Facing massive budget cuts, Oklahoma House rejects revenue package

A tax revenue package that would have injected $342 million into next year's budget failed after a contentious day of political fights over how Oklahoma's government should be funded.

Despite warnings from Democrats that they wouldn't support the measure, House leadership pressed forward with a three-pronged tax increase on cigarettes, gasoline and production of oil and gas.

Without at least a handful of Democratic votes, the package was doomed to fail because Oklahoma's Constitution requires a supermajority for tax increases.

Gov. Mary Fallin and Republican leadership challenged Democrats to support the measure in a Tuesday afternoon news conference, saying House Bill 2414 was a compromise that would shore up hundreds of millions of dollars in recurring revenue. Hours later, the bill reached the House floor.

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