Fallin, Legislative Leaders Proud of Successes
Despite tiffs, Oklahoma’s Republican legislative leaders, governor proud of successes
By Michael McNutt
The GOP-controlled Legislature and Republican governor had three crowning achievements this year, but their main accomplishment may have been the ability to compromise.
Gov. Mary Fallin got her reduction in the personal income tax cut, but it won’t take effect for 18 months; House Speaker T.W. Shannon got $120 million to repair the Capitol without a bond issue but it’s spread out over the next two years; and Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman had to remove a cap on medical reimbursements included in an earlier draft of a measure to change the workers’ compensation system.
But after taking care of those high-priority issues, and reaching a budget agreement May 2, one of the earliest dates in several years for a budget agreement to be reached, squabbles started developing. Most of them involved Shannon, R-Lawton, being at odds with Bingman, R-Sapulpa, or Fallin.
Shannon, in his first year as speaker, allowed more conservative measures to be heard in the House of Representatives than his predecessor, Kris Steele, R-Shawnee. Steele didn’t allow measures favored by the more conservative members of his GOP caucus to get heard on the House floor during his two-year tenure.