‘Very close’: Oklahoma House, Senate continue working on state budget agreement

Published

3 weeks ago

April 30, 2024

Press Room

‘Very close’: Oklahoma House, Senate continue working on state budget agreement

Barbara Hoberock
| Oklahoma Voice

House Speaker Charles McCall on Monday said he hopes to get a state budget agreement this week.

“I think we are very close,” McCall, R-Atoka said.

But the House and Senate do not have an agreement on a possible income tax cut.

McCall and Gov. Kevin Stitt have been pushing for a cut in the state’s 4.75% income tax.

The Senate, however, has been steadfastly opposed.

Earlier this year, lawmakers and Stitt eliminated the state’s portion of the sales tax on groceries.

Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, has said that was as far as his chamber was willing to go.

More: Tornadoes likely to change state budget priorities, Senate leader says

An income tax cut is one of the few sticking points left, McCall said.

“Hopefully, we will work through those,” he said.

McCall said an income tax is necessary and warranted, adding that the state has record surpluses.

“I don’t see it harming our economy at all because you are just leaving money in people’s pockets to spend,” McCall said. “And they will. It will come back to the state in sales tax dollars.”

Stitt, McCall and Treat have not met as a group to finalize things, McCall said.

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Oklahoma City approves basketball arena development agreement

Published

6 hours ago

May 21, 2024

Press Room

Oklahoma City approves basketball arena development agreement

A development agreement for a professional sports arena in Oklahoma City, costing at least $900 million, won approval Tuesday in a 7-2 city council vote.

The deal with the owners of the National Basketball Association’s Oklahoma City Thunder allocates the lion’s share of the project’s funding to the city, with the team contributing $50 million.

Oklahoma City will own the state-of-the-art National Basketball Association arena — targeted for completion in June 2028 and no later than June 2030 — and will be responsible for its maintenance, City Manager Craig Freeman told council members ahead of their 7-2 vote approving a development agreement.

Oklahoma City

In December, Oklahoma City voters overwhelmingly approved the continuation of a Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS 4) one-cent sales tax for six years beyond its April 1, 2028, expiration date. The revenue will secure a minimum of $772 million in financing for the project, according to City Manager Craig Freeman. The city will also contribute $78 million in MAPS 4 funds that have been earmarked for Paycom Center, which has been the Thunder’s home since 2008.

Those two funding sources are the only public funds available for the project, Freeman told the city council. If costs exceed budgeted funds, the deal calls for the parties to “work together to value engineer the project” and that PBC Sports and Entertainment LLC, the Thunder’s owner, has the option to privately fund portions of the project, according to a city summary of the agreement.

Oklahoma City will own the state-of-the-art NBA facility — targeted for completion in June 2028 and no later than June 2030 — and will have the ultimate responsibility for its maintenance, Freeman said.

The arena’s financing plan is unclear. Oklahoma City Chief Financial Officer M. Brent Bryant, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, said in December the city will evaluate various financing options while the design and construction timeline is developed.

Prior to that, the use of privately placed tax anticipation notes, structured like a line of credit, was being considered to bridge the gap until the arena facility sales tax collections begin in 2028.

MAPS financing began in 1993 with voter approval of a temporary one-cent sales tax. City voters passed the debt-free, pay-as-you-go funding method in subsequent years, most recently MAPS 4 in 2019 to raise a projected $1.1 billion over eight years starting in 2020.

Under the approved development agreement, revenue from the voter-approved sales tax that remains after the arena’s construction and repayment of financing costs will be allocated to capital improvements and maintenance of the arena, which will be located at the city-owned site of the former Cox Convention Center.

The team’s 25-year commitment to remain in Oklahoma City begins when it moves into the new arena.

Last week, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law a bill that gives major league sports teams that have at least $10 million in new payrolls within a year quarterly state rebate payments for up to 5% of the actual gross payment of sport-league jobs employed by the team for the duration of the team’s existence in Oklahoma, according to a legislative report on the measure.

The payments are capped at $10 million annually and would be clawed back if the team does not remain in Oklahoma for more than three years.

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Oklahoma has a teen vaping problem. It’s time to hold the adults who sell to them accountable

Published

13 hours ago

May 21, 2024

Press Room

Oklahoma has a teen vaping problem. It’s time to hold the adults who sell to them accountable

Cynthia Roe
| Guest columnist

Oklahoma has a teen vaping problem. More than 20% of Oklahoma high school students report using e-cigarettes in the last 30 days, compared to 10% of teens nationally. That’s not acceptable. Oklahoma’s children deserve better than a lifetime of addiction to nicotine and the health consequences that come with that.

Last year, the Legislature passed a measure to hold youth accountable when they’re caught purchasing, using or possessing tobacco or vape products. The law calls for an educational course, and then fines if the course is not completed.

It’s time to hold the adults accountable, too. Current law fines the clerk behind the counter for selling to minors but levies no fine against store owners. That should change. Store owners are responsible for training their employees and responsible for what happens in their stores.

This year I authored House Bill 3331 with Sen. Jo Anna Dossett. The bill, which is being considered by the Legislature, would add fines for stores owners in addition to the current fines on clerks. The fines would begin at $250 for the first offense and escalate to $1,000 for the third and subsequent offenses. Repeat offenders could also lose their license to sell tobacco products.

More: Oklahoma ranked No. 3 state for most e-cigarette use, has most residents who vape daily

Vape aerosols contain addictive nicotine and other substances which can lead to irreversible disease and lung damage. The toxic aerosol contains cancer-causing substances, as well as heavy metals like lead and nickel. Nicotine exposure under the age of 25 can damage the developing brain, impacting memory, attention and learning.

Almost 9 out of 10 adults who smoke cigarettes daily say they started before they were 18, so preventing youth from starting is key to tobacco prevention efforts. Flavorful vapes with color packaging and high concentrations of nicotine are Big Tobacco’s way of hooking the next generation of users.

To help store owners, the Oklahoma State Department of Health provides free resources to tobacco retailers and training for employees through their Validate program, all of which is available at ValidateOK.com.

With free training in place, there’s no excuse for any store or employee to sell tobacco or vapes to underage individuals. Still, kids are getting these products from adults, and the adults should be held accountable.

HB 3331 is a step in the right direction. It’s a measure that will protect Oklahoma’s youth from the predatory marketing of Big Tobacco and set our state on a course for better health outcomes in years to come.

Rep. Cynthia Roe is a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives for Oklahoma’s 42nd District.

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