Grassroots groups: Contact your lawmaker about 'devastating' budget cuts

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Over and over people described the cuts announced Wednesday, as "devastating." The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services announced it will trim $75 million from its budget by cutting outpatient services.

"If it was a third of my paycheck I didn't get all of a sudden, I would have to make some very difficult decisions right away," Andy Moore said.

Moore is the executive director of Let's Fix This, a grassroots effort working to keep regular people informed and involved at the Capitol.

He said if people want to see the budget issue fixed, they need to contact their lawmakers.

Lawmakers are four weeks into a special session that has gone nowhere. Lawmakers are supposed to come up with ways to fill a $215 million gap left in the budget, affecting Mental Health and Substance Abuse and two other agencies.

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"Your voice really does matter. Contacting your legislator is really easy. It doesn't have to be scary and if you live in their district, if you are their constituent, they are paid to represent you," Moore said. "It's up to us to make that conversation start. They're not going to call you at home and ask you how you feel about something. You've got to reach out and make those phone calls ourselves."

Charles Martin agrees. Martin is the co-chair of Oklahoma City's Together OK chapter, a budget-focused advocacy group also made up of regular people.

"We have a lot of issues that we all care very deeply about, but the thing is, all of those issues can't happen until we get our finances in order first," Martin said.

He said talking about a subject like the state budget, can be dense and intimidating. Together OK is organizing a way to get involved that is light and fun.

"We want you to come out dressed as zombies, and heroes here to save the State Capitol," he said.

Saturday, the group will host the Budget Horror Show Zombie March to the Capitol. He said people can also dress as townspeople working to save the Capitol from the zombie horde. During the march, there will also be presentations explaining the issues and how people can get involved.

If lawmakers can come to an agreement during the special session it could stop the cuts.

"I'm kind of an eternal optimist. I do believe that we will be successful, and we can fix this in the end," Moore said.

The Zombie March is on Saturday, October 21 at 2:00 pm at the State Capitol.