Teague, S. Roberts Request House Study On Accountability, Agency Funding

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 5, 2018

Reps. Sean Roberts, Teague Request Study on Legislation to Provide Accountability and Funding for State Agencies

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Reps. Sean Roberts and Tess Teague have requested a study to review the six pieces of legislation they filed during the 56th Legislature’s second extraordinary session.

Lawmakers can request studies on various topics to take place in the interim period between sessions. These studies give legislators an opportunity to dive deeper into issues without the distraction of a normal session.

“My constituents have been clear,” said Roberts, R-Hominy. “They aren’t happy with the way money is being wasted in state government, and they are tired of their tax dollars being lost to greed, incompetence and negligence. We owe it to our citizens to look at ways that we can save taxpayers money and still provide for our state’s core services. I believe these six pieces of legislation are a step in the right direction. I hope this study is approved and all my colleagues attend.”

The six bills were filed as part of the 2017 second special legislative session.

“New taxes aren’t the answer to a problem that stems from a lack of accountability and oversight,” said Teague, R-Choctaw. “It’s time for the Legislature to stop playing games with other people’s money and start passing legislation that addresses the problems our state agencies face.”

The proposed legislation includes:

• House Bill 1043XX, which enforces a performance audit of the State Department of Education. This would be performed by the state auditor.
• House Bill 1044XX, which requires the Commissioners of the Land Office (CLO) to provide every teacher with a $500 annual stipend for classroom supplies.
• House Bill 1045XX, which caps superintendent salaries to that of the governor’s. The governor’s salary is currently $147,000 per year. This legislation mimics federal law.
• House Bill 1046XX, which consolidates superintendents across Oklahoma’s more than 500 school districts. This would only affect counties with populations less than 400,000.
• House Bill 1047XX, which requires the state superintendent to submit to the Legislature and the governor a rolling five-year plan to meet existing and future public education needs for funding and policy reform.
• House Bill 1048XX, which reallocates $15 million of lottery funding for textbooks and curriculum technology.

“These measures are responsible reforms that add accountability to government and offer ways to provide funding for government services without raising taxes on Oklahomans,” said Roberts. “Finding solutions that don’t end with the government taking more money from citizens is why lawmakers are elected. I hope this study will help other lawmakers realize that there are other options to fund government – options that the people of Oklahoma demand.”

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