Legislature sends budget bills to governor and adjourns — sort of

But they left the door open to return in the special session that began last week, should Stitt veto portions of the budget — something that has occurred in the past.

Stitt, meanwhile, said he hasn’t completely given up on getting tax cuts through a different special session.

Also left unresolved was the future of Tulsa’s Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture, known as OKPOP. Some $18 million in matching funds to complete the project on North Main Street were included in the general appropriations bill and the Oklahoma Historical Society’s spending limits bill, but a third measure to create a revolving fund was one of three budget bills not taken up by the House of Representatives on Friday.

All three bills had previously passed the Senate.

Without revolving fund authorization, it is thought the OKPOP project cannot move forward. House officials said the authorization — Senate Bill 22x — could still be taken up.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, said the fiscal year 2024 budget is the highest appropriation in the state’s history.

“This will change the lives of the people of Oklahoma for generations,” Thompson said.

Speaker of the House Charles McCall, R-Atoka, called the FY 2024 budget “forward-thinking” and “innovative.”

“House Republicans started session with a to-do list we received from our constituents, and this state budget includes many of the issues we prioritized,” said McCall.

But one of those priorities, at least for McCall and some in his leadership team, was tax cuts. That didn’t happen this session, largely because of opposition by Thompson and the Senate. Their concern is that recent robust tax revenue is tailing off as the economy comes down from the sugar high of federal COVID-19 money.

Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, described the session as a “roller coaster” on which lawmakers spent weeks working out an education budget component that includes record funding and a $600 million commitment over three years to tax credits for private- and home-school expenses.

Stitt said he’s still reviewing all the details of the budget.

“I don’t like the amount of spending that we’re doing,” he said. “It looks like we’re spending a lot of our savings account and we’re also raising base-level expenses above reoccurring revenue.”

Stitt had advocated for cutting the income tax and eliminating the state’s portion of the grocery tax, but the Senate would not consider it.

The budget plan provides historic spending levels for education, including raises for certified school personnel.

It also includes added funds for school literacy, safety, buildings and students.

Thompson said the budget includes funds to finish the veterans center at Sallisaw and millions of dollars for drought relief and nursing homes and to address the waiting list for services for people with disabilities.

The budget leaves the state with $3.6 billion in reserves, Thompson said.

Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said the budget contains many bright spots. Many special projects are getting millions of dollars, she said.

But the budget does not invest enough in health and human services, Kirt said.

Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, said she was greatly concerned that more than $600 million in tax dollars will be going to private schools during the next three years.

Hicks said she was also concerned that the Oklahoma Tax Commission will not be able to adequately oversee the program to ensure that there is no fraud.

“Public funds belong in public schools,” she said.

The general appropriations bill passed the Senate on Friday by a vote of 35-10. It had passed the House on Wednesday.

The Senate also passed a bill called the Caring for Caregivers Act to provide tax credits for caregivers.

Before leaving, the Senate voted down pay raises for statewide elected officials, with critics saying they already make a healthy salary.

The Senate also defeated a bill to create the Office of Judicial Performance.

The budget package included more than 50 pieces of legislation, including the general appropriations bill, all of which were handled in a continuing special session that allowed the Legislature to work around Friday’s mandatory final adjournment for the regular session.

Those 50 bills include SB 22x — the OKPOP authorization — and House officials said it could still get a vote.

Carmen Forman contributed to this story.

The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today.