Friends,

We are entering the last two weeks of the session….or we are supposed to be entering the last two weeks of the session. If the nasty budget fight continues even just a few more days I believe there will have to be a special session. Below I will explain more about when a special session can be convened and also how the legislature can override a veto by the governor.

But first, if you are available Thursday, May 18th at 6 pm, we are hosting our last town hall of the legislative session at Schusterman-Benson Library. I hope many of you will join to discuss the session up to the minute and what the summer holds in terms of the second year of my legislative term. RSVP with this link!

Budget Basics

We have roughly $10.8 billion + $1.6 billion of one-time revenue to invest in Oklahoma for the fiscal year 2024. If we don’t get something accomplished in the next few days, we will have to go into a special session to finish the budget. This should concern taxpayers. It’s literally the one job we have to do every year and we get four months to do it! Going into a special session means lawmakers didn’t do the job the voters sent us to the Capitol to do and ultimately, that means waste of taxpayer dollars. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are rightfully frustrated about the stalled-out budget process. There is no reason we cannot work within the constitutionally prescribed deadlines. The process needs reform and more transparency so your tax dollars aren’t wasted. I am putting this on my list of priorities to find some allies to work together for a better process.

Here is a great article that breaks down the latest on the budget talks. For an overview of the Oklahoma budget process, check out the Oklahoma Policy Institute’s website. Special sessions can be convened by the Governor or two-thirds of the members of the legislature.

The crux of the budget disagreement remains over education funding. The good news is when it’s settled, we will be poised to make an historic investment in public education. Sadly, we may also see a disproportionate amount of those dollars put into tax credits that can be used to pay private school tuition without the same accountability and transparency we require of our public schools. I do not support the latter.

Few legislators will have dealt with the budget bill in its entirety prior to casting our initial votes – the ink will have barely dried prior to the budget arriving at our desks. With continued debates around how to allocate the state’s dollars, we are now on a tight timeline to pass the budget.This is stressful, but we have had some insight throughout the session as to what the final budget priorities are. Most of my very first official meetings were agencies presenting budgets with requested increases, if any, and why. Further, every bill we vote on that needs funding, has a fiscal impact statement with it, so we’ve seen some expected costs there too. For example, SB1063 – this is our bill to provide tax credits for employers who support employee childcare needs with funds or by building childcare centers and a refundable tax credit for childcare workers to address the workforce shortage in the industry. The bill has a fiscal impact of $12 million dollars. So we know if the bill makes it to the last step, it would be slotted into the budget for that amount.

Despite the budget process being inefficient, each lawmaker will have to make a choice to either vote for it or against it. We can’t vote for certain parts that we like and vote against the parts we don’t. That’s not how it works, unfortunately. I’ve vowed to put people over politics and use a common sense lens with every vote I take. Therefore, if the budget has more investments in services that are good for Oklahoma families on the whole, I am inclined to support it. In particular, I will be looking for robust investment in public education through the funding formula which will provide for teacher pay raises, increased funds for transportation, children in poverty, and English language learners. I also hope to see funds to address veterans’ needs, paid maternity leave for teachers and public employees, childcare workforce incentives (!), and performance-based economic development investments that will lead to better paying jobs. Even if it were to have all of that, the budget will not be a perfect budget, but the state government is definitely not the place to allow perfect to be the enemy of the good. My vote on the budget will be dictated by whether it makes the predicted investments in public education and funds the services my constituents in House District 70 expect. I represent you and as always, people not politics will dictate. So please reach out if you have ideas or thoughts to share.

OETA

Many HD70 constituents have written powerful messages about why OETA is important to them and to the state. Besides fantastic programming that brings the world and Oklahoma into our homes, it is also our emergency response system. Just last year the state invested over $1 million in infrastructure for that system. OETA is the most watched PBS network with over 650,000 viewers every week and the Oklahoma News Report is the only statewide news service. I join many legislators in calling for a veto override of this bill. Please urge Senator Greg Treat (greg.treat@oksenate.gov) to bring the veto override forward so we can restore the funding for this important and enriching part of our state fabric.

Overdose Awareness

May 11 was the State’s first Overdose Awareness Day. This day would not have happened without the work of HD70 constituent Matt Newman and his family who joined Senator Darrell Weaver (R / Moore) to make the day happen. The Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services kicked off their okimready.org campaign in conjunction with day to begin the public awareness campaign to protect Oklahomans from fentanyl deaths. I urge you to check out the link and understand the dangers of fentanyl and how you can be ready to save a life.

Richard Glossip

I stood with many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, as well as the Attorney General to work to save Richard Glossip from execution. For a quick summary of this case, you can listen to “What Next: Why Richard Glossip Has Escaped Execution Nine Times” a podcast episode that details this historic case.

My colleague Representative Kevin McDugle (R-Wagoner County) has been working on this issue for many years and what he says about this case is where I find my conviction – “The people of Oklahoma will have more faith in a system of justice that admits its mistakes than one that pretends mistakes never happen.” The case is currently before the U. S. Supreme Court.

Again, please join us Thursday night May 18, 2023at 6 pm at the Schusterman-Benson library. If you cannot make it, feel free to call or email me on anything you want to discuss that pertains to the immediate or is a longer term item.

I look forward to the messages I receive from constituents: your ideas, concerns, and questions order my service. It is such an honor to represent this District at the Capitol – I am grateful for the opportunity each day.

Let’s Keep Going –

Suzanne