OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday signed two bills to fund state government through the end of April but called on lawmakers to return to the Capitol to provide additional dollars for the next two months after one of his priority projects was not fully funded.
Stitt said he would not sign the third bill in a budget stabilization package sent to him by lawmakers and accused House leadership of playing “Washington, D.C.-style politics.”
Legislative leadership, however, said the governor has the bills on his desk needed to resolve an impending revenue failure in the state budget. They have no plans to return to the Capitol to backfill a cut made to Stitt’s priority project, a digital transformation fund.
“The House and Senate remain united by our actions to swiftly stabilize the budget, and call on the governor to finish the job,” said House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka. “Further legislative action is not needed when a stabilized budget is already on the governor’s desk.
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“There is no benefit to having the budget certainty the Legislature swiftly provided jeopardized because of opposition to a noncritical issue representing 0.003% of the budget. This is especially true when the Legislature just gave the governor authority to allocate $50 million at his discretion during his catastrophic health emergency declaration.”
Stitt also backed off on his desire to cut state agencies by up to 2% for the current fiscal year, but said the state needs to tighten its belt for future fiscal years.
The governor did not sign Senate Bill 199, which sends $301.3 million from the state Rainy Day Fund to the General Revenue Fund. Accessing those dollars is contingent on action by the Board of Equalization.
After the House’s passage Monday of the three revenue bills, Stitt abruptly canceled the Board of Equalization meeting, citing technical difficulties with the measures. The panel was poised to declare a revenue failure.
The Senate then passed all three bills and sent them to Stitt.
Stitt on Thursday said House Leadership was using the situation to “play Washington, D.C.-style politics and sneak in some last-minute changes while Oklahomans are hurting.”
He expressed concern that the digital transformation fund was not spared cuts when lawmakers passed bills to fund the rest of government.
Stitt said digital transformation is more important now than ever before, citing 165,000 people who have applied for unemployment and 33,000 state employees working from home.
The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission is federally funded and does not receive a state appropriation. In monthly reports to lawmakers, OMES officials do not mention that the digital transformation fund was to be used for upgrades to the OESC or for telework for state employees.
In addition, a bill passed in 2017 allowed OESC to use a portion of unemployment taxes for technology upgrades, which is ongoing.
Unemployed residents have reported widespread problems and long waits with attempts to file for unemployment.
Stitt said the digital transformation fund, which has $8.4 million in it, was shorted about $930,000.
“But really the question is why would we fund $450 million and 100% of government for April, May and June but exclude one small piece,” Stitt said. “That is the question.”
The budget shortfall for 2020 is expected to be $416 million to $450 million.
House Budget and Appropriations Chairman Kevin Wallace, R-Wellston, said lawmakers had conversations with Stitt’s staff about the budget plan and no cuts were snuck in.
Wallace said Stitt’s Budget Secretary Mike Mazzie, a former Republican senator from Tulsa, was attempting to tell lawmakers how to handle bills, but they had already decided on a course of action in light of the circumstances. Mazzei then got frustrated and ended a phone call, Wallace said.
Wallace said Stitt may not be getting the information he needs. He said the budget bills were posted late Friday, so they could be read.
He said the first time he heard Stitt’s office had a problem with one of the bills was shortly after noon on Monday.
Although Stitt said Thursday he was not pursuing agency cuts for 2020, Mazzei has asked agencies to resubmit budgets with a 3% cut, said Senate Appropriations Chairman Roger Thompson, R-Okemah.
The governor could tap into the $50 million lawmakers gave him to handle the COVID-19 crisis to address the transformation fund, leaders said.
“I am fully funding state government for April,” Stitt said. “There is plenty of time for the Legislature to come back and fix this for May and June. That is what I am asking them to do. We had an agreement. I am going to stick with the agreement.”
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Gallery: Tulsans adjust lives, businesses during pandemic
Altered lives: See how these Tulsans are adjusting their lives and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic
Altered Lives: Local bookstore transitions to online
The Frugal Bookworm, for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic, is transitioning to an online bookstore.
“With the world changing the way it is and more and more people feeling like maybe it’s not the right time to come out and risk their health, we are trying to make the smartest decisions for our customers, as well as ourselves,” co-owner Ash McCumber said.
“We really had to kind of sit down and restrategize how we think about books and business. ... And a vast majority of our customers are older. My business partner and myself are both immunocompromised. So while this is a tough decision for us to make financially, it also makes the best sense for us when it comes to our health.”
Altered Lives: Sequoyah seniors' prom
Kerry Page, the mother of a high school senior, got emotional last weekend. It wasn’t because of what her son lost. It was because of what he was given — a “barn prom for two.”
Kerry’s son, Dakota Page, is a senior at Sequoyah High School in Claremore. Dakota left school March 13 with the intent of enjoying spring break and returning to school a week later to wrap up the final chapter — the best chapter — of his senior year.
But seniors everywhere were robbed of once-in-a-lifetime moments by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their final sporting events were canceled. Their proms were scrapped. They may not get to wear caps and gowns in front of friends and family members at a commencement ceremony.
Altered Lives: Therapist Dennis England
For Dennis England, the human touch is an important part of the work he does.
“I’m a hugger by nature, and I’ve always believe that some kind of physical connection is therapeutic in some way,” said England, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist who has been in private practice for the past decade.
“Whether it’s just shaking hands, giving someone a pat on the shoulder, or big old bear hug, depending on the individual’s comfort level, that physical touch is a valuable part of the bonding and communication that you need to have with the people you’re working with,” England said. “It’s part of the trust that has to develop between a client and a therapist.”
Altered lives: Tulsa County District Judge Bill LaFortune
Bill LaFortune still gets up every morning and gets ready for work. But he doesn’t dress up quite like he would normally, and, like most people these days, he doesn’t leave the house much.
There’s no donning of robes, either.
“I am able to do a tremendous amount of work here at the house with my Chromebook (computer), so it’s been a real life-saver and a game-changer,” said Tulsa County’s presiding district judge. “And I think for all the judges, as they all get them, … it is really going to allow us to keep cases moving as best we can while court is closed.”
Altered Lives: Food truck owner Megan Brister
Becoming an entrepreneur at age 27 is no small feat.
Opening your first food truck amid shelter-in-place orders for the general public is something exponentially more challenging.
But Megan Brister couldn’t be deterred by a global pandemic.
“I thought about it – but didn’t put too much thought into it – because I’ve been working toward this for so long,” said Brister, who opened the Taco Taco truck on March 21 at 8101 S. Harvard Ave.
Altered Lives: Zookeepers
The Tulsa Zoo is closed because of the coronavirus, but life goes on for the 3,000 animals and the zookeepers who tend to their daily needs.
“We’re here 365 or 366 days a year, giving care to the animals,” said Joe Barkowksi, zoo vice president for animal conservation and science.
“We’re kind of a 24/7 operations, so this isn’t really a lot different for us," he said, "except that we don’t get to enjoy the guests out here."
Altered Lives: Real estate agents Josh Rainwater and Kim Vining
For real estate agents Josh Rainwater and Kim Vining, 2020 started out to be a record-breaking year. In the first two and a half months of this year, the duo had sold more than double the number of homes as they at this time in 2019.
Then came the restrictions over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, with government officials urging citizens to practice “social distancing” and limiting the size of any public gathering to no more than 10 people.
Such restraints might seem a sure way to turn a winning streak into a losing proposition. Yet, for Rainwater and Vining, agents with Coldwell Banker Tulsa, the past few weeks have been almost business as usual.
Altered Lives: Area schools and students
Oklahoma’s kids are going to get back to the business of school on Monday from the confines of home.
But what will “distance learning” look like for a 4-year-old? How will third-graders stay on track in reading through the end of their milestone year? How will a middle- or high-schooler finish a band credit all alone?
We went right to the sources — local teachers — to find out how they’re going to make learning possible when it might seem impossible.
Altered Lives: Tulsa pastors
In a pre-coronavirus world, it would be every pastor’s worst nightmare — preaching to an empty auditorium because no one showed up for Easter services.
But that’s exactly what the Rev. Bill Scheer, pastor of Guts Church, and many other Tulsa pastors will do Sunday, Easter morning, as Americans shelter in their homes to slow the coronavirus pandemic.
And Scheer is upbeat about the situation.
“There’s a lot of negatives about this, but the positives far outweigh the negatives. They really do,” he said.
Altered Lives: Sanitation worker Doug Kackowski
There are no two ways around it — hauling trash is a tough, dirty job.
And in the age of COVID-19, it’s potentially dangerous.
Doug Kackowski doesn’t worry much about that. This garbage truck driver just does his job.
“I think I’m a little old school in my thought process,” said Kackowski, 54. “I’m kind of like, your body will get used to it. I wouldn’t let it affect me until it happens, you know, ‘cause until then, it’s a useless worry.”
Altered Lives: Personal trainer Jason Montroy
Jason Montroy was a regular visitor to the gym. Now that it’s closed, the personal trainer and Oklahoma Union coach created Montroy G & G (garage and gym) at his house. He works daily with his 9-year-old son Chase, a youth wrestler and football player.
During a hot Thursday in Collinsville, the pair did leg work on the driveway and in the garage.
“He wants to work out,” Montroy said. “It’s really cool for him to have that desire to want to do it and be shown the right way and the right form.”
An added benefit is an unexpected opportunity for father-son bonding time.
Altered Lives: Cinema owner Mike Mendenhall
Spring break usually brings popular movies to theaters for families with children out of school, and that can mean a week of “catching up for the year” financially for an independent theater owner like Mike Mendenhall at Eton Square Cinema.
This year’s COVID-19 spring break instead saw those hit movies postponed and Mendenhall closing his theater at 8421 E 61st St. for the immediate future, laying off 15 employees to go sign up for unemployment.
“We’re just shut down. It’s not like there’s any curbside service we can offer,” he said.
Altered Lives: Elementary teacher Akela Leach
As Oklahoma public schools adopt distance learning models to both continue to educate students and protect against COVID-19, the word “distance” hits hard.
Teachers like Akela Leach miss their kids fiercely.
“One moment you are with these kids every single day and you become like a caretaker away from home,” said Leach, a fifth grade teacher at Tulsa’s Lanier Elementary, “and then you’re just separated.”
Altered Lives: Food Bank executive director Lori Long
Coronavirus restrictions make this an awkward time for someone in a leadership position to change agencies.
After nearly 13 years as executive director of The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges, Lori Long had to order its doors closed for what would have been her last day at work Wednesday.
On Monday, she will start as executive director of the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, unable to meet with her new staff, who are in the middle of a growing emergency situation because of the pandemic with so many people out of work and with kids out of school.
Altered Lives: Music venue owner Donnie Rich
Donnie Rich was among those who helped save, and restore, the Outsiders House.
Now he’s trying to save his business.
The Venue Shrine, a live music venue at 112 E. 18th St., is in financial danger due to circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The music industry — artists and venues — have been impacted by a stoppage of live music gatherings.
Altered Lives: Tulsa barber Adrian King
Adrian King told Guerin Emig early Thursday he will comply with the order to close his barber shop.
"After having some time to think things over I have decided to follow (the) 21-day shutdown order as it is the responsible and safe thing to do," King said in a text message. "In our second talk (Wednesday) I was talking from pure frustration from all that has happened in such a short time."
King closed his text with "Stay safe."
During stressful times, Fred Rogers of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” would share this message: Look for the helpers. We’re finding them, and w…
