$12.59 billion Oklahoma budget bill heads to governor's desk
The latest budget bill, which passed in the Senate with a vote of 27 to 19, includes $312 million for the purchase of the Lawton Correction Facility from GEO Group and $27.4 million in supplemental funds for the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
Lawmakers agree on Oklahoma budget, could see income tax cut
Here are some of the most notable budget changes listed in the FY26 appropriations summary:
Department of Education: +$121.6 million (+3.15%)
Oklahoma Educational Television Authority: -$2.9 million (-49.1%)
Oklahoma Teacher's Retirement System: -$15.6 million (-3.21%)
Oklahoma Tax Commission: -$51 million (-59.88%)
Oklahoma Military Department: +$20.4 million (+89.91%)
Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics: -$45.4 million (-63.06%)
Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services: +$16.2 million (+4.18%)
Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority: -$4.3 million (-10.19%)
Department of Veterans Affairs: -$4.1 million (-9.21%)
Department of Agriculture: -$16.1 million (-21.96%)
A full appropriations summary of the FY26 budget can be found here.
Several state lawmakers weighed in following the passing of the budget bill.
This budget is a reflection of Oklahoma's values—responsible, conservative, and focused on real results. We're prioritizing core services like education, mental health, public safety and infrastructure, while maintaining strong fiscal discipline. I'm proud of the Senate's work and the collaboration with our House colleagues to deliver a budget that supports families, strengthens communities and keeps Oklahoma taxpayers in mind. Now we send it to the governor's desk to move Oklahoma forward.
Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle)
This budget is a result of thoughtful collaboration between the House and Senate, and I am proud of the way we came together to put Oklahomans first. We've ensured strong investments in our students, state services and economic developments while keeping government spending restrained. This budget serves the needs of today while protecting the interests of future generations.
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow)
Oklahoma Senate Democrats will always work the aisle to address real problems facing our state, ensuring all kids get a great education, access to health and mental health care, and great-paying jobs. But instead, we got a budget that prioritizes tax cuts that mostly benefit the very rich, more money for private school vouchers, and does nothing to address the everyday issues Oklahomans face. You deserve better.
Senate Democratic Leader Julia Kirt (D-Oklahoma City)
A thriving economy depends on a well-educated workforce, but once again, our public schools have been left behind while unaccountable voucher programs grow unchecked. When it comes to the budget, public education should be our highest priority. At a time when our schools continue to face a crisis in teacher shortages, we've not included so much as a cost-of-living increase while hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars continue to fund private schools. This budget fails our schools, our students, and our communities.
Senator Carri Hicks (D-Oklahoma City)
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
25 minutes ago
- Axios
How The Gathering Spot has become an influential civic hub in Atlanta
When CEO and co-founder Ryan Wilson opened The Gathering Spot's first location in Atlanta in 2016, he envisioned the members-only social club being more than a place where you can meet your next LinkedIn connection. He also felt it was TGS' responsibility to educate members about the political, business and social issues that could affect their lives. Why it matters: Nine years later, that vision has cemented TGS' role as the go-to civic hub for politicians to discuss issues affecting their constituents and for stakeholders to educate members about local elections. "As a membership club, we protect that experience," he told Axios, "but there are some conversations that, to me, transcend that context, and we have a responsibility to make sure everybody is hearing what's going on." Driving the news: TGS opened its second Atlanta location in July. Dubbed the Retreat by The Gathering Spot, the members-only venue is on the rooftop in the former WeWork space at the Interlock. The space is around 60,000 square feet, compared to 20,000 at its flagship location on Northyards Boulevard. The Retreat boasts two restaurants, a workspace and private event space, and a pool and lounge. Members must apply for an invitation; Wilson said there are 135 founding members and about 1,000 on the waitlist. What they're saying: "I do genuinely believe that when it's all said and done, the conversations that have happened and will continue to happen here are moving the needle ... politically," Wilson, an Atlanta resident, said. TGS has hosted fireside chats with Mayor Andre Dickens and Committee For a Better Atlanta's candidate forums for City Council and mayoral races. "I can't think of a political event we've done where we have not made sure that community stakeholders have a seat at the table," Wilson said. Flashback: Over the years, TGS has hosted events featuring high-profile politicians, such as former President Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Jon Ossoff and former state House Minority Leader and two-time gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Context: Wilson was a campaign surrogate for Abrams and Harris, and co-chairs Dickens' reelection campaign. By the numbers: TGS has more than 11,000 members nationally, about 4,500 of whom are in Atlanta (membership tiers are available). It has one location each in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles and is constructing another location in Houston. TGS also has membership communities in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Houston and Charlotte. In those cities, people gather for events, but don't have a brick-and-mortar TGS location. The big picture: Tiffany Callaway Ferrell, club member and co-chair of the Committee for a Better Atlanta, told Axios TGS is an "ideal setting to engage our voters and candidates on issues that really, really matter to our city." Tharon Johnson, a Democratic political strategist who is also a founding member and investor of the Retreat, told Axios TGS' authenticity allows people to show up and be themselves. "Come as you are and have robust conversations about life, politics, entrepreneurship, politics, arts and culture," said Johnson, who is also a member of the original TGS location. The bottom line: Wilson said he plans to lean into TGS' mission not just to inform and educate, but to clearly communicate to politicians what their members expect from them.
Axios
25 minutes ago
- Axios
Exclusive: Warner, Kaine to introduce bill to unmask ICE agents
Federal immigration agents would be required to show their faces and be clearly identifiable when making arrests under a soon-to-be-introduced bill from Virginia Democratic Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. Why it matters: The proposal, shared exclusively with Axios Richmond, is partly in response to recent incidents in Chesterfield and Charlottesville, where media outlets have reported masked ICE officers in plainclothes detaining people. Driving the news: Under the legislation, any law enforcement officer conducting immigration enforcement operations — both federal and local — must: Visibly show their name and which law enforcement agency they're with. Not be masked, with exceptions for some operations and for health purposes. Zoom in: The Immigration Enforcement Identification Safety Act (IEIS, pronounced ICE) would also cover the costs of services to remove personal information from the internet that could be used to threaten officers or their families. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, told Axios Richmond that ICE agents "always have credentials visible and clearly announce who they are" — which immigrant rights advocates have disputed. The big picture: Kaine and Warner's bill is the latest in a string of Democratic lawmakers, including in states and cities, seeking to ban ICE agents' masking. ICE agents are currently not required to provide badge numbers or identify themselves, reports Axios' Russell Contreras. They can cover their faces, arrive in unmarked cars and they don't need a warrant from a judge to detain someone. Nationwide, raids by ICE agents in plain clothes have sometimes led nearby residents to believe that people were being kidnapped. And there have been reports of ICE impersonators harassing people, creating more chaos and uncertainty in some communities — which McLaughlin said the agency condemns. Between the lines: Democratic U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan, who represents the Richmond area, is also pushing for more transparency around ICE arrests. McClellan met with local leaders at the Chesterfield courthouse this week to talk about concerns with ramped-up enforcement tactics. What we're watching: Whether Virginia's legislature follows New York and Massachusetts in introducing bills that would make ICE agents more identifiable.
USA Today
25 minutes ago
- USA Today
Pre-2026 redistricting race
Good morning!🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. "Zootopia 2" is the cinema news we needed. A pre-2026 redistricting arms race is heating up Democrats across the country are searching for ways to block or counter a Trump-led effort by Republicans to redraw Texas' congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections This is a rare mid-decade redistricting in Texas. The president and Republicans hope that shifting boundaries in Texas could help the GOP pick up as many as five seats in the 2026 race for control of the U.S. House. A wave of relief The earthquake that hit a Russian island was among the most powerful ever recorded, and forecasters immediately feared it could spur cataclysmic walls of water thousands of miles away in Hawaii, California and Alaska. But hours later, evacuation warnings were lifted for nearly all of the U.S. Damage was determined to be minimal — at least in the U.S. so far, with Honolulu's dangerous traffic gridlock the main impact. More news to know now What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here. Drastic changes are coming to homeless services President Donald Trump has long criticized how the U.S. manages homelessness, and argues public streets aren't safe for either the homeless or residents. Now, the president has declared that organizations for the homeless receiving federal funding mustfocus first on locking up people with drug or mental health challenges. Longtime social workers, medical experts and mental health service providers say a law and order approach will likely worsen homelessness across the country, particularly because Trump's order contains no new funding for mental health or drug treatment. Additionally, they say the president appears to misunderstand the fundamental driver of homelessness: People can't afford housing. The Fed didn't cut interest rates this week. But here's when they might The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady Wednesday between 4.25% and 4.5% — exactly as interest-rate traders' bets had predicted after the policy-making body's meeting in June. Traders now see the Fed's Oct. 29 meeting as the most likely chance for an interest rate cut. That means short-term interest rates — which are heavily influenced by the Fed's decisions — could remain elevated for several more weeks. Today's talkers A major deadline for MLB today There are still several difference-makers on the market so baseball fans can expect a flurry of activity as the 2-25 Major League Baseball trade deadline at 6 p.m. ET approaches. Perhaps today is the day we see starting pitchers Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera, Merrill Kelly or Zac Gallen make shifts? Here are some of the top players who could be on the move ahead of Thursday's deadline. Photo of the day: Goodbye, Ozzy Fans, friends and family bid farewell to Ozzy Osbourne at his funeral procession Wednesday through his home city of Birmingham, England. The Black Sabbath frontman died July 22 at the age of 76, a little over two weeks after his final live performance with his Black Sabbath bandmates. Scroll through for photos of the rock legend's funeral proceedings. Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@
