Sen. Rick Brinkley
Senator Rick Brinkley, Senate District 34 March 15, 2013: I was very pleased that the full Senate this week approved our proposal to reduce the state’s income tax rate from 5.25 percent to 4.75 percent. Since Senate Bill 585 also contains important reforms, including the elimination of 30 obsolete or ineffective tax credits, the measure would allow us to increase funding for core services, like education. The measure also preserves most tax credits for low-income Oklahomans and seniors. As a result, the proposal would allow the Legislature to increase education funding by $75-$100 million this year.
When the plan is fully implemented, it is estimated that nine out of 10 Oklahoma taxpayers would see a tax reduction or no change at all. I am proud to have co-authored this measure because I believe we can capitalize on our state’s economic momentum by keeping tax rates low and ensuring that exemptions are targeted and effective.
But we also have a responsibility to ensure that state government is able to make investments in education. If our schools aren’t receiving adequate funding, it becomes exponentially more challenging for them to provide students with a quality education. I applaud our educators for their efforts to prepare our students for success in spite of the revenue losses we’ve seen beginning with the 2008 recession. Restoring education funding to pre-recession levels is an important first step to giving our educators the tools they need to prepare our students to compete in the global economy.
We also voted unanimously to expand Oklahoma’s Child Abuse Response Team (CART) program. First launched in 2005, the program uses investigators who are highly trained in investigating child abuse to oversee and coordinate investigations. In 2011, there were more than 8,000 confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect in Oklahoma, including children who had been physically abused and sexually assaulted. It’s important that CART is given the resources they need to prevent such crimes and efficiently prosecute those who perpetrate them.
Please feel free to contact me at the state Capitol by calling (405) 521-5566 or by email at brinkley@oksenate.gov.
