OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Officials from state agencies across Oklahoma are returning to the Capitol for more budget briefings since the Legislature must deal with a $611 million shortfall in the next fiscal year — double the initial projection.
Appropriations and budget subcommittees in the House and Senate are meeting with agency leaders this week to find out how they would handle budget cuts ranging as high as 10 percent.
Most agencies already held budget briefings with lawmakers, but House and Senate leaders are promising a more thorough examination of agency appropriations amid the larger-than-expected shortfall.
Gov. Mary Fallin proposed cuts of 6.25 percent to most state agencies in her executive budget, but that was when the projected shortfall was about $300 million. The budget hole has since grown to more than $600 million.