House Media Division
Rep, David Dank said today that end-of-session assessments by some legislative leaders ignored compromises and unfinished business that should only merit a C-minus grade for the 2013 legislative session.
“I’m not sure where the A grades are coming from, but I guess some legislators are grading on a very generous curve,” said Dank, R-Oklahoma City. “The 2013 legislative session is marked as much or more by what we failed to do then by what we actually achieved.”
Dank said legislators again failed to address meaningful tax credit reform, pared the personal-income tax cut back to a delayed minimum and “completely dropped the ball on ethics issues.”
“Recent loosening of rules on campaign finance reporting have made it possible for some to use campaign money as a virtual slush fund, with minimal accountability,” he said. “The more widespread these questionable practices become among legislative leaders and committee chairs, the less likely they will ever be reformed. The way the rules are written and enforced is an open invitation to corruption.”
Dank said the House overwhelmingly passed his bill to establish stringent criteria governing tax credits, but that the Senate then defeated it.
“By the end of the session we were right back cramming tax credit goodies into last-minute bills,” he said. “Some claimed that we made some small reforms in wind and coal tax credits, but the truth is they will cost the state multi-millions by extending the sunset provisions. These are a scam on the taxpayers, a fact that will soon be exposed .”
Dank said he was especially disappointed in the complex nature of the workers compensation reform bill, which began the session as a simple measure to replace the state’s court-based workers comp system with an administrative one similar to that used by 48 other states.
“The widely touted workers compensation reform bill – almost as massive and indecipherable as Obamacare – did shift our system from a court based one to an administrative system, but last-minute amendments – after workers comp lawyers had spread around piles of campaign cash – muddied that bill so badly that it may be years before we know what it really does,” Dank said.
Dank also noted that backers of bills that consolidated or eliminated some state agencies or commissions touted an annual savings of $350,000.
“State government is such a complicated, duplicated mess that we ought to be able to save $350-million, not just $350,000,” he said. “Is that the best we can do?”
Dank said he was especially disappointed with the small personal income tax cut, which was then delayed for up to two years.
“The small income tax cut passed after two years of grunting and heaving amounted to about the cost of a nice dinner out for most taxpayers,” Dank said. “At that rate, we might achieve the goal of eliminating the state income tax – which most Oklahomans support – when our great-grandchildren will benefit.
“Day after day, the session’s deliberations turned not on public policy and what is best for Oklahoma, but on what looked politically popular,” Dank stated. “It was a C-minus session at best.”
Thank you Rep. Dank for being honest in your review of the session. It is deplorable that there is little, if any, savings to the taxpayer while the special interest once again walked out with pockets full of our dollars and benefits. One other shame is that the Highway Patrol was promised a raise and got a bag full of nothing in the end… these selfless servants shouldn’t have to be on food stamps in order to feed their families. I rate the session a D (for deplorable) if not a BIG FAT F (total failure for the taxpayer)!
Rep. Dank. I agree 100% with your assessment. Give the accomplishments of the legislature an ‘A’ for ‘big talk’ and ‘feel good’, and a “D” for any meaningful legislation. The tax credits ( especially wind) will be the downfall of our schools that won’t receive one dime of the give-aways.