Time is running out for Oklahoma lawmakers to come up with enough money to sustain government operations after July 1.
This legislative session can last until May 27, but revenue bills are constitutionally bound from being considered in the last five days of session. That means revenue bills would have to be sent to Gov. Mary Fallin before 5 p.m. Friday.
Legislators have to find more than $1 billion by the end of this week, or else two very real options will be on the horizon – painful spending cuts that could affect core services like healthcare and schools, or a special session which could bring lawmakers back for more negotiating through the month of June, The Journal Record’s Dale Denwalt reports:
Lawmakers have tried to find the money, introducing a series of bills late in session that could fill almost half of the $1.3 billion shortfall predicted for the fiscal year that begins July 1. In a series of budget meetings over the past three weeks, House and Senate members have advanced an extra $312 million for the general revenue budget partly by cutting back on tax breaks. One of those measures has been sent to the governor’s desk – a $125 million proposal that doesn’t create new revenue but allows lawmakers to spend money earlier than usual. Those kinds of measures aren’t technically revenue bills, so they can be considered until the last day of session. Bond measures can also be introduced and sent to Fallin next week, but House and Senate leaders have haggled over whether to approve $300 million or $150 million in transportation bonds to free up more money.
So far, legislators have introduced bills that would raise about half of what’s needed, but there’s no guarantee they’ll pass. In fact, more than $60 million worth of new revenue has already been shot down, Denwalt writes:
A fuel tax linked to the wholesale price of gasoline and diesel, which would charge an extra 3 cents at the pump, failed in committee Tuesday. Appropriations and Budget Chairman Earl Sears faced a barrage of questions from Democrats about whether the tax increase would disproportionately affect the poor. He replied that the $36.5 million in money for the general revenue fund and several more million for schools, teachers and county governments would ensure a safe landing for the budget. “The challenge before us is huge,” Sears told the Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget. “We need to step up and make some of the tough decisions.”
But Senate Minority Leader John Sparks, D-Norman, wants to know exactly how much money lawmakers will have to appropriate before he votes on any spending bills:
“There is still no goal on the budget,” Sparks said. “Since there’s no clear explanation of how the money will be spent, it’s impossible for members to make a judgment on whether or not they should take money from one program to be spent on another.”
KGOU produces journalism in the public interest, essential to an informed electorate. Help support informative, in-depth journalism with a donation online, or contact our Membership department.
