House and Senate leaders got together with the governor on April Fools Day and announced they’d reached a budget agreement. It wasn’t a prank. They’ve come up with a plan to appropriate almost $12.8 billion to state agencies for Fiscal Year 2027, which starts July1. This is a 1.27 percent increase over what was appropriated for the current fiscal year.
Read more: Budget announcedAs far as anyone can recall, this is the earliest a budget agreement has ever been announced.
Public education will again get the lion’s share – about 51% of the overall budget. About $85 million will go toward giving teachers a $2,000 raise; $80 million for reading and math programs, including the Strong Readers Act to try to get kids proficient in reading by the end of third grade; and $23.7 million for increased health insurance benefits for educators.
We’ve seen a 71 percent increase in funding over 10 years for kindergarten through 12th-grade education.
The budget deal also promises a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to most state retirees, ranging from a three percent increase for those retired 10 to 20 years, and a six percent increase for those retired 20 years or more.
There’s a bunch of money in this budget for things such as making the Oklahoma Athletics Commission a stand-alone agency; giving the auditor’s office $250,000 for a task force to study municipal issues; giving the Oklahoma Department of Transportation $2 million formobility management; giving the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority $7.5 million to help build the Dawn Aerospace Hanger and Payload Facility over in Burns Flat in the western part of the state; giving the Health Department $1 million to study ALS; giving the Commerce Department $250,000 to celebrate America’s 250th Birthday.
There are some good things in this budget, but there’s plenty of pork in my opinion. I’ll be diving into the details in the coming weeks. We still have to put all this into legislation and pass it in House and Senate committees and on the floor of each chamber,so there will at least be a few weeks to study this.
Meanwhile, in the House last week, I had lunch with a group of Carl Albert State College students and college President Jay Falkner. They were at the Capitol for Higher Education Day. I also got to meet with students from Conners State College and Northeastern StateUniversity. It’s always refreshing to meet with this younger generation, to hear their ideas and get their perspective. It gives me hope that good things will happen in the future.
In the Legislature, the House is busy hearing Senate bills in committee, and House bills are being heard in Senate committees. I’m not carrying any Senate bills this session, so I’m just babysitting my House bills that are over on the other side of the rotunda.I’m hopeful my historical gun bill, a holdover from last year, could still get heard.
House Bill 1185 would prohibit the destruction of military weapons of historic value. Instead, they are to be donated to local veterans’ organizations to be used for honor guard salutes at veterans’ funerals or to be used for parts.
As I wait, I’m just reading all the bills on which I’ll be asked to take a vote.
Remember to listen to my Capitol update on the radio at 7:35 a.m. every Thursday on KPRV.
Asalways, if I can help you with anything, pleasecall my Capitol office at (405) 557-7413 or email me at rick.west@okhouse.gov.
Rick West serves District 3 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes part of LeFlore County.