Oklahoma City, OK - State budget negotiations are better done behind closed doors, according to one Republican leader.
Rep. Ken Miller, who serves as chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee, on Wednesday declared that budget negotiations, most of which take place behind closed doors among a small group of officials, are transparent enough. He declined a challenge from Democratic officials to increase transparency by allowing cameras to broadcast the negotiations.
"Rep. Miller has frequently given lip service to increased transparency in government proceedings, but when push comes to shove, he'd rather have his own important meetings in secret," said Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair Todd Goodman.
Democratic House members pressed the issue with Miller on the House floor during Wednesday's session after a day of business that consisted almost solely of passing appropriations authorizations with no content. They asked if Miller would allow cameras to broadcast the pending budget negotiations to other members as well as to the public; Miller cracked a few jokes and declined.
"In recent years, most of the budget negotiations have taken place in exclusive meetings. This last year's budget came up woefully short of what our state needed, and Republicans ended up sacrificing important services such as senior nutrition and public safety," Goodman noted.
"I don't want to see those kinds of problems again, and I think adding transparency to the process would keep our legislative leaders more accountable to Oklahoma families."
Nationally, Republicans have criticized Democrats for not allowing cameras to broadcast negotiations on the Congressional health care legislation. But Miller, who is running for State Treasurer, refuses to subject his own negotiations to similar standards.
"If this is the kind of public servant Ken Miller wants to be, then I think Oklahomans should ask a lot more questions about what else he's trying to hide behind closed doors," Goodman noted. "He's already trying to keep us out of how he's spending taxpayer dollars. We can only assume he'd do the same as treasurer."
Posted on
Thu, February 4, 2010
by Karina Henderson
filed under