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Fiscal Staff Division Information Page

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.

House of Representatives Committee Information

Appropriations and Budget Committee
  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.
    Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon Legislative Tax Guide
Economic Development and Financial Services Committee
  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.
    Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
Education Committee
  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.
    Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
Energy and Technology Committee
  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.
    Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
General Government and Transportation Committee
  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.
    Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
Human Services Committee
  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.
    Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
Judicial and Public Safety Committee
  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.
    Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
Natural Resources Committee
  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.
    Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
Public Health Committee
  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.
    Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary
Rules Committee
  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.
    Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon FY-09 Committee Appropriation Summary

Fiscal Staff Publications and Supplemental Data

  Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon The Appropriations Process
  Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon Legislative Tax Guide
   
  Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon FY-09 Appropriations Overview
  Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon FY-09 Appropriations by Agency
  Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon FY-09 Appropriations by Source
  Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon FY-09 Revenue Certification
  Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon FY-09 Total Budgetary Resources
   
  Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon FY-08 Supplemental Appropriations
   
  Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon Director Salary & FTE Limits
  Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon Rainy Day Fund History
  Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon Selected Information on Retirement Systems

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