December 30, 2011
Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance
By M. Scott Carter
M. Scott Carter is OKC and Capitol reporter for The Journal Record.
Posted: 10:27 PM Thursday, December 29, 2011
OKLAHOMA CITY – Last session it was jobs, money and more jobs.
Next year it could be taxes, money and water.
Just a few weeks away from the opening of the second session of the 53rd Oklahoma Legislature, the issues facing state lawmakers will be similar to last year’s list, but with a twist – a fight over tribal water rights and a continuing discussion about taxes.
Plus that flat budget.
With about $6.5 billion in certified revenue to spend, state lawmakers still face a budget shortfall of close to $150 million. That hole, attributed to the loss of one-time revenue, isn’t as large as those in past sessions.
“We’re very encouraged that our economy is growing,” Republican Gov. Mary Fallin said to the Associated Press. “It’s moving in the right direction. But we also know that with one-time funds that will not be available that we’ve had the previous couple of years … we still need to be optimistically cautious about the amount of money that we will have.”
Echoing Fallin, House budget chairman Earl Sears, R-Bartlesville, said he would spend the next legislative session focused on passing a balanced budget... FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Fri, December 30, 2011
by John Cox