Political Pulse

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Despite the announced departures of other
Democrats in Congress, Oklahoma’s only Democratic congressman says
he plans to campaign to keep his seat.
U.S. Rep. Dan Boren tells The Oklahoman’s Washington bureau that
he’s not surprised some moderate Democrats are retiring. He says
the political environment is a contributing factor to those
decisions to step down and that some of the older Democratic House
members would “rather leave on a high note.”
Boren says he’s never thought about leaving the House and plans
to visit all 25 counties in his district next year multiple times.
At the end of September, he had about $1.3 million in his campaign
account.
Eleven Democrats have said they won’t run again and a freshman
House member from Alabama said last week he was changing parties
and becoming a Republican.

The National Council of State Legislatures says Oklahoma has the biggest percentage budget gap in the country. While State Treasurer Scott Meacham rebuffs that assertion, he did say that state government is facing a revenue failure of more than three quarters of a billion dollars.

According to the preliminary estimates that the State Board of Equalization will likely certify on Tuesday, lawmakers are looking at a much smaller budget next fiscal year. As things stand now, the Legislature will have nearly $5.3 Billion for the next spending plan. That’s a decrease of $1.322 Billion or 20-percent less.

Before the Legislature can start on the next budget, it must first figure out a way to fill a $530 Million hole in this budget.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - As Congress considers final passage of
health care overhaul legislation, three state lawmakers say they
want the state to opt out of the new system.
Republican Reps. Mike Ritze and Mike Reynolds and GOP Sen. Randy
Brogdon say they plan to file the Freedom of Healthcare Choice Act.
The legislation will allow a vote of the people to opt out of the
proposed federal system and preserve the existing healthcare system
in Oklahoma.
Ritze, a physician, says the Congressional proposal may result
in reduced access to a family doctor, rationing of services or even
outright denial of care.
Modeled on an Arizona proposal, the legislation would place
language on the ballot to amend the Constitution to declare what
types of health care systems could exist in the state.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Thousands of devoted fans turned out in
Norman to catch former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah
Palin on her book tour, urging her to run for president in 2012.
But many national Republicans are looking on nervously.
Some in the GOP worry that the enthusiasm Palin generates among
grass-roots conservative voters isn’t enough to power a Republican
victory over President Barack Obama in 2012. Others think she’s not
up for the job.
Palin hasn’t indicated whether she plans to run. But in a
wide-open Republican field with no obvious front-runner, she’s
well-known and excites big crowds.
GOP strategist Greg Mueller notes that Palin’s appeal is
antiestablishment and populist, going beyond presidential politics
to cultural identification.
The stop in Norman was part of a tour promoting her book -
“Going Rogue.”

The Oklahoma Legislature is working to find out how further budget cuts will affect various state agencies. In almost every case, agency heads have said services that Oklahomans use and rely on will likely be curtailed or cut altogether.

Lawmakers are collecting this information for two primary reasons. One is because they want to see how to address the current revenue shortfalls which lead to the cuts. The other is because it appears revenues won’t return to pre-recession levels until after the next fiscal year.

Below are the stories concerning those budget hearings and what the Legislature faces when it starts to create the next state budget.