Cargill: House GOP To Push For More Reforms

Close on the heels of the 2007 legislative session marked by new fiscally conservative accomplishments, House Republican leaders are preparing for a renewed push for government accountability, restraint and efficiency over the next year, says House Speaker Lance Cargill.

“Over the decades, Oklahoma’s state government has simply grown too large, and there are a number of state departments and commissions that could be easily combined into other, corresponding portions of state government,” said Cargill, R-Harrah. He noted that new House efforts on government consolidation come as lawmakers are marking the end of a session in which they spent less on the state budget than the year before, likely a historic first.

At the same time, Cargill said, he ensured that the Oklahoma House’s own annual budget this year saw no increased appropriation from the year before. “Our House budget was a good example of our commitment to hold the line on state spending,” said Cargill. “In a time when lawmakers could have spent more, we spent less money on the state budget than the year before. We made real progress toward restraining government growth this year, but we need to keep pressing forward with reforms.”

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