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Communications & Public Affairs
March 14, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Scott Inman
Phone: (405) 557-7370

Inman Offers Opportunity to Negotiate Revenue Deal on House Floor

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Scott Inman has filed an amendment to an amendment on House Bill 2152 to offer an opportunity to debate and pass multiple revenue raising measures on the House floor.

House Bill 2152, authored by Speaker Charles McCall, is currently a shell bill that is expected to be used as a vehicle for a future revenue raising measure. The amendment filed by Inman would cap itemized deductions at $12,500 for single filers and $25,000 for joint filers, eliminate capital gains exemptions, and restore the historic gross production tax on oil and gas to 7 percent.

“This amendment and this bill represent an opportunity to put a revenue package together on the House floor,” said Inman, D-Del City. “The amendments I have put forward represent the same revenue raising measures that House Democrats requested in the Step Up Oklahoma plan negotiations that failed to make it into the final legislation.”

By allowing the revenue package to be pieced together on the House floor through amendments, House members would have an opportunity to not only say they support raising revenue to support teachers and state agencies but prove it.

“We chose the Speaker’s shell bill because we want the Republican Party to bring their ideas to the floor as well,” Inman said. “It’s time to end this fiscal crisis and start producing results. Let’s put the ideas on the floor and see what happens.

“The House Democratic Caucus has been very open and direct through this process, and we have no problem showing the people of Oklahoma exactly what we support and – just as importantly – don’t support. If a House member doesn’t like an idea, they should vote ‘no.’ If they do support it, obviously, they can vote ‘yes.’ What we don’t want to happen is for Republican leadership to tell the people of Oklahoma they don’t deserve to see how a member votes by tabling the amendments.”

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