Governor Mary Fallin on Tuesday signed the bill that requires every state agency to cut about 2 percent from their budgets over the next four months in order to balance the current fiscal year's budget. She says she urged lawmakers to pass revenue and reform measures to fill a $214 million budget hole but that House members failed to muster the required three-fourths majority necessary for certain revenue measures.
"Most House Democrats chose politics over people by refusing to vote for the budget package," said Fallin. "Their no votes resulted in votes against a teacher pay raise, funding our health and human services and protecting our most vulnerable citizens, and against putting our state on a stable budget path forward. Unfortunately, House Democrats kept moving the goalposts and the people of Oklahoma are the ones who lost."
"Developing a budget in this difficult fiscal and political climate is never easy. This budget keeps our government operating and, despite challenging circumstances, funds our core mission services. Passage of the Step Up Oklahoma plan, House Bill 1033XX that failed earlier this month would have helped fill our budget hole for the current fiscal year as well as put Oklahoma on a more stable budget path." (photo provided)