Committees

Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, today released the following statement after State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd released an audit of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER) spending.  “After a cursory review of Auditor Byrd’s report, I find her conclusions to be extremely troubling for our state and the hardworking taxpayers of Oklahoma. As elected officials, our first duty is to represent our constituents and be good stewards of their hard earned money. The findings in the report show a pattern of irresponsible spending and questionable decision making that was not in the best interest of the Oklahoma taxpayer. The Legislature was excluded from the appropriation process for these funds. The decisions on how and where to spend them was made unilaterally by the Executive Branch, resulting in little oversight and the documented misuses of taxpayer money. Issues like the ones raised in the audit report are why my House colleagues and I insisted on a tax credit approach for parental choice rather than ESAs or vouchers, which can lead to misuse of funds, corruption and little to no accountability. The use of a tax credit avoids public funds being co-mingled with private funds, and provides for increased accountability in the process. Oklahomans expect their government to spend tax dollars transparently, accountably and free from waste, fraud and abuse. It is clear that was not the case with the funds scrutinized in the audit. The Oklahoma House of Representatives will continue to monitor the investigation to see what legislative actions need to be taken to avoid situations like this in the future.”

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Jim Grego, R-Wilburton, today expressed his anger after receiving news that the Oklahoma Veterans Commission voted 5-0 to close the Talihina Veterans Center, effective immediately. "This means 36 families have just 90 days to find a place to care for their loved ones," Grego said. "This is a disruption and a disgrace to these veterans who faithfully sacrificed and served our nation and to their families who want to keep their loved ones nearby." Grego said he and the families of the veterans housed at the Talihina Veterans Center were totally blindsided by the news. There had been talk of leaving the Talihina center open until a new veterans center is completed in Sallisaw. The opening for that center is at least 18 months away, however, and the date of completion has been pushed back multiple times since the center was first bid in August 2020, Grego said. Just this year, the Legislature appropriated an additional $10.8 million towards completion of the center to meet rising construction costs. "This has proven to be a disaster," Grego said. "Our Veterans Commission and the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs should be focused solely on taking care of our veterans and their family members, but this latest move fails them." Grego said he's reached out to the governor's office expressing his disappointment as the governor has been in charge of appointing members to the commission. Grego's office also has been in contact with the ODVA. He said he's been told veterans can be placed into private care, but there's a question over who will pay for this. Other than that, they may be moved across the state to other veterans centers. Grego has been working to keep the Talihina Veterans Center open since he was first elected to legislative office in 2017. He said this latest news feels like the rug has been pulled out from under him and the constituents he serves. "It's beyond frustrating," he said.

The Oklahoma House of Representatives voted Monday to override the veto of a measure allowing any tribe with an existing motor vehicle licensing or registration agreement with the state to extend the agreement until Dec. 31, 2024.  House Bill 1005X was filed in the First Extraordinary Session of the 59th Legislature, making it eligible to be considered for a veto override after the May 26 sine die of the regular session. The bill first passed the House with a 82-13 vote on May 24 and later passed the Senate 40-4.  House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, said the override was necessary to avoid a harmful effect on the state budget and facilitate further conversations regarding the compacts.  "Extending the compacts in their current form while tribal and state leaders consider any alternative agreements is our best option to keep this important revenue stream available and avoid potentially harmful effects on the state budget," McCall said. "Recently, a number of conversations between state and tribal leaders regarding the compacts have taken place, sparked in large part due to the introduction of these compact bills in their original form. The House, in passing this legislation, is exercising their proper authority in the compacting process and we look forward to continued conversations until a new long-term deal is struck." Veto overrides require a two-thirds approval from each chamber and must begin in the bill's chamber of origin. HB1005X passed the House 74-11 on Monday and is now available for consideration by the Senate.  The House also approved House Concurrent Resolution 1002X to remove the June 30 special session deadline to allow more time for both chambers to consider legislation in special session.