OKLAHOMA CITY – Though the Oklahoma Legislature had a record amount of money to spend this year, not every state agency saw its budget increase.
In fact, some agencies said their budgets reduced, in some cases by large amounts.
This year’s budget, a $9.8 billion deal that was finalized last week, earmarked large increases – more than $60 million – for the State Regents of Higher Education, doubled the budget of the Aeronautics Commission, from $2 million to $4 million and increased the budget for the Department of Veteran Affairs by 19 percent, about $6 million.
At the same time, though, the Oklahoma School for Science and Mathematics had its budget cut by 4.3% from $6.8 million to $6.5 million and the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority saw yet another reduction of in its budget, from $3.2 million to $2.8 million, or about 10%. Additionally, the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security will see a funding decrease of than 40%, from $2.4 million to $1.4 million.
In February, the state Board of Equalization certified $10.5 billion in new revenue for the Legislature. Lawmakers said they wanted to earmark about $700 million of that amount to the constitutional reserve fund.
House Appropriations and Budget Chairman Kevin Wallace, a Republican from Wellston, said the budget produced a strategic spending plan to meet the state’s core needs and “seize timely opportunities.”
What Wallace didn’t mention, though, was the large budget increase for both houses of the Legislature and their internal research arm, the Legislative Service Bureau.
Budget documents show the LSB, the House of Representatives and the Oklahoma Senate will see an $13,814,818 in new funds. According to the Appropriations Summary document released with the budget proposal the LSB will see a budget increase of $8.5 million while the House of Representatives will have its budget increased by $3,602,662. In the Senate, the budget will be increased by $1,712,156.
The state Ethics Commission – the constitutional agency charged with overseeing and regulating state political campaigns – maintained a flat budget of $687,957.
Lawmakers must finish their work by Friday, May 27, when the Second Regular Session of the 58th Oklahoma Legislature ends.