OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — A state representative who has long criticized state agencies like the Department of Corrections has lost his chairmanship at the House.

Republican State Representative J.J. Humphrey of Atoka County has sat as chair of the Criminal Justice Committee since he was last elected in 2022.

He believes calling out state agencies may have had a hand in the decision to restructure committees.

FOX23 spoke with Humphrey about the change.

Humphrey has fronted the push for change at agencies like ODOC and DHS.

But other state leaders and agencies have called his claims baseless and unnecessary.

Humphrey said he knew that calling out corruption in the state would eventually result in the loss of titles.

“You don’t get promoted for going after this you get demoted, a little disappointed, but I’m just gonna keep on working,” Humphrey said.

This week, House leadership restructured committees at the state capitol.

Some areas saw no change while others saw a complete overhaul.

Originally, Humphrey sat as chairman of the corrections committee during which he criticized state agencies such as the Department of Corrections, the Department of Human Services, district attorneys, and the State Medical Marijuana Authority.

“It’s time that we take back our penitentiaries,” Humphrey said.

FOX23 brought you coverage this year when Humphrey denounced ODOC and later DHS for alleged human rights violations across the state.

“We’ve got inmates that are being raped daily. We got inmates who are being extorted. We’ve got murder being covered up at the Department of Corrections and we’ve got all those cases. We’re going to court on every single one of them, it’s not like I’m going to go away,” Humphrey said.

Several of his claims were refuted by those same agencies.

Earlier this year, ODOC said his claims were filled with inaccuracies.

Humphrey believes removing him as chairman may have been an attempt to silence his efforts against state agencies, possibly at the influence of lobbyists.

“I think the thought process that I’m just a little too unruly and I’m uncontrollable. I can tell you that right now they are not happy with me because I can’t be controlled and I’m not gonna be controlled. If there’s an agency that’s doing something wrong, if children are being abused, tortured, sexually molested, why should I have to jump up and raise three kinds of hell to get something done on that,” Humphrey said.

No longer being a chair of the Criminal Justice Committee removes his subpoena powers from that committee, but Humphrey said he is still an elected official and the change for him has no effect on his efforts.

“I don’t have a fight with leadership, leadership does what they think they need to do. Obviously I’m not the person they want in key roles so they’ll have to answer for that, but I don’t mind speaking on it and I don’t mind saying that I’m gonna continue to do everything that I’ve done and not change a thing,” Humphrey said.

Humphrey was named vice chair on a public safety committee.

Restructuring committees and their leadership is nothing out of the ordinary for state lawmakers, it happens nearly every two years.

These committees are created to focus on filed legislation under specific topics and deliberate on the language of those bills or needed changes.

FOX23 did reach out to ODOC to ask if they wanted to comment on the change of leadership, but they have not given us a response yet.

To find a full list of committee changes, click here.