Governor Mary Fallin yesterday released details of the appropriations agreement between her office and the Oklahoma legislative branches for Fiscal Year 2015.
The information from the Governor’s office said the agreement would set a FY 15 appropriated budget of $7,121,723,873, which is $102.1 million, or 1.4 percent, less than the FY 2014 appropriated budget, which is $7,223,824,517 with supplemental funding included.
The budget agreement uses targeted spending cuts, increases to others, flat appropriations to several, and a reconciliation of several state agency accounts to close a $188 million shortfall in funds certified for appropriations.
The details include:
The agreement increases funding for K-12 education by $80 million and avoids cuts to priority areas like public safety, higher education and mental health while making spending reductions in 52 other areas of state government.
The agreement increases the Department of Human Services budget by $44.6 million to continue sufficient funding of the Pinnacle Plan, the multi-year program aimed at improving the state's child welfare services, and other initiatives.
It also includes $36.8 million for pay raises for 12,378 state employees, including corrections workers, state Highway Patrol troopers, child welfare workers, and the state's most underpaid employees as identified by the state's recent comprehensive employee compensation study.
The agreement would also authorize $110 million in supplemental funding for FY 14 in order to provide ad valorem reimbursement to local school districts, reduce provider rate cuts and service interruptions at the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, address operational needs at the Department of Corrections, continue drought relief efforts, and maintain state property assets.
The Governor’s office released the following details.
FY 14 SUPPLEMENTALS*: $110.1M: 11 entities receive FY14 supplemental appropriations. (*one-time payments )
- $47.7M to Oklahoma Health Care Authority to reduce provider rate cuts
- $13M to Department of Corrections for operations
- $25.5M for ad valorem reimbursement to local school districts
- $15M for state building maintenance
- $303,333 to State Election Board for attorney fees
- $718,620 to Oklahoma Ethics Commission for software upgrades
- $1M to House of Representatives for operations
- $2.3M to Department of Agriculture for agriculture extension and research
- $3M to Conservation Commission for dam rehabilitation
- $94,000 to Scenic Rivers Commission for water testing
- $1.5M to Oklahoma Water Resources Board for drought relief
FY 15 APPROPRIATION INCREASES
- $80M, or 3.3%, to State Department of Education for teacher health benefits, allocations to the state aid funding formula and education reform funding
- $44.6M, or 7.1%, to Department of Human Services, with $35.9M for year three of the Pinnacle Plan (including pay raises), $7.7M for additional employee pay raises, and $1M to reduce the Developmental Disabilities Services waiting list
- $5.4M, or 6%, to Department of Public Safety for pay raises for state troopers and other employees
- $2.2M, or .7 %, to Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse for drug courts, Systems of Care and pay raises
- $1.5M, or 17.5%, for Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for operations and debt service for new headquarters in Edmond
FY 15 EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION INCREASES: $36.8M
- 12,378 employees at 25 agencies will receive raises ranging from 5% to 13.5%, with most raises based upon the 2013 state employee compensation study
FY 15 FLAT APPROPRIATIONS
- Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
- Department of Career and Technology Education
- Oklahoma School of Science and Math
- Oklahoma Supreme Court
- Court of Criminal Appeals
- District Attorneys Council
- Department of Mines
FY 15 APPROPRIATION REDUCTIONS
- 52 agencies receive reduced appropriations, with most reductions at 5.5%
UTILIZATION OF OTHER ACCOUNTS: $291.7M: to help offset having $188 million less certified for FY 15 appropriations than was appropriated in FY 14, funds are made available for FY 14 supplemental appropriations and FY 15 appropriations from the following accounts:
- $3M from Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission Fund
- $5M from Attorney General Revolving Fund
- $100,000 from Bond Oversight Revolving Fund
- $100M from Cash Flow Reserve Fund
- $2M from Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology Research Support Revolving Fund
- $2M from Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology Seed Capital Revolving Fund
- $143,762 from Department of Commerce Opportunity Fund
- $500,000 from Oklahoma Corporation Commission Revolving Fund
- $500,000 from District Attorneys Council Revolving Fund
- $25M from Office of Emergency Management Emergency Fund
- $12M from Department of Environmental Quality Revolving Fund
- $5M from State Department of Health Trauma Care Assistance Fund
- $5.5M from Insurance Commissioner Revolving Fund
- $4M from Judicial Fund Carryover
- $10M from Office of Management and Enterprise Services Emergency and Transportation Fund
- $7M from Office of Management and Enterprise Services and Oklahoma Tax Commission Joint Computer Enhancement Fund
- $1.5M from Office of Management and Enterprise Services General Purposes Revolving Fund
- $500,000 from Office of Management and Enterprise Services Vendor Fees and Rebates Revolving Fund
- $1M from Office of Management and Enterprise Services Employee Benefits Council Administration Revolving Fund
- $7.5M from Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program Carryover
- $7.1M from Secretary of State Revolving Fund
- $10M from Supreme Court Oklahoma Court Information System Revolving Fund
- $15M from Oklahoma Tax Commission Revolving Funds
- $2.2M from Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department Capital Improvement Revolving Fund
- $1.5M from Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department Revolving Fund
- $17.5M from Department of Transportation Weigh Station Improvement Fund
- $4.5M from State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Administration Fund
- $40M from State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Fund
- $1.7M from Department of Veterans Affairs Revolving Fund
