Bipartisan fabric frays a little in financial crunch
Capitol Spotlight for weeklies for Report for week of Feb.25, 2007
By Jim Campbell
OPA Capitol News Bureau
A committee trashed a top priority of the governor, Democrats chafed at the speaker's 
fund solicitation and the speaker's agency consolidation bill set off a set-to in the House 
that found a Democratic lawmaker talking into a dead mike.
All this and more signs of unraveling of the Legislature's advertised bipartisan fabric 
emerged in a week that prompted both parties to focus on most-cherished programs in 
face of shrinking new spending money.
Gov. Brad Henry reacted with unusual heat after the Senate voted 8-8 along party lines to 
kill his pilot program for a three-year-old early childhood program.
"Today's vote was about pure politics and that's a shame and the children of Oklahoma 
and the parents of Oklahoma were the big losers," Henry said. "I am so disappointed and 
frustrated that partisan politics is blocking what is good for Oklahoma and that is further 
debate on this issue."
The vote in the Senate Appropriations Committee, which shelves the proposal for two 
years, came following a Republican caucus.
Sen. Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, co-president in the evenly divided Senate, said that 
having previously been in the minority, "I certainly understand your frustration."
But in an open letter to the governor, he said he did not define bipartisanship "as just 
agreeing to see everything your way and voting for a measure because you think it is the 
right thing to do."
"I didn't see Gov. (Frank) Keating complain when you and members of your party killed 
his agenda items," Coffee said.
Coffee said bipartisanship to him means collaborating in an intellectual endeavor and 
believed that he and Henry had begun such an effort on the early education and other 
bills.
Henry vowed the fight is not over, "not by a long shot."
A spokesman for Henry said if Coffee were serious he'd contact the governor directly, 
rather than send a letter to the media. 
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Lobbyists told reporters they were called to meetings outside the capitol and 
encouraged to make contributions to a choice of four possible funds including House 
Speaker Lance Cargill's political action committee.
Last year solicitations were reported to have been made inside the capitol.
Cargill, R-Harrah, and the lobbyists said there was nothing illegal about the meetings this 
year, at the office of a GOP fund-raiser five miles from the capitol.
"Proper and ethical," Cargill called them.
Democrats such as Oklahoma City Rep. Richard Morrisette, observing that the reports 
surfaced as Cargill's new ethics bill awaited House action, called it clear pressure on 
special interests to pay up if they want favorable action on their legislation.
Morrisette and his Democratic colleagues, recalling the scandal surrounding former 
Texas Rep. Tom Delay, have repeatedly called for consideration of their amendments to 
Cargill's ethics reform bill that would ban political contributions while the Legislature is 
meeting.
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The House passed Cargill's plan to review 99 state agencies with the prospect of 
possible consolidation or elimination of some of them by a 69-24 vote following debate 
that featured some bipartisan opposition.
In the process, an effort by Rep. Lucky Lamons, D-Tulsa, to amend the bill to move 
toward consolidation of law enforcement agencies prompted an angry exchange with 
Speaker Pro Tem Gus Blackwell, R-Goodwell.
As Lamons tried to debate against the bill, Blackwell warned him three times that he was 
violating House rules by talking about his repeated efforts for law enforcement 
consolidation instead of the bill at hand. Then Blackwell cut off his microphone and 
called on the next speaker.
"I've never been cut off in debate," Lamons complained later. "I was going to vote for 
the bill. I guess I should ask the speaker pro tem in advance what I should say."
In response, Blackwell said Lamons "has a history of flaunting the rules. He apparently 
thinks the rules don't apply to him, unlike the other 100 members of the House."
House Bill 2100 would create an independent panel to review state agencies every eight 
years, with the first proposals due Dec. 1, 2008. The recommendations would require an 
up or down vote by lawmakers, who would not be allowed to amend them.
"We know that efforts to consolidate agencies are highly political in nature," Cargill said. 
"What we've seen at the federal level is an effort to depoliticize these decisions and base 
them on sound economics and fiscal policy."
It was not unusual for Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, to debate against a 
leadership bill but Rep. John Trebilcock, R-Broken Arrow, also argued vigorously 
against the bill.
Trebilcock said "bad legislation is bad legislation no matter who is the author."
"I am not for outsourcing our responsibility," he said.
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Everything didn't come up roses in the latest estimate of growth money available to the 
2007 Legislature, but it wasn't ragweed either.
"We're not talking about a decline in growth," said Gov. Brad Henry. "This is not a dire 
situation at all."
Instead of the $277 million in growth revenue forecast in December, lawmakers will have 
$114 million that can be attributed to a healthy economy. All sources considered, about 
$232 million more can be spent next fiscal year instead of the $517 million in new money 
forecast in December.
With a host of pleas for increased funding from agencies and some enthusiasm for new 
tax cuts, the governor asked legislative leaders to use caution in spending over the next 
three months.
A notable hit for motorists comes to Oklahoma's road program, which will have less to 
spend because income tax growth did not hit the three percent target that would trigger a 
$50 million addition to $120 million already set aside by law. With growth at 1.7 percent, 
the increase will be $137.5 million.
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