Lawmakers have time to fix this budget crisis, if they choose to (Capitol Updates)

Steve Lewis served as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1989-1991. He currently practices law in Tulsa and represents clients at the Capitol.

The reaction to Lt. Governor Todd Lamb’s resignation from the governor’s cabinet over opposition to her proposal to add the sales tax to services has been overdone. Lamb, who’s planning a governor’s race next year, wanted to separate himself from an unpopular tax proposal, and to some extent, from a governor who might become a liability in next year’s election. Without some dramatic action, Lamb likely felt that his 8-year association with Governor Fallin as her Lt. Governor would hurt his chances in a competitive race.

Nearly everyone, Democrat or Republican, opposes a broad sales tax on services, so some Republican legislators took the opportunity to jump on the bandwagon with Lamb and publicly declare their opposition. The total was 10 Republican Senators and 17 Republican House members. No doubt there are many others who oppose the plan but chose not to publicly draw a line in the sand against the governor. The plan, which was a non-starter regardless of Lamb’s actions, can now be pronounced dead.

The real danger is that both the governor and legislative leaders will interpret the reaction to a poorly conceived and unpopular tax proposal as total opposition to any potential revenue raising plan. If that happens legislative leaders will give up without even trying to stabilize the state budget and continue letting the state fail to meet its obligations and full potential. Polling will always show that, as a general proposition, people believe they are paying plenty of taxes and that the government should be more efficient. But in a crisis like we are in, the people will support those who find a workable, explainable solution.

There is plenty of time left in the session for leaders to hammer out a plan that can pass and that the public will support. It’s going to take a couple of things. First, the Republicans, who have more than a few members who will never vote for any tax increase, are going to have to sit down in the same room with Democrats and find enough common ground to bring the votes of nearly all the Democrats. And Democrats are going to have to recognize that Republicans will never agree to putting most of the burden on those who put them in power. It’s just not going happen. It’s going to take spreading the burden in several places. If the leadership on both sides has the will to do this, it can be done. Or, if they’d rather just keep staking out their position for the next election that can happen, too.