Press release
OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Jim Grego today announced he has filed legislation to stop the transfer of an Oklahoma Veterans Center from Talihina.
House Bill 1149 would eliminate the authorization to transfer the center that was first granted by legislation passed in 2017 and signed into law by former Gov. Mary Fallin.
“This center is important to the veterans who are housed there, to their family members who visit them, to the hundreds of employees who work there and to the community of Talihina, which relies on this significant employer,” said Grego, R-Wilburton. “There is no reason the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs can’t update this existing facility to better accommodate the needs of its residents.”
It was announced last fall the Oklahoma Veterans Commission and the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs would move the 175-bed, long-term veterans care center from Talihina to Sallisaw within the next three to five years. The center employees about 275 people.
Grego said he is acting in the best interest of the veterans in the Talihina area and of his community.
Rep. Jim Grego serves District 17 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which covers parts of Latimer, Le Flore and Pittsburg Counties.
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