When lawmakers meet to start the legislative session Feb. 6, they will be facing a revenue gap. State Sen. Clark Jolley, chairman of the senate appropriations committee, reiterated that point to the Edmond Sun, tempering somewhat the state treasurer’s optimistic tone. “Despite what my good friend Ken Miller has been saying in the media, Oklahoma’s [...]
On the surface, 2012 looks like a pretty good year for Oklahoma’s state budget. Relatively speaking, that is. But even with a best-case flat budget scenario, funding cuts are coming, warn the leaders of the Legislature’s two biggest budget committees. Hit the jump for a Q&A on Oklahoma’s upcoming budget battle.
If things go well, next year’s state budget is likely to be flat, and Republican lawmakers are still eying cuts to the state income tax. Eliminating the personal income tax — the state’s largest single source of revenue — might not be possible with a looming $150 million budget hole, but lawmakers will likely work [...]
The Tulsa World’s Barbara Hoberock reports: The Senate Finance Committee during an interim study heard the pros about privatizing the state’s lottery, which was approved by voters in 2004 to generate revenue for education. Tim Lowry, an attorney who specializes in gambling and lotteries, said the advantages of privatizing the lottery outweigh the disadvantages.
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