Fallin Urges Care In Considering Budget Outlook
Fallin calls for more scrutiny of Oklahoma budget
By SEAN MURPHY, Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — As the newly elected Legislature prepares for the 2015 session, Gov. Mary Fallin said Monday she’s urging lawmakers to give careful scrutiny to the roughly $7 billion state-appropriated budget, especially the amount of money being diverted from Oklahoma’s general revenue fund.
Fallin met Sunday with House Republicans at their annual retreat in Sulphur. She said she’s optimistic that she and the Republican-controlled Legislature will find common ground on policy and budget priorities for the legislative session that begins Feb. 2.
The governor is pushing for a close examination of the state’s budgeting process, especially the increasing amount of state revenue that is being diverted “off the top” directly to fund various programs and is not available for the Legislature and governor to appropriate.
Seven years ago, about 55 percent of overall state revenue collections went into the general revenue fund, the main operating fund for state government. Currently, less than 47 percent of collections go into the fund.