Fallin, Shannon Differ On Budget Ideas
Okla. gov, speaker differ on state budget ideas
by Sean Murphy, AP
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Gov. Mary Fallin and House Speaker T.W. Shannon differ on how to tackle several major budget issues, including the use of bonds to pay for infrastructure improvements and a tax incentive for horizontal oil and gas drilling, the governor’s chief budget negotiator said Thursday.
Secretary of Finance Preston Doerflinger said during a summit on the state budget that Fallin prefers a bond issue to pay for infrastructure improvements instead of the “pay-as-you-go” approach supported by Shannon and some House conservatives. The summit was hosted by the Oklahoma Policy Institute, a Tulsa-based think-tank that supports additional funding for state programs.
Fallin last year signed a signature proposal by Shannon to develop a long-term plan to address improvements to some of the state’s dilapidated facilities in part through the sale of state property, but Doerflinger said the governor has concerns about that approach given some of the state’s more pressing needs.