Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin vows to veto any proposal to cut agency budgets

Gov. Mary Fallin said Friday she will veto any special session proposal that would cut agency budgets — a warning to lawmakers as they search for at least $215 million in revenue next week.

In a written statement, the governor also said putting a cigarette tax proposal to a statewide vote is not an option. House Speaker Charles McCall has said if he cannot gather enough votes to adopt the tax immediately, he will push for a ballot initiative.

"The earliest the issue could be decided by voters is June, the last month of the current fiscal year," Fallin said. "It doesn't fix the budget hole because it would not generate any revenue for this fiscal year."

McCall responded, saying that cuts are necessary unless the governor supports using rainy day funds and money left over from last year's revenue. He also accused Democrats of playing politics with Oklahomans' health care.

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