Fallin Visits News 9 To Discuss Budget Fight

With less than two weeks left to reach a state budget agreement, Gov. Mary Fallin is calling on legislators to do more to come up with their own plan if they don't like hers.

A major obstacle to relieve the $878 million shortfall is a stalemate between legislators over where the revenue should come from.

Earlier this week, HB 2365 reached the Joint Appropriations committee. The proposed tax package, which includes a $1.25 tobacco tax, received little support from House Democrats. Fallin chastised legislators for not being able to make revenue raising progress and said she's willing to veto any budget that doesn't include funding for vital state agencies.

When asked yesterday about her thoughts on passing a budget that includes an increased gross production tax, she said, carefully, "I am open to all ideas of anything that will help us close our budget shortfall and fund our core priorities but I don't want to hurt our business climate."