Several Conservative leaders in both State and County Government are taking action to stop questionable spending practices at the Capitol. At issue is $16 million appropriated in SB 153 this past session for capital improvements to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and the Jim Thorpe Association.
As the Oklahoma Constitution forbids state dollars being spent for private entities, the money doesn’t actually go directly to them, instead SB 153 directs the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) to pass through the money. This “pass through” scheme has been employed for decades at the Legislature as a means for legislators to steer tax dollars to favored entities.
In the past, local government officials who sit on the COG boards have essentially rubber stamped such directives. However that stopped at the last ACOG meeting when Cleveland County Commissioner Rod Cleveland and Logan County Commissioner Mark Sharpton stood up and opposed this pass through funding. 
Randy Brogdon, State Senator from Owasso and candidate for Governor has requested an Attorney General’s opinion on this matter. And State Representative Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie) has penned a blog post praising the courage of Cleveland and Sharpton.
In a summer where state agencies are being forced to cut their budgets, and in many cases passing those cuts down to counties, cities and school districts, perhaps the timing is right for there to be a discussion about the merits and indeed the legality of this funding scheme. Okiepundit.com has learned that in addition to the request for an AG’s opinion, there may also be a separate legal challenge filed to SB 153.
