Oklahoma House Democrats had a unified message on the floor Tuesday.
Whether it was a measure about student loans or airport inspections, nearly every Republican running a bill during the morning session was asked the same questions: Does this bill have any recurring revenue? Does this bill have any impact on this year's budget?
There was the occasional testy exchange, such as when Rep. Cory Williams asked Rep. Elise Hall about her specialty license plate bill.
"We have 24 legislative days left. Does this bill have anything to do with fixing the $878 million budget shortfall?" Williams said.
"You know, in fact, if more people buy this license plate, it will be more money going to general revenue and more money going to the aeronautics commission, so we're all doing our part," Hall said.
Rep. Eric Protcor went a step further when he pressed Rep. Tim Downing on his measure about roofing subcontractors.
"Representative, in your response to a previous question, you stated that we're running the train on time, yet we're supposed to fund education by April 1 and today's date is April 18," Proctor said. "So, we may have a different definition of time in Tulsa than you do in your neck of the woods, but we're not on the right track, correct?"
Republican leaders in the legislature say the budget process is ahead of schedule. Democrats are pushing them for more action, including raising gross production taxes.
