The Fiscal Staff is charged with aiding representatives in the development of the
state budget. A staff member is assigned to each House Committee and that staff
member is responsible for analyzing fiscal issues associated with the committee.
The primary focus of the staff is to analyze the budgetary needs and the funding
resources available to state agencies associated with each committee. The Fiscal
Staff is also responsible for analyzing all proposed legislation for potential fiscal
impact on the state budget. For a better understanding of the systematic development
of the state’s annual budget see the
Appropriations Process.
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Appropriations and Budget Committee
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Fiscal Staff Notes: Currently, the top state income tax rate is 5.5% which is down
from the previous top rate of 7% in 2003. An additional reduction to 5.25% will
take effect when an increase of at least 4% occurs in the current year’s General
Revenue Fund estimate compared to the prior years’ General Revenue Fund collections.
The state’s standard deduction has continued to increase since 2004 and will increase
to the federal level by 2010. It is estimated that by 2010 the standard deduction
will increase to $11,300 for a married couple filing jointly, $8,150 for a person
filing as head of a household, and $5,550 for a person filing as single. These amounts
increased from a maximum standard deduction of $2,000.
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 Legislative Tax Guide
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Economic Development and Financial Services Committee
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Fiscal Staff Notes: The Teachers Retirement System of Oklahoma (OTRS) is primarily
funded by contributions made to the system by employees and employers based on a
percentage of the employee’s salary. OTRS also receives dedicated revenue from the
state. OTRS receives, as dedicated revenue, a portion of the revenues generated
by Cigarette Taxes, Income Taxes, Sales Taxes, Tobacco Products Taxes, Use Taxes,
Lottery Revenue and fees associated with Special License Plates. For FY-08, OTRS
received a Total of almost $267 million from these dedicated revenue sources.
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FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
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Education Committee
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Fiscal Staff Notes: Net proceeds from the Oklahoma Lottery, $69 million in FY-09,
are dedicated to Education in the following amounts: 45% allocated to K-12 public
education, 45% allocated to Higher Education, Career and Technology Education and/or
the Schools for the Blind and Deaf, 5% allocated to the School Consolidation and
Assistance Fund and 5% allocated to Teachers’ Retirement. Additionally, Common Education
receives a portion of revenues generated by Gross Production Taxes, Cigarette Taxes,
Income Taxes, Sales Taxes, Mineral Leasing and Gaming. Higher Education also receives
a portion of revenues generated by Gross Production Taxes.
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FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
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Energy and Technology Committee
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Fiscal Staff Notes: The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology
(OCAST) is designed to invest in the research, development and commercialization
of new technologies to enhance the quality of life of Oklahomans. Through an outside
peer-review process, OCAST looks at applications for investment funding, and grants
funds to the most promising candidates. Since 1987, this technology-based investment
model has used $139 million in state-appropriated funds, to leverage $2.4 billion
in a combination of federal and private funds. This is a return on investment of
over $17 for every $1 of state funding. OCAST is helping to make Oklahoma a leader
in the field of emerging technologies, while at the same time, creating substantial
economic development for the state.
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FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
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General Government and Transportation Committee
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Fiscal Staff Notes: Since 2005, legislation has been adopted that, when fully implemented,
will nearly triple the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) annual state
appropriation. Decades of stagnant funding had left a crumbling transportation infrastructure;
in fact, ODOT estimated its deferred maintenance backlog to be $7.5 billion. In
the coming years that backlog will be addressed with an estimated $485 million in
new funding, expanding the Department’s annual budget to approximately $700 million.
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FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
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Human Services Committee
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Fiscal Staff Notes: The Advantage Care Waiver Program provides medical services
to low-income elderly persons within their homes, providing an alternative to the
placement of seniors in nursing homes. The program allows the elderly to remain
in their personal residences and the cost to the state of doing so is roughly one-third
the cost of placement in nursing homes. In FY-07, there were 21,414 participants
in the Nursing Home program at a state cost of $490 million, while over the same
period there were 21,260 participants in the Advantage Waiver program at a state
cost of only $161 million. Costs of the Advantage Waiver program are expected to
rise dramatically in the coming years as the baby-boomer generation becomes classified
as elderly and requires additional services.
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FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
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Judicial and Public Safety Committee
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Fiscal Staff Notes: As of July 1, 2008, Oklahoma had over 24,000 incarcerated persons,
90% of whom are male and 10% of whom are female. The prison system is currently
at 98% capacity. State-owned facilities house 73% of the prison population while
contracted private facilities house the remaining 27%. Fifty percent of those incarcerated
are housed at either community or minimum security facilities, 42% are housed at
medium security facilities and 8% are housed at maximum security facilities. With
the system currently near capacity, policy makers must determine whether it is more
feasible to build new facilities or contract with private prisons for additional
bed space.
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FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
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Natural Resources Committee
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Fiscal Staff Notes: Rural fire departments receive an annual appropriation of $4.5
million. This is split between the 875 departments allowing each rural fire department
$5,100 a year for needed expenses. The Legislature also appropriates funds into
a revolving account, which allows the Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry
to purchase needed equipment such as fire hoses and pumps in bulk, then sell that
equipment to the rural fire districts at a meaningful discount. Additionally, the
Legislature, in fiscal year 2008, appropriated a one-time sum of $2.5 million to
the Rural Fire Defense Equipment Fund for the purchase of 246 fire trucks for rural
fire departments.
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FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
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Public Health Committee
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Fiscal Staff Notes: The Insure Oklahoma Employer Sponsored Insurance Program is
designed to assist small business employees with health insurance premiums. As of
August 2008, the Employer Sponsored Insurance component of the program currently
has 3,116 approved business and 9,730 enrolled employees. The Insure Oklahoma Individual
Plan component of the program is designed to provide individuals with health insurance
for themselves and their spouses who are not qualified for the employer sponsored
insurance. Eligible persons must work for an Oklahoma small business (less than
50 employees) be temporarily unemployed adults receiving unemployment benefits or
be working adults with a disability who have a “ticket to work.” The Individual
Plan component currently has 3,728 persons enrolled.
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FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
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Rules Committee
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Fiscal Staff Notes: During the 2008 Session, the Legislature provided $150,000 in
new funding to the Ethics Commission. The 30% increase was the greatest given to
any state agency in an otherwise standstill budget year. The agency base appropriation
for FY-09 is $667,690; the previous five-year average was $488,369. The additional
funding will allow the Commission to upgrade its internet technology systems and
meet growing operations expenses.
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FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
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Fiscal Staff Publications and Supplemental Data
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The Appropriations Process
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Legislative Tax Guide
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FY-09 Appropriations Overview
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FY-09 Appropriations by Agency
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FY-09 Appropriations by Source
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FY-09 Revenue Certification
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FY-09 Total Budgetary Resources
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FY-08 Supplemental Appropriations
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Director Salary & FTE Limits
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Rainy Day Fund History
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Selected Information on Retirement Systems
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