Doerflinger: Earmarking Could Spell Trouble For Future OK Budgets, Economy
Earmarking strains Oklahoma state budgeting process
by The Oklahoman Editorial Board
WE’VE previously noted that legislative earmarking of tax collections puts too much state spending on autopilot while also reducing financial oversight.
State Finance Secretary Preston Doerflinger, who heads the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, has been among those highlighting this problem, and he continues to sound the alarm.
“This is one of the single areas where I think we resemble the federal government too much and, if we’re not careful, we’re going to resemble them a lot more,” Doerflinger told The Oklahoman’s editorial board in a recent meeting.
It’s estimated that only about 30 percent of federal revenues are controlled through Congress’ “discretionary” budget; the remainder is spent on entitlement programs and other “mandatory” spending. In comparison, state lawmakers controlled 55 percent of state revenue in 2007, but just 44 percent more recently thanks to earmarking.
“We’re getting closer to that point where the federal government is, where their elected officials have very little control over the dollars that come in on an annual basis. And if they want to regain it, they have to unwind these big, complex programs that they have created,” said John Estus, director of public affairs for OMES. “That’s where, over 20 to 30 years, state government has been headed. They’re tying their own hands in a lot of ways.”