The Oklahoma House and Senate can’t seem to agree on how to enact a budget package to help Oklahomans struggling with high inflation.
On June 15, the House passed a series of relief measures, including lowering sales tax on groceries and reducing state personal income tax.
The Senate has argued that since the House also adjourned sine die, those bills can’t go to the governor for his signature.
“The Senate has spent all its time this week finding reasons not to help Oklahomans with inflation. From starting studies, to refusing to author bills senators already authored in regular session, to deliberately not convening session for action on bills passed by the House and requested by the governor, the Senate has run out of excuses. Oklahomans are tired of waiting. The Senate should act now,” said House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka.
“The inflation relief the House delivered can become law as soon as the Senate stops delaying and starts acting,” said House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City. “The House desk remains open to receive whichever bills the Senate passes so the governor can sign them into law, contrary to inaccurate statements otherwise.
“The bottom line is if the Senate was passing bills instead of fabricating false legal excuses, Oklahomans could stop paying state sales tax on groceries come July 1. If senators don’t want to help Oklahomans, they should just say so and stop blaming everyone but themselves.”
The House sent the following bills to the Senate on June 15 in the Third Extraordinary Session of the 58th Oklahoma Legislature:
- HB 1008XXX: Two-year personal income tax reduction from 4.75% to 4.5%, beginning in tax year 2022
- HB 1009XXX: Permanent personal income tax reduction from 4.75% to 4.5%, beginning in tax year 2022
- HB 1011XXX: Two-year increase of the sales tax relief credit from $40 to $200, beginning in tax year 2022
- HB 1012XXX: Two-year state grocery tax moratorium with no restriction on local changes, effective July 1, 2022
- HB 1013XXX: Two-year state grocery tax moratorium with restriction on local level changes, effective July 1, 2022
- HB 1014XXX: Permanent state grocery tax elimination with no restriction on local changes, effective July 1, 2022
- HB 1015XXX: Permanent state grocery tax elimination with restriction on local changes, effective July 1, 2022
- HB 1020XXX: Inflation relief funding budget adjustment restoring Health Care Authority budget to reflect surplus due to agency receiving larger than anticipated federal matching funds.
According to House legal staff, there is no legal basis to back up false claims that these bills cannot become law. Because the House directed its desk to remain open after the special session Sine Die motion, the bills can be received after the Senate votes on them and sent to the governor for signature.
The desk can remain open as long as is necessary. It does not have to close today. All that is needed for these bills to become law are Senate votes to approve them and signatures from the governor, who has signaled his support.