Oklahoma legislators got a call to work a few months early on Wednesday. Gov. Frank Keating, House Speaker Larry Adair, D-Stilwell and Senate President Pro Tempore designate Cal Hobson, D-Lexington, agreed to the one-day special session to fix the problems with the Department of Corrections.

Keating first alluded to a special session at the end of October, when he told Gary Jones, executive director of the Oklahoma Public Employees Association.

The plan, according to the three leaders and Gov.-elect Brad Henry, is to appropriate an emergency fund of $9.8 million to the Department of Corrections.

The DOC has been under financial strain since the Office of State Finance announced in September a financial shortfall. The shortfall was on top of the budget cuts made by the State Legislature in the spring.

With the additional cuts, the DOC said it would furlough, or temporarily lay-off, prison employees for 23 days during the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends in October 2003.

"It would be irresponsible to allow corrections officers to be furloughed, even in this difficult budget time," Keating said. He told Jones in the letter that proposals sent to governor's office, including electronically monitored house arrest programs and a limited special commutation docket, but under certain specifications. He did, however, say that the appropriations should help the DOC until the regular session that starts in February.

Adair said the reason for the special session is solely for public safety.

"If we ignore the staffing crisis in the state prison system, we would be shirking our responsibility and putting citizens at risk," Adair said. There are other alternatives to help the budget shortfalls, and the House will continue to explore them, he said.

Hobson said there are many problems with the budget shortfall, but the DOC's problem is most severe, even worse than the education's budget shortfall.

"If we could wave a magic wand and solve all of our revenue problems, especially those in the public schools, we would do that," Hobson said. "But given the resources available to us, all we can do at this time is address our public safety needs."

The other agencies are important and are hurting from the budget shortfalls, Keating said, but those problems need to be addressed under the new governor.

Henry will be at the special session as both the governor-elect and as a State Senator. Henry has not resigned from the senate position, said Thomas Larson, Henry's spokesman.

"He'll kind of be wearing two hats at this point," Larson said. Henry told the state Keating is the governor.
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