DALLAS — A bill that would provide $40 million to complete the American Indian Cultural Center & Museum in Oklahoma City is nearing its final hurdle in the Oklahoma Legislature.
With Senate approval and Gov. Mary Fallin's endorsement, Senate Bill 1651 won a 16-10 vote in the House Appropriation and Budget Committee April 9 and is awaiting final passage in the full House.
The bill transfers $40 million from the state's Unclaimed Property Fund to the museum and authorizes the issuance of revenue bonds to complete the controversial project. The $40 million from the state is expected to be matched with $40 million of private contributions.
Rep. Weldon Watson, R-Tulsa, called the vote a "no-win situation" at a time when the state is facing a $185 million budget shortfall.
First proposed 20 years ago, the project has already received about $95 million, including about $60 million from the state, amid overruns and mismanagement.
House Speaker Jeff Hickman, R-Fairview, has said he wants 51 of the 72 House Republicans to support the plan before it could go for a vote in the House. The chamber's 29 Democrats support the bill, but many Republicans are against continued state funding of the project.
Fallin met privately with Republican House members April 7 to rally support for the project whose construction has come to a standstill for lack of funding.
Supporters say the cultural center on the banks of the Oklahoma River near downtown Oklahoma City will be a landmark for a state whose nickname "Native America" is printed on its license plates.
