House Media Division
Rep. Sean Roberts said today he will propose on Monday to modify a plan to provide $40 million to the American Indian Cultural Center.
Senate Bill 1651 would provide $40 million towards the completion of the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum from the state’s Unclaimed Property Fund.
Under his proposal, the legislation would be amended to instead provide $20 million to make repairs to the exterior of the Oklahoma State Capitol and $20 million to fund K-12 schools.
“It is irresponsible to propose providing money to a questionable project that will primarily benefit Oklahoma City when we are struggling to provide adequate funding for education and for the repair of the ‘People’s House,’” said Roberts, R-Hominy. “The Senate expects us to rubberstamp this spending that is just another example of the misguided proposals when it comes to spending the people’s money. The House of Representatives is trying to take a common-sense approach to spending. Our biggest priorities are and continue to be the education and safety of our citizens.”
Roberts noted that one of the reasons that we need more educational funding is that the federal health care law known as Obamacare is increasing the cost of insurance for schools.
“Rising health care costs will widen the funding gap in education,” Roberts said. “There is an estimated $60 million impact from these costs on schools. My proposal would be a huge win for teachers and students. It’s a small step in the right direction towards addressing this funding shortfall.”
In addition, The Oklahoma State Capitol building has a variety of maintenance and repair needs, but the exterior of the Capitol is the most pressing from a safety perspective, Roberts said.
Bravo! Any politician who is pushing money for the AICCM will be hearing about that in the primary.
That’s a promise…
You can add Common Core support, expanding medicaid, and any bond issue to that list as well.