Weekly Opinion Editorial
QUIT PLAYING POLITICS
by Steve Fair
In the midst of the COVID-19 virus outbreak,
politics continues. The Oklahoma
legislature and Governor Stitt are fighting over the 2020 state budget. Last week, the legislature sent three budget bills
to the governor’s desk. Stitt refused to
sign one of the bills because it did not include funding for the Digital
Transformation Revolving Fund(DTRF), one of his priorities. The governor said the funding is $930,000,
legislators, $250,000. Stitt accused
legislative leadership of playing ‘political games.’ On Wednesday, that legislative leadership
sued the governor and the Board of Equalization after the governor canceled a
meeting of the board. The petition asks
the state Supreme Court to rule on Stitt’s authority to unilaterally cancel a
Board of Equalization meeting. Until the
board votes to declare a ‘revenue shortfall,’ the legislature cannot legally tap
the state’s rainy day fund, whose funding is sorely needed to plug budget holes.
Three thoughts:
First, what is the actual funding for the
DTRF? Is it 250k or 930k or another
number? Who is telling the truth? Either number is small in the grand scheme of
the total 8 billion dollar budget, but it would be nice to know the correct
number. The DTRF was created by the
legislature in 2019 to implement digital
transformation initiatives. Thus far
they have implemented Oklahoma Mobile ID and Driver’s License, which allows
citizens to apply for a digital ID or license.
The fund is overseen by the governor’s cabinet appointees.
Second, both parties are playing politics,
not just the legislature. When the
governor made the decision to cancel the Board of Equalization meeting, he was ‘playing
politics.’ The Board of Equalization is
a seven member board chaired by the governor.
It is composed of six Oklahoma state elected officials: the governor, lieutenant
governor, state auditor, state treasurer, attorney general, state school superintendent,
and the appointed by the governor, the secretary of agriculture. The board is responsible for providing an
estimate of all revenue available to the state legislature for
appropriation. They certify that number
before the legislature convenes in February.
When revenue shortfalls occur, they normally meet and declare a revenue shortfall, which allows the
legislature to tap the Rainy Day fund.
There is no doubt that eventually will happen, but Stitt is ‘playing
politics’ when he doesn’t call the meeting in a timely way.
Third, the power of the office of governor
since Stitt was elected has expanded.
That did not happen in a vacuum.
It occurred with the cooperation of the legislature. They passed legislation allowing the governor
to hire/fire state agency heads. Legislative
leadership proclaimed how important it was to give the governor more power. Constitutionally,
Oklahoma’s governorship is one of the weakest in the U.S, but with the
legislature’s help that has changed. The
legislature’s contention Stitt is pulling a power grab is ironic since they
were complicit in the grab.
The governor should call the BOE meeting,
so a vote can be taken regarding a revenue shortfall. The legislature should restore reasonable funding
for the governor’s pet project. Both
parties should get on with the people’s business and quit wasting time and tax
dollars playing politics.
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