OCPA REPORT: 

A major achievement of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s first year was gaining the authority to appoint directors at five major agencies. His work to eliminate agency use of contract lobbyists should be seen in the same light. In both instances, Stitt is ensuring Oklahoma’s executive branch has a true executive leader, rather than a system in which rogue agencies work at cross-purposes.

Article VI, Section 2 of the Oklahoma Constitution gives the governor the “Supreme Executive power,” yet for years the governor has been head of the executive branch more in name than reality. Most agencies were run by unelected commissions or boards, and it took years before a majority of those groups’ members were appointees of the current governor. This created situations where agency leaders were free to work to undermine a governor.

For example, some state licensing entities have quietly lobbied against licensing reforms that would preserve public safety while allowing more people to pursue a career, particularly low-income Oklahomans.

Similar problems arise with agency use of contract lobbyists. Oklahomans elected the governor to run the executive branch, and no agency should be pursuing any objective that isn’t first cleared with the governor’s office.

But the problems created by agency use of contract lobbyists go beyond fomenting division in the executive branch. If an agency uses an in-house legislative liaison to communicate with legislators, those communications are public record. But if an outside lobbyist is used, that lobbyist’s communications with legislators are not subject to open-records law.

Also, while state agencies cannot contribute to political campaigns, contract lobbyists can. In effect, when agencies hire contract lobbyists, they direct taxpayer money to lobbyists who then often contribute to legislators’ campaigns. Indirectly, agencies are using taxpayer money to fund legislators’ campaigns.

The Stitt administration found 33 state agencies, boards and commissions have private contracts with lobbyists and spent about $1.5 million per year for each of the last two years on lobbying. Now he’s implemented a ban on the practice.

For too long, agencies have been allowed to use taxpayer money to hire expensive outside lobbyists to pressure the Legislature to give them more taxpayer money or pursue other interests that may not be supported by taxpayers. If that’s not a scam, it comes pretty close. Oklahomans owe Gov. Stitt their thanks for his work to end this abuse.

Jonathan Small serves as president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs ( www.ocpathink.org).