Legislators work to overturn budget veto
Oklahoma' s Legislature on Wednesday successfully overturned Gov. Kevin Stitt's veto of the $7.7 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Within hours of Stitt vetoing the budget bill, Oklahoma's
House and Senate banded together to try and override the state's Republican governor—a measure rarely seen in the state's political history.
Citing concerns about the hit to state pension systems and roads and infrastructure projects, St it t also vetoed three other budget bills that would contribute about $292 million in education funding next year.
As of press time, it was unclear if both chambers of the Legislature would override all of the governor's vetoes, although each chamber had overturned some of the governor's orders.
"Since the governor refused to do so, legislators will rise to the moment to enact a balanced budget for the people of Oklahoma that protects education from deep cuts without harming the transportation or public retirement systems,” House Speaker Charles McCall and Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat said in a statement.
“The deep education
funding cuts the governor's vetoes cause are unnecessary and unacceptable, as is his false rhetoric about the bills' effect on the transportation and retirement systems.”
Looking ahead to the fiscal year 2022 budget, Stitt said the budget bill backs the state into a financial corner. The governor previously criticized the heavy use of one-time funds to fill a large part of a likely revenue shortfall. That could leave the state in a worse position when the next budget cycle comes around, he said.
“This proposed budget does not reflect t he values of Oklahoma or the clear directive voters gave elected officials at the ballot box of living within our means and making hard decisions when times get tough,” Stitt said in a statement. “Instead, Senate Bill 1922 reflects misguided policies that conservative Republicans have spent the past decade reversing. It is propped up with one-time funds that will not be available for Fiscal Year 2022.”
Lawmakers crafted the budget that is $ 238 million, or 3% less, than the current year's budget around an estimated revenue shortfall of $1.3 billion due to low oil prices and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the state budget.
Stitt said he was “cut out” out of t he budget process. Legislators said Stitt's Budget Secretary, Mike Mazzei, “walked away” from budget negotiations months ago — a statement that seems to stem from a miscommunication in which legislators thought Mazzei hung up in the middle of a budget discussion.
From that point on, the governor's office was not included in budget negotiations.
To rally state senator sin going against the gov ernor, Senate Appropriations Chairman Roger Thompson, R- Okemah, praised budget investments in education, public safety and criminal justice.
He highlighted that the budget keeps flat appropriations to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, and noted the budget only cuts education appropriations by 2.5% when most agencies were cut by 4%.
“I beg to disagree with the governor,” Thompson said. “Senate Bill 1922 represents our constituents and the core values of Oklahoma.”
Stitt also vetoed three other bills.
He vetoed House Bill 2741 and House Bill 2742. Both bills cut by 25% funds the Legislature directly contributes to shore up four of the state's pension systems. The bills would divert about $112 million into a common education account, known as the 1017 Fund.
He explained his vetoes by saying it is "improper" to risk the solvency of state pension systems to balance the state budget.
"It is important we do not go backwards on the meaningful gains we have made," Stitt said.
Earlier in the week, Stitt said legislators were attempting to "rob" the state's pension systems, a claim House legislators repeatedly disputed.
Stitt also vetoed House Bill 2743, which would t r ansfer $180 million from a state Department of Transportation Fund to the State Department of Education. The shift in funding jeopardizes the Transportation Department's long-term infrastructure plans, he wrote in his veto message.
"This has the potential to cause si gnificant delays i n many of the critical infrastructure projects," he wrote. Stitt did not veto a companion to HB 2743 that would grant the Transportation Department additional bonding authority to make up for the funding reduction.
House Democrats and Republicans cited the importance of education funding in overturning the governor's vetoes on the three budget companion bills. Democrats sided with Republicans in the House to overturn the governor's vetoes on the education-funding bills.
“Last week, our caucus was asked to vote on a budget that borrowed money from Oklahoma retirees to pay the bills of the state," said House Minority Leader Emily Virgin. "We said `no.' Now, the vote inf ron tofus is to support that budget, which we voted against, or uphold the governor's veto and cut more than a hundred million dollars to public education.
“In the name of public education, members of the Oklahoma House Democratic Caucus will vote to override Gov. Stitt's veto."