Governor Stitt vetoes an increase of police retirement funds | 'Down 80 to 90 percent'
Tulsa, Okla. (KTUL) — One bill that would help with law enforcement retention, would have been SB 102.
That’s until the governor vetoed that bill that passed through the Senate and the House in overwhelming fashion.
I spoke with the fraternal order of the police to learn how this veto hurts law enforcement.
“We just want to make sure that we support them; that the culture that they know in Oklahoma; that we have their back. We are going to do whatever we can to help the police department here in state of Oklahoma,” said Oklahoma Governor, Kevin Stitt.
That was Governor Stitt’s message last week for national police week, but on Tuesday, a bill that would help keep officers working on the force was vetoed.
That bill would also increase police retirement funds since they do not receive social security.
“This was going to change the game for not just current officers but all future officers as it relates to recruiting and retention. We’re down, between the two largest cities in the state, over 400 officers,” said the State president of the Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police, Mark Nelson.
According to the Oklahoma Fraternal of Police president, Mark Nelson, Tulsa’s latest graduating class was 11.
He says they are down 80% to 90% when it comes to law enforcement applications.
I was told that officers have been waiting on this bill to possibly be passed into law so they could stay in the force longer.
Now that it hasn’t, hundreds of officers could be leaving the force.
“Hundreds have stayed over the last two years because they knew this was in the works and they knew that there was a staggering end. I’ve heard it from all over the state that they were waiting to see what was going to happen here, said Nelson. Knowing that they were kind of ready to leave but they were willing to stay a little longer to have an increased benefit. And yeah, I think they’re going to leave. I think the overwhelmingly majority are going to leave within the next 2 years. I’ve had dozens and dozens of probably approaching a hundred different text messages and phone calls from members who were devastated.”
This bill was passed 39-6 in the Senate and passed 82-6 in the House.
But Governor Stitt says that SB102 would put the state on a slippery slope and that this bill would require members and municipalities to contribute more to law enforcement’s retirement system. But he says it wouldn’t be enough to cover the increased benefits.
Senator Garvin is the author of this bill, and I got in touch with her communications staff, and I asked about the override process.
I was told that a successful veto override takes three-fourths majorities in both chambers.
Both chambers achieved that threshold when the bill initially passed.
We will continue to follow this story as it continues.