Three weeks into special session, there is no word of progress from Oklahoma City.
Owasso state Sen. J.J. Dossett said a lack of proposals isn’t the issue.
"There's bipartisan plans out there that have been agreed to by the majority of folks in the legislature and the governor's office. It's just there's a group that's holding onto political ideology as opposed to common sense solutions," Dossett said. "So, until we can remove the political aspect of this and start thinking of Oklahomans, we're going to have a problem."
Dossett said there are enough lawmakers committed only to further cuts to state government to hold up any tax increases, including a redo of the cigarette tax that left a $215 million hole in the state budget when the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional.
"They're not interested in filling the gap for DHS, the health care authority and mental health services. They're just letting that cigarette tax become less and less valuable, because it does by the week. I mean, we're losing millions of dollars every week that passes by. So, I think there's a group stalling, and the capitol being closed this week is really just falling right into their strategy."
The capitol is closed this entire week for electrical work. No one is allowed into the building other than construction workers.
The Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Oklahoma Department of Human Services and Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services were the main beneficiaries of the cigarette tax, each allocated roughly $70 million from it.
Those agencies were ordered last week to cut their budgets to account for that revenue not coming in, as state lawmakers have not taken steps to restore the funding.
Gov. Mary Fallin said last week budget work was "too slow." When she called lawmakers into special session last month, her agenda included restoring the cigarette tax, funding a pay raise for teachers and stabilizing the state budget in addition to finding further efficiencies in state government.
There have been starts and stops in the special session: a cigarette tax gimme tabled, a $560 million bipartisan agreement rebuffed hours after it was announced. Dossett said the contingent of lawmakers opposed to any tax increases, however, is the reason for the stalemate.
"The majority in the House would either have to change their mindset or the majority would have to pick new leadership. That'd be the only way that I know of for things to change. So, until Oklahoma demands one of those two things ... there's no fix."
Tax measures must start in the House and require three-fourths majorities of both chambers.
