Culver gives update from Capitol

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Bob Ed Culver, R-Tahlequah, said agency performance reviews and budget request hearings are currently underway in the House.

"Each entity that receives state appropriated dollars is statutorily required each year to appear before House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittees to explain how they spent prior fiscal year funding and detail their budget requests for the next fiscal year. This is a good way for us to make sure taxpayer dollars are spent the way we intended," Culver said.

This is done in advance of the legislative session each year to give them context before they create the state budget.

"The House has 10 A&B subcommittees that will hear from 74 different appropriated agencies, boards or commissions," Culver said.

This past week, the following A&B subcommittee met: Education, Natural Resources, Human Services, Finance, Transportation and Public Safety. Several of the committees met over several days to hear from the multiple entities that come under their purview. Previously, the A&B Judiciary Subcommittee met.

Between Jan. 27 and Jan. 31, the House will hear from the six agencies that receive the largest portion of state appropriated funds. Culver said these meetings are held in the House chamber so all members can attend and ask questions if they wish.

"All our meetings are available to the public to attend in person or to watch on our website. To see a list of upcoming meetings, go to okhouse.gov and choose 'News & Media' then live proceedings. To watch a past meeting, go to the calendar view on the left side of the page and search by day, week or month. This is a great way to stay involved in your government," Culver said.

There is also the Budget HQ button on the front page of the website, which provides a wealth of information on the budget process, including each agency's current budget request.

Culver said the House Administrative Rules Committee also met this past week.

"This committee has an important role. Each year, multiple pieces of legislation enacted into law require state agencies to promulgate rules to help them administer the requirements of the law," he said. "These rules must go through a public comment period and come back to the Legislature to be approved before they take effect. Once approved, they have the force of law, so it's important we examine them and make sure they support legislative intent and don't create statute outside of the legislative process."

The members of the Administrative Rules Committee take most of session to read through all of the rules that are presented to them before they make a recommendation to the full House to approve the rules or disapprove certain ones.

Anyone needing assistance from Culver are asked to call his Capitol office at 405-557-7408 or email him at bob.culver@okhouse.gov.