Following a change in focus announced by the majority leader Monday, an Oklahoma House committee passed Tuesday two revenue measures requiring only simple majorities.
The House Rules Committee also passed a plan to give Oklahoma teachers a raise, albeit a smaller one than called for at the start of special session.
The committee passed House Bill 1085 10–0. It would end gross production tax incentives on oil and gas wells drilled between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2015. Rep. Dennis Casey said it would affect all types of horizontal wells, regardless of their current tax rate.
"The horizontal was at 1, but in May we moved it to 4 percent. And the deep and the ultra-deeps have already been at 4 percent, so this would move all of them up to the 7 percent," Casey said.
The bill would bring in an estimated $51 million this year and more than $100 million next year. It would affect roughly 6,600 wells.
House Bill 1087 would allow tribal casinos to offer games using a ball or dice. Such games, like roulette, are currently played with cards in Oklahoma. While the state is not changing its take from those games, Rep. Kevin Wallace said the switch will bring in $8 million for the state this year and nearly $36 million next year.
"Where the increase will come from is increased participation or playing of those games with having an actual ball or dice," Wallace said.
HB1037 also passed the rules committee 10–0. Both require simple majorities of the House and Senate to pass, but their emergency clauses require two-thirds majorities.
House Bill 1086, which would give more than 49,000 public school employees a $1,000 raise on July 1, 2018, passed the House Rules Committee on a 9–1 vote. Casey said $1,000 is unacceptable, but the legislature has to start somewhere.
"When I look at it from a teacher pay standpoint, I hope they don't consider it a slap in the face, even though I could understand why, but it takes money to do a teacher pay increase," Casey said.
For the raise to happen, lawmakers also need to pass HB1085.
