LAWMAKERS OK EMERGENCY AID FOR CORRECTIONS

Oklahoma legislators easily passed a $9.8 million emergency funding bill
Monday to prevent employee furloughs in the state Corrections Department
next month. Meeting in special session, the House voted 95-0 for House Bill
1007X. The Senate voted 40-1 for it, with only Sen. Frank Shurden,
D-Henryetta, opposing the legislation.

"Oklahoma has many budget challenges, especially in the public schools, but
the most pressing problem at this point in time was in public safety," said
Sen. Cal Hobson, who will lead the Senate next session. "Had we done
nothing and allowed the furloughs to take place, the lives of state prison
guards and the general public would have been endangered. That would have
been irresponsible at best."

Gov. Frank Keating is expected to sign the legislation today.

"The Legislature acted wisely to protect public safety and the welfare of
DOC employees," Keating said. "This situation constituted an immediate
crisis which could have endangered lives through inadequate staffing at
prison facilities. It was the right thing to do, and I appreciate the
cooperation of leaders of both parties in both Houses, and of
Governor-elect (Brad) Henry.

"It is encouraging that we were able to work so smoothly together to
address a very real problem."

Henry, a Democratic state senator from Shawnee, was present for the vote
and cast his last vote as a senator. Senators asked him to make the motion
to adjourn the special session in the Senate.

Keating said he doesn't anticipate calling legislators back for an
additional special session during the remainder of his term. Henry will
take office Jan. 13.

"They will convene as scheduled in February, and by that time the state's
financial picture should be more clear," Keating said.

Hobson, D-Lexington, said legislators hope this appropriation will help get
the Corrections Department through April.

"This buys us time," Corrections Director Ron Ward said.

A few questions were raised in the Senate and House before the bill was
considered.

Shurden asked whether the Corrections Department's problem was a result of
the Keating administration's efforts to build private prisons.

Sen. Dick Wilkerson, D- Atwood, who handled the bill, said, "There's plenty
of blame to go around, including us."

Sen. Jerry Smith, R-Tulsa, asked whether the state couldn't save money by
putting some inmates into community sentencing programs.

The House took little time to pass the bill after it arrived from the Senate.

Former House Speaker Loyd Benson, D-Frederick, presided over the vote at
the invitation of outgoing Speaker Pro Tempore Terry Matlock, D-Garvin.

For Benson, Matlock and numerous other legislators, Monday's vote would be
the last they would cast as public servants.

House and Senate members elected in November will be sworn in today.

"I know down through the years there have been some controversies," Benson
said before the vote, "but one thing we could always lean on was that at
the conclusion of everything, we were all Oklahomans looking out for the
interests of Oklahomans."

Before House members made their vote, some asked what Corrections is doing
besides proposed furloughs to control incarceration costs.

Rep. Danny Hilliard, D- Sulphur, who Monday served a final time as House
majority floor leader, said corrections costs have more than doubled since
1994.

Hilliard said he was certain the department's administrators were looking
for other ways to trim costs, such as possible sentence commutations,
reviving community sentencing programs and possibly moving inmates from
private prisons to cheaper county jails.

Some members, however, appeared unconvinced corrections is really trying to
make ends meet.

"Can you tell me if corrections has made any effort to save money, or is it
just waiting for us to decide we need to give it more?" asked Rep. Joe
Sweeden, D-Pawhuska.

After the session, Hobson, scheduled to be the Senate president pro tempore
for the next regular session, said there were indications Monday that a lot
of senators want to get involved in discussions about the prison situation
and its policies during the Legislature's regular session.

"I don't think there is a quick fix," he said.

Hobson said members can consider such issues as expanding the drug court
program, community sentencing and even examine a repealed law that required
certain nonviolent inmates to be released early if the prison population
reached a certain level.

That law, referred to as the prison cap law, was repealed in 2001.

Hobson said other state operations, including public schools, are suffering
because of the state budget crisis.

Commenting on dealing only with the prison situation in the special
session, Hobson said:

"For our schools and other important programs that are hurting, I know that
this may not be the most popular use of emergency funds, but given the
circumstances, it was the only responsible option available. We all wish
that we could snap our fingers and make all the budget problems go away,
but, unfortunately, we don't have the resources to do that."