Senator Roger Thompson comments on canceled Senate Appropriations meeting

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, commented on his decision to cancel Wednesday’s Senate Appropriations Committee meeting.

“The Senate is committed to meeting the needs of all Oklahomans, and my colleagues and I have vowed to do that through an open and transparent budget process,” Thompson said. “The Senate has released its proposed state budget for everyone to see. It’s time for the House to do the same.” 

“The Senate Appropriations Committee will not meet until the House publicly releases its budget numbers,” said Thompson, who chairs the committee. “I respect the House’s process, and I anxiously await the public release of their budget figures so we can work together to fulfill our constitutional duty to fund our state government.”

Thompson also canceled last week’s Senate Appropriations Committee meeting after House budget leaders declined to publicly release their spreadsheet with proposed figures for the upcoming fiscal year.

The Senate on March 18 passed Senate Resolution 31, which details the chamber’s proposed state budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. As part of the Senate’s transparent budget process, chamber leaders have sought budget figures from their House counterparts before voting on any House bills that have a fiscal impact. 

The Senate Appropriations Committee was poised to consider 42 House bills on Wednesday prior to the meeting's cancellation.

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For more information, contact: Sen. Roger Thompson at 405-521-5588 or email Roger.Thompson@oksenate.gov