Oklahoma House passes $6.78 billion budget, Legislature adjourns for year
Gov.
State officials say some agencies will reduce public services and colleges will likely increase tuition.
The spending plan passed the House, 52-45.
"It was a very productive session," House Speaker
"We were able to keep schools and nursing homes open, and that was a public concern.
"It was a tough session with historic financial problems."
Minority leader
House Democratic Leader
He was disappointed that some of the money to balance the budget came from the working poor.
Inman has been critical of a reduction in an earned income tax credit that will affect low-income wage earners. He has also urged without success that the Legislature reverse a small income tax reduction that went into effect
"The best thing is that you finally had a Republican majority, which had been bent on slashing revenue under the false myth of supply side economics, finally came to their senses that you can't cut your way to prosperity," he said.
Revenue issues
Oil industry declines combined with increasing tax breaks and a decreasing state income tax rate have resulted in budget problems the last two years.
This session, the Legislature was faced with a
Lawmakers were able to close about
Health care
Aside from financial issues, concerns over medical care for Oklahomans dominated discussions at the state
Rep.
The proposal was hand-tooled to be specific to the state's needs and to complement the work of the well-regarded Insure Oklahoma program. About
Fallin, Hickman and other Republican leaders were supportive, but conservatives labeled it "Obamacare," and opposition grew. A House panel cleared the proposal, but it never got out of a
"We're going to have to get over this aversion to taking federal money for health care," Cox said.
Tax Plan
Cox's bill to raise the cigarette tax by
Fallin said she was "disheartened" this didn't pass.
"Smoking is Oklahoma's leading cause of preventable death. Lawmakers approving an additional
Other revenue-gathering efforts also failed to advance, including proposals to broaden sales and use taxes as well as to increase taxes on gasoline and alcohol.
Without the new and continuing revenue, the budget relies heavily on so-called "one-time money," or funds that may not be available next year.
That means lawmakers will likely face a revenue shortfall of more than
"I can't help but feel we missed an opportunity to do more to reform our budget process and consolidate agencies," Fallin said. "We still need to do more to address structural imbalances in the state's budget, fix problematic tax policies and make available more recurring, stable revenue."
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