OKPOLICY.ORG
The legislative session began with promises to fix Oklahoma’s structural deficit, fund a teacher pay raise, and stop the reckless use of one-time funds that make our budget problems worse in future years. Unfortunately, lawmakers are now considering a budget deal that breaks all of those promises. Instead of adopting strong, sensible revenue options, they cobbled together a budget using legally questionable gimmicks and even more cuts that will be passed down to regular Oklahomans.
The results of this budget will be a continuing exodus of teachers from Oklahoma schools, larger class sizes and fewer educational opportunities, failing protections for public health and safety, and collapsing support for children, seniors, and Oklahomans with disabilities — in other words, more of the same, but worse.
Oklahomans want and deserve better, even at the cost of coming back into special session to do this right. Lawmakers should vote down this budget and come up with a responsible plan. Join the call to lawmakers to come back with a plan that puts regular people over special interests. [See the full budget statement from OK Policy and the Save Our State coalition here.]
What You Can Do
- Look up contact information for your State Representative by typing your address into the tool below. Call their office to tell them to vote down SB 860 and come back with a budget deal that funds our communities. If phone lines are busy or voicemails are full, you can send them that message with an email.
- You can also join us at the State Capitol tomorrow. Oklahomans are dressing in black and bringing flashlights to show legislators that we are willing to shine a light onto the budget process and find the path to a better budget!
Vote no in SB 860. Take your time and study this to come up with better plans.
Robyn venable
Concerned but avid voter
Vote no in SB 860. Take your time and study this to come up with better plans!!
My heart is breaking that we are not taking this opportunity to find a solution. The real job creators are paying people a decent wage and providing access to quality education. I have found no credible evidence that restoring the gross production tax to 7% will harm the oil and gas industry, or reduce the jobs.
You tested your no-tax policy on businesses. It has failed. Let’s move forward.
Karla Finnell
Get rid of people and start tending to the OK states business. Too many republicans are wasting their time trying to make a name for themselves. If they knew so much they could work out a budget.