Little progress at Capitol on reaching budget deal

Oklahoma’s 2017 legislative special session has lumbered along in fits and starts, with most of the work going on behind the scenes.

Legislative leaders and the governor’s office rattle off ideas behind closed doors. Republicans and Democrats gather at the Capitol every few days for closed-door meetings to decide what, if any, plan has enough votes to pass.

One thing is clear: On paper, the Oklahoma Legislature is no closer to a resolution now than when Gov. Mary Fallin ordered them back to the Capitol on Sept. 25.

They’ve had at least two months to hammer out a deal. While there were concerns that a $1.50 cigarette fee adopted in May was unconstitutional, the Oklahoma Supreme Court settled the debate Aug. 9 with a strongly worded ruling that said lawmakers violated the constitution by enacting it.

That decision made a special session all but inevitable, as three major health care agencies were stripped of $214 million. Another $1 million was

earmarked for enforcement of tobacco laws.

The pressure then shifted to Fallin, who ultimately called legislators back to the Capitol with a broad list of goals that included more than just addressing the lost cigarette fee money. She asked for comprehensive budget solutions to stem the state’s years-long revenue shortfalls and a teacher salary increase, among other things.

In other words, there would be more than just a vote to replace the cigarette fee.

Her requests were a boon for Democrats, who have fought for a slew of revenue options and were successful in blocking previous attempts at taxing cigarettes. House Democratic Leader Scott Inman said his membership would support the tax if Republicans agree to raise taxes on oil and gas production.

That’s the hang-up, however. GOP leadership have said their caucus doesn’t have enough votes to raise gross production taxes to the 5-percent rate Democrats are willing to accept.

Just three days into the special session, the Democratic blockade was enough to force House Speaker Charles McCall to indefinitely adjourn floor activity. The special session was put on hold, and progress has been stagnant for almost two weeks.

Leadership of both parties remain outwardly optimistic. On Monday, House Floor Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, wrote on Facebook that Republican and Democratic leaders met Sunday at the Capitol.

“An agreement has not been reached but discussions have been encouraging,” he said.

On the positive side, Echols noted, is that communication between the parties is strong.

“The negative, if an agreement is not reached and voted on off the House or Senate floor by Wednesday, it will be another week and a half before the crisis will be fully solved,” he said.

That’s because on Friday night, the Capitol will go dark for a week as workers replace its antiquated electrical system.