“I’m highly disappointed the Governor has chosen to veto this portion of the budget that directly affects the public safety of our citizens.
“It’s become quite evident with the funding crisis the Department of Corrections faces year after year, we needed to take a different approach to the way we address this item in the budget.
“When Speaker Cargill came to the table with this innovative idea to thoroughly examine the Department of Corrections I believed it could help facilitate a difficult dialogue that lawmakers often shy away from for political reasons, and therefore agreed to include it as part of the budget agreement.
“I continue to be hopeful that as Governor Henry examines the overall budget, he will like what he sees and will decide to sign the GA bill into law so we can continue to offer the great citizens of Oklahoma the services they pay for with their hard-earned tax dollars.”