A settlement agreement to improve mental health services in Oklahoma county jails and resolve a major lawsuit against the state won final Senate approval Tuesday.

After many months of consideration, the settlement, in the form of House Concurrent Resolution 1004, will finally go to the Secretary of State to be filed.

The settlement is in response to a 2023 lawsuit filed against the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services that claimed pretrial inmates deemed incompetent do not receive sufficient care.

Plaintiffs argued hundreds of people are left in jails across Oklahoma for inordinate amounts of time while waiting for the department to provide court-ordered treatment.

Under the resolution, the state will be responsible for increasing training for forensic health care professionals, reducing the wait times for competency restoration and expanding the number of available treatment beds.

The settlement also calls for the state to create an appropriate and effective in-jail treatment program to restore inmates’ competence. Previous versions said this treatment would have to take place outside of jail.

Gov. Kevin Stitt, Attorney General Gentner Drummond and the House of Representatives have already approved the settlement. Department of Mental Health officials have also expressed support.

Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, said the settlement will resolve the issues in the state while forgoing the cost of a lengthy legal battle.

“By passing this measure, we are protecting taxpayers from exorbitant costs while upholding our commitment to public health and safety,” Paxton said.

Drummond commended the Senate vote, calling the settlement’s passage a major victory for Oklahoma.

“I am grateful we can move forward on improving the state’s restoration services and administering long-overdue justice,” Drummond said.