The Oklahoma Legislature called a concurrent special session last week to facilitate the spending of the $1.8 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. This lets the Legislature continue to be involved in how to spend the money.

As of last week, $17.8 million in requests have been received by a committee for about 1,400 projects.

The vast majority of states have used their traditional budgeting process to deploy ARPA funds, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures. Oklahoma’s budgeting process involves both the legislative and executive branches.

“The joint committee and its executive branch partners have been digging deep and preparing an outstanding plan for use of the significant taxpayer dollars available to state government through ARPA,” said House Speaker Pro Tempore Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow.

The special session call also covers appropriations related to Project Ocean, an economic development project considering Oklahoma for a major manufacturing operation. Under legislation introduced this session, $698 million would be allocated under the Large-scale Economic Activity and Development Act (LEAD Act) to pursue Project Ocean. “We are confident Project Ocean will choose Oklahoma, but should it not, this mechanism allows for the legislative action necessary for the allocated funds to be quickly recaptured,” Hilbert said.

Related to Project Ocean, the Fiscal Year 2023 budget agreement reserved $250 million for the Progressing Rural Economic Prosperity Fund (PREP) to help retrofit areas of Oklahoma such as industrial parks to compete for future economic opportunities.

The concurrent session can remain open after regular session adjourns, which must occur by 5 p.m. May 27.

Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the Legislature may call itself into session when two thirds of the members of each chambers sign a call for special session.