Opinion ID: 2633114
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Extraordinary Relief from the Provisions of H.B.1105

Text: ¶ 26 Petitioner argued that the Legislature will continue its practice of log rolling unpopular appropriations with popular appropriations unless this Court issues an injunction or a writ of mandamus, citing Campbell v. White, 1993 OK 89, 856 P.2d 255, and Morgan v. Daxon, 2001 OK 104, 49 P.3d 687. Campbell gave prospective effect to its ruling that appropriations bills relating to specific governmental functions included unrelated provisions contrary to the one-subject requirement. Morgan stayed the effectiveness of its writ of prohibition against the release of funds under an appropriation bill adjusting state agency appropriations contrary to the one-subject requirement. ¶ 27 Extraordinary writs are issued and withheld in the sound discretion of the court even if a petitioner may have a clear legal right for which a writ of mandamus is an appropriate remedy. State ex rel. Nesbitt v. Ford, 1967 OK 186, 434 P.2d 934, Syllabus, No. 5. We have refused to issue a writ of mandamus if it will create confusion in connection with fiscal affairs, id. at ¶ 33, 434 P.2d at 940, in particular, confusion in the current budgets. City of Tulsa v. State, 2001 OK 23, ¶ 4, 20 P.3d 144, 147. This case presents such a situation. ¶ 28 In enacting H.B.1105, the Legislature was not dealing with the more familiar revenue shortfall, nor was it dealing with mounting indebtedness. It was dealing with an actual surplus in revenues, and unlike Campbell v. White , it faced a dilemmahow to appropriate the accrued surplus when required to adjourn sine die before the amount is fixed. The Legislature attempted to make the appropriations in a single special appropriation bill. As we previously recognized, the Legislature did not know the amount of the actual surplus that would in fact accrue at the close of fiscal year on June 30, 2007; so, faced with the constitutional time constraint for adjournment, it included the appropriations to support several different and unrelated objects or purposes in a single bill to prioritize the appropriations and avoid deficit spending. ¶ 29 We find the equities in this case do not justify the issuance of an injunction or a writ of mandamus in this proceeding. Rather, the equities in this case favor prospective application of this opinion to avoid confusion in the current state budgets. We withhold any extraordinary relief and give prospective application to this opinion. In so doing, we reiterate the caution in Campbell v. White : Our consideration for the practical operations of government should not be understood to be a shield for the continued enactment of unconstitutional laws. Although we are sympathetic with the time constraints the Legislature faces in session, this Court is bound to uphold the Constitutionwe are prepared to do so. 1993 OK 89, ¶ 20, 856 P.2d at 263.