoma Resource Center in Pauls Valley. The bill does not give a closing date.