Lawmakers may work over weekend to pass budget

At the close of business Wednesday, Oklahoma House leadership told lawmakers they should be prepared to work Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The announcement, whether it was a saber-rattling wakeup call or simply the reality of the situation, capped the midpoint of a week where legislators have to choose whether to raise about a billion dollars in revenue or endure massive budget cuts across state government.

The Legislature cannot send revenue bills to the governor in the final five days of session, which constitutionally must end by May 26. That deadline opens up the possibility of a weekend session, which is extraordinarily rare.

Despite the warning, lawmakers seemed optimistic.

“I'm not saying it is happening, but it's fair to put members on notice that it could happen,” said House Floor Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City. “I don't know if we will or not, but I felt like they deserve to know it's on the table for me.”

Wednesday was also significant at the Capitol for Democrats because they sat down in budget negotiation meetings for the first time this year, said House Minority Leader Scott Inman.

The leaders of both parties in both the House and Senate, and Gov. Mary Fallin, met Wednesday morning to discuss revenue.

“But we’ve not come to any agreement at this point,” Inman said.

After speaking with Echols, said Inman, he believes that a weekend session won’t be necessary unless lawmakers strike a deal too late to finish by Friday.

“In case a deal is struck in the next few hours, if they need the extra time they would use it,” Inman said.

Another option would be a concurrent special session that allows lawmakers to ignore the current session’s deadlines.

Aside from revenue, the Legislature also has to fashion a budget to spend that money. Those discussions have largely been moot while officials scramble to build a coalition around tax increases and other revenue-raising measures.

There are also major policy bills that Oklahoma’s political leaders want to see passed. Fallin and others want a slew of criminal justice reform bills to get final approval, and teachers are still hoping for a pay raise.