CONTACT:
Damon Gardenhire
Oklahoma House of Representatives
Capitol: (405) 962.7679
gardenhire@okhouse.gov

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 27, 2007) – House Speaker Lance Cargill expressed his disappointment over the governor’s Friday afternoon veto of five state agency funding bills that match the governor’s own executive budget.

"While vetoing your own budget may make for great political theater, the citizens of Oklahoma are left to scratch their heads and wonder what exactly the governor is doing," said Cargill (R-Harrah). "We are common-sense people in this state, and vetoing your own budget makes no sense at all. Instead of issuing smoke-and-mirrors press release about emergency clauses, which could be passed in other legislative vehicles, the governor should have made a good faith effort toward resolving this impasse by signing the agency budgets on which we all agree. That’s not too much to ask."

Cargill said passage of the package of funding legislation by both the House and Senate was an attempt to find common ground with Governor Henry and to move forward with the people’s business after the governor vetoed an overall bipartisan state budget plan a month ago. In late March, the governor indicated he agreed with 90 percent of an overall bipartisan budget plan in House Bill 1234 before he vetoed the measure, but he has since declined to offer specific details about what portions of the budget plan he disagrees with

"Leadership is about more than just sitting on the sidelines and throwing rocks at good ideas," said Cargill. "The governor has vetoed our budget. Now he’s vetoed his own budget. But he and his gridlock gang of House Democrats still refuse to publicly advance a new plan.

The five bills passed last week and vetoed by Governor Henry Wednesday include funding for the Conservation Commission, Department of Libraries, Human Rights Commission, Tax Commission, and the State Treasurer’s office.