State senators approved Oklahoma’s 2019 budget on Wednesday.
The $7.5 billion spending plan is the largest in state history, though that's tempered by the state's population being the highest it's ever been.
A historic revenue package and improving economy let lawmakers avoid cuts despite a $167 million budget shortfall being forecast in February. But several Democrats bemoaned the legislature not taking up additional revenue measures, like undoing income tax cuts.
Sen. Kim David said there were opportunities to secure more funding, including higher cigarette and fuel taxes in business leaders’ Step Up plan, but they fell victim to politics in the House.
"I believe that as a body, we came up with the best tax policy that this body as a whole could support," David said.
The overall budget in Senate Bill 1600 is up almost 11 percent from last year. Senators voted 36–8 on the measure, with most of those "no" votes coming from Democrats who think a $17 million dollar increase in the school funding formula is insufficient.
Sen. Mark Allen said teachers got what they asked for with pay raises averaging $6,100, which is what most of the State Department of Education’s 19.8 percent appropriations increase is going toward.
"I offered to some of the educators that came to my office the option of taking some of that pay raise back and doing $4,000 and putting about $110 million into the formula. Well, that didn’t go over very well," Allen said. "Four-day school week? I went to a superintendents meeting in my district … they like four-day school weeks. They don’t want to go back to five days."
Republican Sens. Nathan Dahm and Joseph Silk also voted against the budget bill.
David said just as important as any other increase is the nearly 5 percent boost in funding for the Department of Human Services. That additional $24 million covers a 5 percent increase in foster care and adoption reimbursement rates, and full funding for Pinnacle Plan improvements.
"These are the same kids that we’re trying to educate in our school system, and if we don’t spend this money to take care of them, to make sure that they have a roof over their head, a safe place to live and they have food in their stomachs, you can forget about educating them," David said.
The DHS increase will also fund rate increases for services to help care for disabled adults and the elderly.
The House will take up SB1600 later this week.
