Governor Fallin today signed the Fiscal Year 2016 budget bill (HB 2244) into law, calling it a fiscally responsible blueprint for state government and praising the Legislature for closing a $611 million shortfall without cutting funding for K-12 education. The FY 2016 appropriated budget will be $7,138,920,521, which is $74.3 million, or 1.03 percent, less than FY 2015’s appropriated budget.
“I’m proud legislators and I were able to pass a budget in challenging times that shields common education, our largest and one of our most important expenses, from budget cuts,” said Fallin. “Under this budget, approximately 51 cents of every dollar appropriated by state government will continue to go toward education. The budget also protects – and in some cases increases — funding for health and public safety while preserving all funding necessary to keep intact the state’s eight-year transportation plan, as well as the five-year county road-and-bridge plan.”
Fallin called the 2015 legislative session “a victory for Oklahomans” and highlighted a series of policy successes. This year’s session was marked by significant progress in areas championed by Fallin, including education, criminal justice, and health. The governor identified each as an area in which Oklahoma must improve in both her inaugural address and her State of the State speech to legislators.
“This session was a victory for Oklahomans and produced a number of positive reforms in areas like education, health and criminal justice, despite a challenging budget year,” said Fallin. “I am excited about the good work done by our Legislature, and I believe the successes we’ve achieved this year will help the state of Oklahoma build on its significant forward momentum.”
