State lawmakers are asking the Oklahoma Supreme Court to step into a budget fight between the legislature and Governor Kevin Stitt.
On Tuesday afternoon, leaders from the state House and Senate filed a petition calling on the governor to hold a Board of Equalization meeting and declare a revenue failure. The failure is necessary to move money out of the state's Rainy Day Fund, to fully fund state government for the next two months, lawmakers said.
Stitt has refused to do that because he says the legislature is playing politics by not distributing less than $1 million to the digital transformation fund. That fund is aimed at improving public access to government services using modern technology.
When they agree to pay into that fund, he says he'll declare a revenue failure.
State legislators disagree, and say their budget has already become law without his signing or vetoing one of their budget bills. In their suit, they allege Stitt is violating the state's constitution by not declaring the failure.
The state is looking at a more than $400 million funding shortage between April and June.
