OK Governor blocks budget transparency

Governor Brad Henry vetoed House Bill 2575, which would have required the Department of Education to finalize its reporting codes and procedures by May 1st, and prohibited the department from changing the codes more than once a year. The bill had previously been unanimously approved by both chambers, who said it would have brought greater transparency for school spending in Oklahoma.

“I can’t believe that Governor Henry actually claims that House Bill 2575 reduces the ability to track funds. In fact, the bill would actually reduce the ability to hide funds while also relieving school districts of a bureaucratic burden. Working with one set of accounting codes for an entire year does not seem to harm other states. We understand that Kansas has not changed its education accounting codes in several years while Oklahoma has changed them multiple times in the same year, making it difficult for districts that have to report the spending. The fact that HB 2575 passed unanimously in both chambers proves that Governor Henry is not responsive to the needs of Oklahomans,” said Brian Downs, Executive Director of Oklahomans for Responsible Government.