A group of business, civic and community leaders have formed a group named Step Up Oklahoma calling on lawmakers to pass several reform and revenue measures to correct the state budget process. The plan includes a $5,000 teacher pay raise.
The Step Up Oklahoma reforms support recent calls from elected officials for greater efficiency and accountability in state government. Revenues in the plan will provide funding for education, health care and other core services.
“Legislative leaders and the governor are all focused on solutions and this is encouraging,” commented David Rainbolt, BancFirst executive chairman and Step Up member. “It’s no longer enough for business leaders to play Monday morning quarterback. We’ve got to step up to partner with our elected officials in finding solutions and bringing citizen support that helps everyone to make the tough choices that will move Oklahoma forward.”
Rainbolt continued, “We must all support efforts to stabilize the budget while at the same time enacting real reforms. Revenue combined with reforms will put our state on a firm foundation to better serve our citizens. While this plan is not perfect, it puts the state on a positive trajectory.”
The government reform measures will give lawmakers the tools they need to root out waste and allow time for long-term planning to put into place greater accountability.
“We are serious about the reforms,” commented Tucker Link, founder and chairman of Knightsbridge Investments, an OSU/A&M Regent and Step Up member. “Rural Oklahoma has been hit particularly hard by our budget challenges. Hospitals are closing and schools are struggling to keep their doors open. While many of these reforms will require constitutional changes and take time, we believe they need to be on the table. Oklahomans want their government to run efficiently, and they want quality core services. This plan will do that.”
“Education is the key to building a better Oklahoma,” commented Phil Albert, President of Pelco Structural, OU Regent and Step Up member. “Teachers are the difference makers. To attract and retain fine teachers, we must compensate them adequately. The time to act on teacher salaries is now.”
The plan will raise $800 million with over $250 million to support teacher salary increases and the remainder to support core services.
“Our citizens want a financially sound and efficiently managed state,” Rainbolt said. “This plan will reverse our course and revive our future for the benefit of all Oklahomans.”
House Democrats reacted to the Step Up Oklahoma plan by issuing a statement saying it lacked enough detail for their taste, while taking a swipe at Republican leadership.
“We are appreciative of the members of the business community who recognize that the failed Republican fiscal policy is the cause of Oklahoma’s current budget crisis.
However, we believe the plan presented today is lacking in important details, and our caucus is hesitant to endorse the proposal at this time, especially given the stark lack of diversity among the members of the coalition. We will be discussing the plan with members of our communities and districts and also with stakeholders who were left out of the coalition, such as the wind industry, state employees, teachers, correctional officers, and working families who have been adversely impacted by devastating budget cuts.
House Democrats released a budget plan almost a year ago, the Restoring Oklahoma Plan. We are encouraged that Step Up Oklahoma’s proposal incorporated portions of that Plan, such as the Gross Production Tax and the Personal Income Tax, but again, those portions of the proposal are severely lacking in details.
The House Democrats and Step Up Oklahoma seem unified in the belief that if we don’t invest in Oklahoma teachers, public employees, healthcare, education, roads, and corrections, our entire state economy is left in peril. The House Democratic Caucus is ready to work with Step Up Oklahoma to build on this common ground and form a budget solution that works for all Oklahomans,” read the House Democrats statement.
