By Keaton Ross' Democracy Watch with :
Tax cuts, a private prison purchase, hundreds of millions to build a new OSU College of Veterinary Medicine complex. Not to mention a supplemental appropriation request from the beleaguered Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
Those are just a handful of fiscal matters legislative leaders are weighing as the clock ticks to pass a Fiscal Year 2026 budget. Lawmakers have until Friday, May 30 at 5:00 p.m. to wrap up business and adjourn sine die.
Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, said it’s unlikely every agency will get what they asked for. The state has about $120 million less to work with than it did last year.
“Most of those requests I see are valid, legitimate functions of government, things that we ought to be participating in and would help average Oklahomans out,” he said during his weekly press availability. “But I also don’t want to get into a situation like I was in when I first arrived in 2017 and 2018 when we had a billion dollar deficit and no money in the bank.”
Within the next few years, there could be a new revenue source to help pad the state coffers. The Senate Business and Insurance Committee passed a pair of bills to grant the tribal nations exclusive sports betting rights with a 10% fee paid to the state. If House Bill 1047 fails or is vetoed, its companion measure, House Bill 1101, could go to a statewide vote.
The proposal could generate between $14 and $42 million for the state each year, according to an estimate from House fiscal staff.
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said legalizing sports betting framework would prevent tax dollars from going out of state.
“I’m not a fan of gambling myself, but when you look at the sportsbook issue, Oklahomans are doing this already by getting a VPN and betting on sporting events,” he said.