FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Jim Newport
Capitol: (405) 557-7355
Ponca City: (580) 765-3939
House Budget Leader Calls on Governor to
Address Centennial Needs Now
OKLAHOMA CITY (July 29, 2005) - Rep. Jim Newport today questioned why
Governor Brad Henry is stalling on cost-effective solutions for funding
centennial and corrections needs.
"Governor Henry and liberal Senate Democrats seem obsessed with the idea
of having a special session," said Newport, R-Ponca City, vice chair of
the House Appropriations and Budget Committee. "I can only conclude
they're more interested in posturing and lining their own pockets with
extra pay than they are in achieving real solutions on public safety and
our state's centennial."
Newport said Governor Henry's stalling tactics call into question
liberal Democrat motives for pushing for an expensive special session.
He pointed to the weekly cost of a special session -- about $150,000
each week, most of which goes to extra pay for lawmakers.
Speaker Todd Hiett has called on the governor to spend more than three
million dollars in excess Commerce Department funds to help the
centennial commission meet its immediate needs.
"I hope the governor is not planning on using that money as a slush
fund," said Newport. "Special sessions shouldn't be a tool for the
Governor to correct his mistakes and cover his tracks. Instead of
playing politics, the governor and liberal Senate Democrats need to work
toward making our cost-effective solutions reality."
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