Legislative Leaders Announce GCCA

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Legislative concern about tight revenues this year has prompted the leaders of the House and the Senate to assemble the joint committee that will write Oklahoma's state budget.

The bipartisan House/Senate General Conference Committee on Appropriations must reconcile state funding requests with available tax revenues for Fiscal Year 2003, House Speaker Larry E. Adair and Senate President Pro Tempore Stratton Taylor said. The budget writers must finish their task before the Legislature adjourns in late May.

This is the earliest that GCCA appointments have been made in at least 16 years, Taylor and Adair noted.

Rep. Mike Mass, D-Higgins, House Appropriations and Budget Committee chairman, will chair the House/Senate GCCA this year. Sen. Kelly Haney, D-Seminole, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, will be the GCCA vice chairman. Leadership of the group alternates between the House and Senate each year, Taylor and Adair related.

The 83 House members who will serve on the GCCA include Speaker Adair, D-Stilwell, and Speaker Pro Tempore Terry Matlock, D-Garvin, both of whom will be ex officio members of the delegation. Also serving are Majority Floor Leader Danny Hilliard, D-Sulphur, and Minority Leader Fred Morgan, R-Oklahoma City.

Composition of the House subcommittees of GCCA this year will be:

EDUCATION
Jack Begley, D-Goodwell, chairman; Loyd Benson, D-Frederick; Debbie Blackburn, D-Oklahoma City; Abe Deutschendorf, D-Lawton; Mary Easley, D-Tulsa; Larry Ferguson, R-Cleveland; Terry Ingmire, R-Stillwater; Tad Jones, R-Claremore; Ray McCarter, D-Marlow; Elmer Maddux, R-Mooreland; Doug Miller, R-Norman; Bill Nations, D-Norman; Jim Newport, R-Ponca City; Larry D. Roberts, D-Miami; Barbara Staggs, D-Muskogee; J.T. Stites, D-Sallisaw; Opio Toure, D-Oklahoma City; Dale Wells, D-Cushing; and Susan Winchester, R-Chickasha.

GENERAL GOVERNMENT
Jerry Hefner, D-Wagoner, chairman; Bill Case, R-Midwest City; Mark Liotta, R-Tulsa; Mike O'Neal, R-Enid; Bill Paulk, D-Oklahoma City; Richard Phillips, R-Warr Acres; Bob Plunk, D-Ada; Gary Taylor, D-Dewey; and Dale Turner, D-Holdenville.

HEALTH and HUMAN SERVICES
Bill Mitchell, D-Lindsay, and Don Ross, D-Tulsa, co-chairmen; Carolyn Coleman, R-Moore; Kevin Cox, D-Oklahoma City; Odilia Dank, R-Oklahoma City; Joe Eddins, D-Vinita; Darrell Gilbert, D-Tulsa; Joan Greenwood, R-Moore; M.C. Leist, D-Morris; Al Lindley, D-Oklahoma City; Wayne Pettigrew, R-Edmond; Russ Roach, D-Tulsa; Curt Roggow, R-Enid; and Robert Worthen, R-Oklahoma City.

NATURAL RESOURCES and REGULATORY SERVICES
Randall Erwin, D-Nashoba, chairman; Jack Bonny, D-Burns Flat; David Braddock, D-Altus; Kevin Calvey, R-Del City; James Covey, D-Custer City; Lloyd Fields, D-McAlester; Bill Graves, R-Oklahoma City; Todd Hiett, R-Kellyville; Joe Hutchison, D-Jay; Fred Perry, R-Tulsa, Clay Pope, D-Loyal; Dale Smith, D-St. Louis; Hopper Smith, R-Tulsa; Fred Stanley, D-Madill; Raymond L. Vaughn, Jr., R-Edmond; Mike Wilt, R-Bartlesville; and John Wright, R-Broken Arrow.

JUDICIARY, PUBLIC SAFETY and LAW ENFORCEMENT
Jari Askins, D-Duncan, and James H. Dunegan, D-Calera, co-chairs; Chris Benge, R-Tulsa; Forrest Claunch, R-Midwest City; Kenneth Corn, D-Howe; Frank Davis, R-Guthrie; Jim Glover, D-Elgin; Charles Gray, D-Oklahoma City; Chris Hastings, R-Tulsa; Danny Hilliard, D-Sulphur; Ron Kirby, D-Lawton; Ron Langmacher, D-Carnegie; Fred Morgan, R-Oklahoma City; John Nance, R-Bethany; Greg Piatt, R-Ardmore; Tim Pope, R-Mustang; Larry Rice, D-Pryor; Leonard Sullivan, R-Oklahoma City; Joe Sweeden, D-Pawhuska; Mike Tyler, D-Sapulpa; and Dan Webb, R-Oklahoma City.

2002 GCCA SENATE ASSIGNMENTS

Senator Enoch Kelly Haney, Chair
Senator Cal Hobson, Vice Chair

SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Senator Cal Hobson, Chair
Senator Mike Morgan
Senator Glenn Coffee
Senator Johnnie Crutchfield
Senator Ted Fisher
Senator Charles Ford
Senator Brad Henry
Senator Robert Milacek
Senator Mark Snyder
Senator Penny Williams

SUBCOMMITTEE ON GENERAL GOVERNMENT

Senator Larry Dickerson, Chair
Senator Brooks Douglass
Senator Dave Herbert
Senator Owen Laughlin
Senator Keith Leftwich
Senator Bruce Price
Senator Scott Pruitt
Senator Jeff Rabon

SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Senator Ben Robinson, Chair, Health and Social Services Agencies
Senator Robert Kerr, Chair, Human Services Agencies
Senator Bernest Cain
Senator Sam Helton
Senator Carol Martin
Senator Angela Monson
Senator Jonathan Nichols
Senator Nancy Riley
Senator Frank Shurden
Senator James Williamson

SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND REGULATORY SERVICES

Senator Rick Littlefield, Chair
Senator Kevin Easley
Senator Mike Fair
Senator J. Berry Harrison
Senator Maxine Horner
Senator Mike Johnson
Senator Paul Muegge
Senator Kathleen Wilcoxson

SUBCOMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, PUBLIC SAFETY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES

Senator Dick Wilkerson, Chair
Senator Billy Mickle
Senator Grover Campbell
Senator Gilmer Capps
Senator Jim Maddox
Senator Jim Reynolds
Senator Herb Rozell
Senator Frank Shurden
Senator Jerry Smith
Senator Gene Stipe

For more information contact:
Senate Communications Division - (405) 521-5605