OKLAHOMA CITY — The state ethics director on Friday disputed a senator's claim that it would cost $150,000 to adapt a computerized campaign reporting system that the agency doesn't want.
The real cost is more like $750,000 and possibly as much as $1 million, Ethics Commission Executive Director Marilyn Hughes said.
The Legislature is planning to give the Ethics Commission only $50,000 this session for the computer conversion.
Legislators and ethics commissioners are feuding over the agency's funding bill, which earmarks the money to pattern Oklahoma's campaign reporting system after the Federal Election Commission's.
Ethics commissioners are strongly opposed to adapting to the FEC system because they say it fails to meet the requirements of Oklahoma's campaign reporting laws.
Oklahoma's laws limit contributions from an individual or family to $5,000 during a campaign cycle, which can last two years or more. But the FEC system does not provide for cumulative totals throughout a campaign, so it cannot be determined whether a contributor exceeds the limit, Hughes said.
On the other hand, some lawmakers and political action committees have complained that the Ethics Commission's current reporting system is slow and hard to operate compared with the federal system.
Paul Ziriax, a spokesman for the Senate Republicans, said Friday that there have been "numerous complaints" that the current electronic reporting software is "seriously flawed" and needs to be replaced with something more "user-friendly."
Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee said $150,000 would cover the cost of the system conversion. He said the $50,000 appropriated by the House would give the commission a good start.
Coffee said he wanted the entire $150,000 appropriated but that the House and Governor's Office were not in agreement.
Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, said Senate Republicans had asked the vendor how much the changeover would cost.
"I made an inquiry with the software vender, and they said there were a lot of variables, and it would be difficult to predict," he said. "But that was their best estimate."
Hughes produced an e-mail Friday from the vendor that stated a price of "over $750,000 plus additional maintenance the first year to put the total over $1 million."
Senate leaders were trying Friday to get the vendor to recheck the cost.
Neither Coffee nor Hughes has received an official estimate to convert the Oklahoma system.
Mick Hinton (405) 528-2465
mick.hinton@tulsaworld.com
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