The Benge Standard (or Double Standard)

Just weeks after new House Speaker Chris Benge forced House Majority Floor Leader Greg Piatt (R-Ardmore) to make an embarrassing refund of a controversial contribution from a Texas businessman, some Capitol observers are raising questions about thousands of dollars in similar contributions Benge has received.

Benge’s third quarter 2007 ethics report shows he received 43 separate checks, totaling thousands of dollars, all on a single day, July 6, 2007. All of these checks were written by people employed by Career Technology Centers. Benge received an additional check that same day from the Career Tech System’s Political Action Committee. Altogether, the checks total over $4,000.

The donations are drawing scrutiny because Benge as appropriations and budget chairman last year advanced a large budget increase for career techs and much of the increase was used to raise salaries within the career tech system. Now it appears that closely on the heals of that vote and the pay increases, Benge was handsomely rewarded with thousands of dollars in contributions from career tech interests. Some also find it odd that dozens of checks from all across the state were somehow received by the campaign on the very same day.

Capitol observers are now wondering whether Benge will apply the same standard to himself that he applied to Piatt. Piatt was criticized for taking a $5,000 contribution from Texas businessman Brad Phillips after having worked on an insurance bill last session which was favorable to Phillips’ interests. Piatt had refused to return the contribution for weeks but was forced to make an embarrassing flip flop and admit the impropriety of the contribution by returning it shortly after Benge became Speaker. Piatt admitted that Benge asked him to give the contribution back.

Given the thousands of dollars Benge got from a group that he helped legislatively last session that are now drawing scrutiny, Capitol observers wonder if he will apply the same standard to himself that he applied to Piatt and return the contributions. Some see this as an early test of Benge’s leadership – will he apply consistent standards for everyone – including himself – or keep a double standard when it comes to his own fundraising?

Received via the confidential OKPNS Tip Line:

For more information, see the Oklahoma Ethics Commission