Now, it’s the Senate’s turn

The Oklahoma Senate could vote as early as Wednesday on a $474 million tax package and pay raises for teachers, school support staff and state employees.

It’s not guaranteed to pass, though, and it could be amended.

The measures were presented to the House on Monday without coordination with Senate leaders.

Senate Floor Leader Greg Treat said he would take the first closeddoor count among Senate Republicans on Tuesday, but noted that some might still be undecided.

“It’s not on my calendar that it must go (up for a vote) tomorrow,” said Treat, R-Oklahoma City. “It’s on my calendar to make sure that our members fully vet it and our members are comfortable with it, and that we have a good, robust discussion with the minority party before we go onto the floor.”

Another roadblock is the $5-per-night hotel and motel tax that the House approved. It would bring in an estimated $46.2 million each year.

Assistant Floor Leader Marty Quinn, R-Claremore, said that while three-fourths of the Senate would probably support a 5 percent rate on the production of oil and gas, he thinks the bill may be amended to remove the lodging tax.

Treat said the lodging tax is the only proposal in the tax bill that hasn’t been considered in the Senate over the past year.

“The hotel/motel tax is new to us, so we’re still gathering information on that,” said Treat.

If the bill is amended, it would have to return to the House for a final vote. Again, it would need a three-fourths majority vote to advance to the governor’s desk. Oklahoma law allows the Legislature to raise taxes by a three-fourths majority, while the general voting public can adopt tax hikes with a simple majority.

The Legislature typically doesn’t meet on Fridays or the weekend, which could push a final vote on the tax bill into next week if the bill is amended and the House cannot act quickly on an amended bill. The Oklahoma Education Association and thousands of its members are expected to be at the Capitol on Monday, the first day of the planned teacher strike.

Mickey Thompson, who leads a group that is pushing for a public vote to raise the gross production tax to 7 percent to improve public education funding, said Restore Oklahoma Now Inc. is still planning on gathering signatures soon.

“The Legislature hasn’t done anything yet,” Thompson said.

Thompson said the Legislature’s sudden willingness to seriously consider a 5 percent gross production tax rate might be partially attributable to the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s ruling a week ago allowing his group’s petition to proceed.

“I think it had probably something to do with it for some members of the Legislature. (But) I think the main thing is all members of the Legislature pay attention to what’s going on in their districts,” he said, referencing constituent meetings and teacher gatherings that have drawn hundreds of people. “I think that more than anything is what broke the logjam.”