House Speaker Loyd Benson has derailed budget negotiations again, threatening to stall the entire state budget until State Senate leaders agree to a list of road projects drawn up by members of the House, according to Senate President Pro Tempore Stratton Taylor.

"Just when we thought we were going to reach an agreement and get on with the people's business, the Speaker threw a new demand on the table. He's basically threatening to hold the entire state budget hostage until he gets his way on a bunch of road projects," noted Senator Taylor.

OKLAHOMA CITY - Every year in this country some 275 million worn out tires are thrown away. Some are being recycled, but Senator Carol Martin would like to see more of that being done here in Oklahoma. The problem is tire-recycling companies can only take in as many tires as they send out in the form of recycled products. In other, the input can only be as great as the output.

By rejecting a bipartisan solution to Oklahoma's car tag dilemma,Governor Keating has confirmed that he is more interested in partisan politics than he is in affordable tag prices, according to the leader of the Oklahoma State Senate.

Today, the Governor vetoed a car tag reform bill for the second year in a row.

More Oklahoma college students will have scholarship opportunities under an education reform clean-up bill approved by the State Senate Wednesday. In addition to correcting flaws in a 1999 education reform act, HB 2728 will expand eligibility requirements for the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP).

Statement by Senator Stratton Taylor, Senate President Pro Tempore

"Senator Monson expressed concerns about whether the appointment was a wise use of taxpayers' dollars given the duplicative nature of the post and asked that her committee be able to review it."

"I'm disappointed that Governor Keating has inappropriately tried to inject race into a policy debate, but given his track record of offensive public statements, I'm not surprised."

Statement by Sen. Angela Monson, Chairwoman of the Senate Finance Committee

"This isn't about racism, it's about spending tax dollars wisely and managing state government in an efficient manner. To suggest otherwise is racially offensive."

Statement by Senator Stratton Taylor,
Senate President Pro Tempore

"This isn't a compromise. It's the exact same proposal that they've been pushing all session long. They've dressed it up in slightly different clothing this time, but it still guts funding for education and road construction without doing a single thing to reform the excise tax on car purchases. They may not mind draining money out of public school classrooms or stalling road improvements, but I don't think there is any public support for those ideas."

The Oklahoma Black Legislative Caucus is calling on Governor Keating to retract racially charged remarks he made Thursday at the State Capitol and apologize.

In a media event staged by the Governor, Keating told reporters that Senator Angela Monson and Democratic leaders would be making a "racist statement" if Monson did not advance the appointment of Russell Perry as Secretary of Commerce.

House Speaker Loyd Benson and Senate President Pro Tempore Stratton Taylor announced late today that both Houses have reached a final agreement that will allow lawmakers to put the finishing touches on the state budget.

Speaker Benson said he was pleased by the agreement.

"Writing a state budget is a huge task at best," he said, "but the hard work has paid off. We have a solid proposal for a balanced budget - a proposal that's good for Oklahoma. Improving the higher education and health care systems is vital to the quality of life of every Oklahoman."

A car tag proposal touted by Governor Keating and House Republican legislators does nothing to reform Oklahoma's flawed excise tax system and therefore is not a reasonable resolution of the ongoing tag debate, according to the author of HB 2663, the tag reform measure vetoed by the Governor.

Senator Jim Maddox has been working to see if a compromise on the tag issue is possible during the final days of the legislative session.