State Lawmakers 'Blind Sided' By Governor Over Will Rogers Commission

NewsOn6.com

CLAREMORE, OK --  Two state lawmakers are not happy with a surprise they found in Governor Brad Henry's 2010 budget released on Monday. 

The surprise is a proposal to eliminate the Will Rogers Memorial Commission and the J.M. Davis Commission and put both facilities under the Oklahoma Historical Society. The Will Rogers Memorial Commission oversees the memorial in Claremore as well as Will Rogers' birthplace museum and ranch near Oologah.

State Senator Sean Burrage and State Representative Tad Jones tell The News On 6 they were not informed of the proposal before it was included in Governor Henry's proposed budget, which was unveiled Monday. Senator Burrage says the directors of the two facilities were not informed, either.

Paul Sund, director of communications for Governor Brad Henry, says the administration is proposing a lot of consolidations as a way to cut expenses. 

According to the proposed budget, "Oklahoma has 180 state agencies, some of which have overlapping missions, responsibilities and duties. These overlapping responsibilities can lead to unclear lines of authority which limits accountability, decreases efficiency and increases the cost of government."

As far as not informing the two Rogers County lawmakers beforehand, Sund says the Governor was simply following the State Constitution, which requires the Governor to begin the legislative session by submitting a balanced budget plan to the Legislature on the first Monday in February.  

"We understand that proposed consolidations are not popular, particularly with the affected administrators, but with a $1 billion shortfall, there aren't many popular or easy ideas for saving money."

Representative Jones, an Oologah graduate and a Republican, says he's not surprised the Governor didn't inform him of the plan beforehand. But Senator Burrage, a Democrat, says he was blind sided.

"At first blush I'm totally opposed to it," Burrage said. He also said that if it's not good for Rogers County he'll make sure it doesn't happen.

Representative Jones says a previous governor tried the same thing and it failed.

"I believe these agencies are different because of the intricacies of the collections and their ownership and that is why they should always be separate," Jones said. "Governor Keating tried to put the Will Rogers Memorial and J.M. Davis Commissions together 11 years ago and because of the complexities of the collections, the bill was repealed the following year."