Last week was eventful at the State Capitol as legislators worked to conclude a historic session amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The House and Senate adjourned today after passing the budget, budget-related and ‘priority’ measures since the Capitol reopened on May 1. With the passing of SCR 12, legislators have delayed the official sine die adjournment until May 29 in case they need to reconvene over the next two weeks. By leaving the session open-ended, the governor has five days to decide whether to sign the last bills of the year, rather than the 15-day post sine die deadline. It also gives lawmakers a chance to override a veto.

Earlier last week, Governor Stitt vetoed SB 1922, the FY21 general appropriations bill, only to have his veto overridden in the House by a 79-20 vote and in the Senate by a 35-11 vote. Similarly, the following budget-related bills were vetoed by the governor, which were later overridden by both chambers:

HB 2741  increases the percentage of sales, individual income and corporate income tax revenue apportioned to Education Reform Revolving Fund beginning September 1, 2020 through the end of fiscal year 2022. The increases are offset by equivalent percentage reductions of revenue dedicated to the Teachers’ Retirement System of Oklahoma (OTRS).  Override vote: House - 94-4; Senate - 34-12.

HB 2742  modifies the apportionment formula for insurance premium tax revenue to provide funding to the Education Reform Revolving Fund from September 1, 2020 through the end of fiscal year 2022. The increases are offset by equivalent percentage reductions of revenue dedicated to the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System, Oklahoma Police Pension Retirement System and Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System.  Override vote: House - 95-5; Senate - 34-12.

HB 2743  modifies the FY-21 amount accruing to the Rebuilding Oklahoma Access and Driver Safety (ROADS) Fund by $180,000,000 and directs the funds to be deposited into the Education Reform Revolving (“HB 1017”) Fund. Other legislation includes authorization to the Oklahoma Department of transportation to issue lease revenue bonds in the amount of $200,000,000 for use in the agency’s construction plan.  Override vote: House - 97-3; Senate - 44-2.

Please see the article below for more details.
CareerTech Funding
With the passing of SB 1922, the Department of Career & Technology Education will receive $137,471,871 in appropriations for FY21, 4% less than the previous year. Approximately, $230,000 will be used to annualize teacher salaries.

Another potential blow to education funding would have been SJR 31 by Sen. Joe Newhouse and Rep. Kyle Hilbert. SJR 31 would have sent to a vote of the people a constitutional amendment to end ad valorem reimbursement paid by the state to local government jurisdictions for the 5-year property tax exemption granted to qualifying manufacturing facilities. Exemptions granted on or after January 1, 2023, would have been required approval by the board of county commissioners where the facility seeking the exemption is located and any revenue lost from approving the exemption would have been absorbed by the applicable local taxing jurisdictions. The measure passed the House 85-0. However, the Senate rejected House amendments 4-41.
T he following measures passed the Senate:
By Tres Savage - Wednesday, May 13, 2020 5109

Gov. Kevin Stitt uncapped his veto pen and struck down three bills this afternoon, including one for which he previously had not announced his plans. About an hour and a half later, Stitt announced he had also vetoed SB 1922, the general appropriations bill for a state budget he could not stomach.
Over the next five hours, however, both chambers of the Legislature overrode all four Stitt vetoes and crammed the Fiscal Year 2021 state budget down the governor’s gullet and into law.

What happened after the Stitt vetoes

Shortly before 5 p.m., the Senate brought up SB 1922 and voted 35-11 to override the veto. Democrats voted against the override, as did Sen. Joseph Silk (R-Broken Bow) and Sen. Nathan Dahm (R-Tulsa). Both chambers must override any bill, and the House did the same by a 79-20 vote around 8:30 p.m. Democrats and Republicans alike blasted Stitt for being disconnected from the budget process and making “misleading statements” through the media.

“That’s the stinking part of D.C. politics people hate,” Rep. Josh West (R-Grove) said on the House floor. “So I want him to look in the stinking mirror.”

For his part, Stitt referenced another element of a house — doors — when explaining to the public why he had vetoed the budget.

“This budget was created behind closed doors, without meaningful input or consultation from the executive branch,” Stitt said in announcing his SB 1922 veto. “This proposed budget does not reflect the values of Oklahoma or the clear directive voters gave elected officials at the ballot box of living within our means and making hard decisions when times get tough. Instead, Senate Bill 1922 reflects misguided policies that conservative Republicans have spent the past decade reversing. It is propped up with one-time funds that will not be available for Fiscal Year 2022.”

Stitt said his goal is to “protect the taxpayer.”

“As governor, I was elected to manage the executive branch, which includes managing expenses and right-sizing agencies,” Stitt said. “This budget is going to back the state into a financial corner, which leaves us with very few options in FY 2022 — we will either have to raise taxes or implement draconian cuts. As governor I am here to protect the taxpayer — not harm them.”

West minced few words in countering the governor’s claim.

“I think it’s easy to sit back from the sidelines and armchair quarterback when you don’t participate in the process,” West said.

House Minority Leader Leader Emily Virgin (D-Norman) urged her colleagues and the governor to move beyond foolishness over metaphorical furnishings.
“Let’s get past who was in the room, who was locked out of the room, who was right, who was lying, who was wrong. The people of Oklahoma deserve better than that,” Virgin said. “It is the democratic process, but if I were someone who was watching I would say, ‘God, I just wish they would get it together.”

Legislature overrides other 3 Stitt vetoes

The three other bills — HB 2741, HB 2742 and HB 2743 — are part of the Oklahoma Legislature’s creative attempt to limit funding cuts for education agencies, which make up about half of the state’s appropriated budget. The House began votes to override those vetoes shortly after 5 p.m. Needing two-thirds majorities to figuratively stick the ink back up the governor’s pen, the House first voted 94-4 to make HB 2741 “become law not withstanding the objections from the governor.”

House Appropriations and Budget Chairman Kevin Wallace (R-Wellston) uttered that motion and then took Stitt to task for “inaccurate statements” in his veto message. Specifically, he chided the governor’s claim that pension funds were being destabilized.

“We are not touching the corpus,” Wallace said. “That’s another false statement. Totally untrue. (…) There’s hardly anything in this veto message I agree with. A lot of misrepresentations, misinformation and inaccurate statements.”

House Speaker Charles McCall (R-Atoka) and Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat (R-OKC) issued a joint statement around 4:20 p.m. previewing the Legislature’s veto override plans.

“Since the governor refused to do so, legislators will rise to the moment to enact a balanced budget for the people of Oklahoma that protects education from deep cuts without harming the transportation or public retirement systems,” McCall and Treat said. “The deep education funding cuts the governor’s vetoes cause are unnecessary and unacceptable, as is his false rhetoric about the bills’ effect on the transportation and retirement systems.”

But after overriding SB 1922, Senate Republicans went into a caucus around 7:45 p.m. and stayed that way until about 9:45 p.m. The Senate GOP caucus emerged and passed veto overrides of HB 2741 (34-12), HB 2742 (34-12) and HB 2743 (44-2).

Stitt: ‘Do not go backwards’ on pension solvency

Stitt announced Monday that he would veto two of the bills: HB 2741 and HB 2742.

He elaborated on his decisions in his official explanation today.

“While I understand the importance of a balanced budget, it is improper to do so at the expense of the solvency of the Teachers’ Retirement System, which has been greatly improved through the Legislature’s commitment to fiscally conservative policies,” Stitt wrote in both of his messages for HB 2741 and HB 2742. “It is important we do not go backwards on the meaningful gains we have made.”

Stitt wrote that HB 2741 “would add $186,200,000 to the unfunded actuarial accrued liability, which was last reported as $6,529,854,740.”

Passed by the Legislature as part of last week’s budget package, HB 2741 and HB 2742 would make temporary and then long-term adjustments to the percentages of state sales, use and income taxes apportioned “off the top” to state pension funds. Neither bill changes the payments that state retirees receive.

HB 2741 passed the House with a veto-proof majority, but its 28-19 approval in the Senate would fall short of the two-thirds requirement for a veto override. HB 2742 also received more than 70 votes in the House, but it likewise had only 28 senators support its initial passage.

But in their own press conference following Stitt’s, legislative leaders said the governor is either engaging in “false communication” or simply does not understand the bills sent to his desk.

“If those vetoes stand, there will be a $111.9 million cut to public education,” said Senate Appropriations and Budget Chairman Roger Thompson (R-Okemah). “I believe that our caucus and our chamber will rise to the occasion.”
Stitt also vetoed HB 2743, which passed 89-10 in the House and 43-4 in the Senate. The bill would transfer $180 million an Oklahoma Department of Transportation fund to the State Department of Education.

“As governor, my goal is for Oklahoma to become a Top-10 state. This includes becoming Top Ten in infrastructure, specifically in roads and bridges,” Stitt said in a press release. “House Bill 2743 would force ODOT to unnecessarily take on additional debt through the use of bonds. Because of the state’s dedication to the ODOT plan, we are now up to 13th in bridges and improving our roads. I understand and agree with the use of bonds in limited circumstances. However, I cannot support the use of bonds to plug budget holes.”

Interestingly, Stitt signed HB 2744, which authorizes $200 million of bonds for the Department of Transportation to use on its eight-year construction plan. Lawmakers intended that measure to free up the $180 million for common education.

“That keeps the eight-year plan right on target. We have done this in the past. We have bonded out some construction projects, and we are able to use our cash. So all of those things we believe are good for Oklahoma,” Senate Appropriations and Budget Chairman Roger Thompson (R-Okemah) said earlier Wednesday. “We want to make sure the state stays fiscally healthy, and by doing that we need to be able invest in the state.”

By the day’s end around 10:05 p.m., the Legislature had overridden all four Stitt vetoes.
Common Sense Education Reform Unanimously Passes Legislature
Legislation that removes barriers for education professionals to receive their superintendent certification has unanimously passed the Legislature after clearing its final hurdle in the Senate 45-0.

House Bill 3142, authored by State Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa, provides flexibility for those seeking a superintendent certification and completed their higher education requirements before July 1, 2005.

“Experienced Oklahoma educators have a way forward that will widen the path to becoming a superintendent,” Provenzano said. “We are on the cusp of a large retirement of educators, and the grandfather clause provided by this bill allows those with extensive educational training to step into those top school district jobs.”

Currently, a school principal must complete a standard master’s degree, and a program in education administration approved by the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation with an emphasis on curriculum, instruction and building-level relationships.

Specifically, HB3142 would allow a person who has completed a master’s degree program in education that includes competencies that are substantially equal to existing qualifications, to qualify for the superintendent certification requirements as long as their master’s degree was completed before July 1, 2005.

Prior to 2005, educators who planned to become superintendents were enrolled in “Education” Masters programs. After 2005, it changed to “Education Administration.”

This bill would allow those that obtained their degree before 2005 in “Education” to obtain their superintendent certification. All other requirements, including certification tests, would still need to be met.

“The Legislature listened to the education community,” Provenzano said. “We accomplished something that is going to help school districts be better equipped to serve their students.”
House Approves Bills to Increase Special Ed Teachers in Classrooms, Address Teacher Shortage
The Oklahoma House of Representatives today gave approval to two bills designed to increase the number of special education teachers in the classroom and to address the statewide teacher shortage.

Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond, presented Senate Bill 1436, which creates a new pathway to certification in two areas for aspiring special education teachers and provides additional training for existing special education teachers.

“Oklahoma has a serious shortage of qualified special education in our schools, and we need to figure out how to provide better services for these students,” Miller said. “Senate Bill 1436 combines the two certification tests for these aspiring special educators into one comprehensive test and outlines a path to certification in severe-profound disabilities for teachers currently certified in mild-moderate disabilities. This would allow for a greater pool of qualified candidates so our students are learning from highly trained teachers.”

Currently, aspiring special education teachers must take two separate tests to certify in mild-moderate and severe-profound disabilities.

The bill also creates a micro-credential pathway for special education teachers already certified in mild-moderate disabilities to gain certification in severe-profound disabilities without taking the certification test.

SB1436 passed the House 87-1. It was authored in the Senate by Sen. Gary Stanislawski, R-Tulsa.

Rep. Danny Sterling, R-Tecumseh, also passed legislation to help address the teacher shortage. Senate Bill 1115 was authored by Sen. Ron Sharp, R-Shawnee, and passed the House 87-3.

The bill allows school districts that cannot find a certified teacher the option to rehire a quality emergency certified teacher after their second year. Current statute limits an emergency certified teacher to two years. However, if a certified teacher is available, the local district must hire the certified teacher.
“Senate Bill 1115 does away with the practice of making schools hire inexperienced or unknown emergency certified teachers just because we don’t allow them to rehire those who have already served in this capacity after two years,” Sterling said. “By allowing school boards the option of rehiring emergency certified teachers who have performed well in their classrooms when certified teacher candidates are not available, our classrooms will have more stability.”

Sterling is a former educator who worked for 40 years in Tecumseh Public Schools as an agriculture education teacher and later as an assistant principal and principal.

SB1436 and SB1115 now move to the Governor’s desk for consideration.
House Press Release: Virtual Charter School Transparency/Reform Bill Passes Senate
A bill that promises additional transparency and accountability of the attendance, enrollment, transfer and instruction practices of Oklahoma’s virtual charter schools has been sent to the governor.

House Bill 2905, authored by State Rep. Sheila Dills, R-Tulsa, and State Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, passed the House with a vote of 94-0 and the Senate 45-0.

HB 2905, the Virtual Charter School Transparency and Reform Act of 2020, addresses and unifies transfer, attendance, student engagement and truancy policies. It also directs the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board to promulgate rules for orientation information to be provided to students and parents.

Dills, an assistant floor leader and a member of the House Common Education Committee, said, “This measure ensures students served by public virtual charter schools are protected and given every opportunity to achieve better outcomes, and it keeps parental flexibility intact. We’ve seen even in this recent pandemic the value of virtual learning options and the benefit for students and their families. We do, however, want to make sure that our virtual charters’ policies are transparent to the public, particularly in how they receive and spend taxpayer dollars for the students they serve.”

Pemberton is the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education and had nearly 40 years’ experience in Oklahoma’s public school system as a teacher, coach and administrator.

“Virtual education plays an important role in Oklahoma’s education system,” Pemberton said. “However, after many studies and meetings, we realized that changes were needed to address virtual charters’ policies on transfers, attendance, truancy and other areas of public concern to ensure students are getting the education they deserve. This bill will also ensure students and parents fully understand what virtual education involves and what will be required and expected of them in order to be successful. I want to thank Representative Dills for spearheading these major reforms that will help improve these schools and the education their students receive.”

Dills said she and Pemberton engaged many education stakeholders in a lengthy and deliberative process to draft the legislation. These included representatives from the two largest virtual charter schools in Oklahoma, the state superintendent of public instruction, the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration and the Oklahoma State School Boards Association. She said all are supportive of the legislation.

“This has been a beautiful, collaborative process that started last summer and in my opinion is an example of the way government should work,” Dills said. “Everyone came to the table with ideas to improve the virtual charter school law and have been very cooperative. And, I believe this will be better policy for our traditional brick-and-mortar schools as well.”

Dills said the bill addresses attendance and student engagement policies for the virtual charter schools by defining the first date of attendance and membership and defining and changing the number of instructional activities required for each student.

The measure also adds an orientation piece that will be provided to each family before a student begins instruction. This orientation information will help a student and their parent or guardian understand the type of education in which they are enrolling. The bill also addresses student transfer policies. Dills said the State Department of Education will be implementing new technology to accommodate the transfer language in the bill. While this will take some time to implement, it lays the foundation for more uniform reporting of student mobility, ensuring school districts know where students are receiving educational instruction.

Dills said HB 2905 is an extension of House Bill 1395, which was signed into law by the governor last May. That bill subjects Oklahoma’s public virtual charter schools to the same financial reporting requirements, financial audits, audit procedures and audit requirements as traditional public school districts. The bill also put virtual charters and brick and mortar charters under the same statutory teacher contract requirements as traditional public schools.
SDE Press Release: Hofmeister announces $145 million in coronavirus relief CARES Act funds available to districts, opportunities for additional grants
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister announced this week that nearly $145 million in emergency federal relief is now available to Oklahoma school districts. Provided in the federal Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the funds are Oklahoma’s portion of the $13 billion Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund designated for states after the CARES Act was signed into law in March.

“Like schools across the nation, Oklahoma educators are considering the transition to next school year and preparing for various options that may be brought by the pandemic,” said Hofmeister. “Recognizing the significant learning loss that has resulted from the pandemic, it will be important that districts leverage their ESSER allocations to support students in regaining
lost academic ground. We are grateful to Oklahoma’s congressional delegation for their support of the CARES Act.”

Allocations to districts are tied to their proportion of Title I, Part A funds in fiscal year 2020. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act’s Title I, Part A funding is based on the percentage of a school’s eligible student population categorized as low-income, ensuring that federal support reaches the greatest concentration of disadvantaged students. For a list of district ESSER allocations, click here.

To access funds, districts may draw down from their allocation for the following 12 categories of COVID-19-related expenditures:
  • Funding activities authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, including the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, the Perkins Act or subtitle B of Title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act;
  • Coordinating preparedness and response efforts with state, local, tribal and territorial health departments to prevent and prepare a response to the coronavirus;
  • Providing principals and other school leaders the resources necessary to address the needs of their individual schools;
  • Funding any activity that addresses the delivery of services to at-risk and minority students;
  • Developing and implementing procedures to improve school preparedness and response efforts;
  • Training and offering professional development for staff on sanitation and minimizing the spread of disease;
  • Purchasing cleaning supplies;
  • Planning for and coordinating services during long-term closures including providing meals, technology for online learning, guidance for carrying out IDEA services, etc.
  • Purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software and connectivity) to conduct online learning for students served by the LEA (local education agency). This may include assistive technology or adaptive equipment for students with disabilities;
  • Providing mental health services and supports;
  • Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and supplemental after-school programs during the summer months and providing continued services to at-risk and minority students; and
  • Funding other activities necessary to maintain the operation and continuity of services in LEAs and continuing to employ the LEA’s existing staff.

In the coming weeks, districts will have the opportunity to pursue incentive grants established by the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) funded by a portion of Oklahoma’s set-aside ESSER funds. Districts that commit to spend at least 30% of their ESSER funds in at least two of the following areas deemed priority pursuits by OSDE will be eligible to apply for additional funds:

  • Expanding connectivity for students to enable distance learning (i.e., purchasing devices, hot spots, access points, etc.);
  • Purchasing content from a statewide contract approved by the OSDE for a Content Management System (CMS) or Learning Management System (LMS);
  • Providing mental health supports for students through social and emotional learning tools;
  • Providing compensatory services to students identified to be at risk as a result of the closure of school buildings in spring 2020 (i.e., English learners, students with disabilities, students needing credit recovery, etc.); and
  • Providing training in the science of reading for teachers in Pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, with a specific focus on delivering instruction remotely.

“We must do everything in our power to ensure that every home in Oklahoma is fully connected so each of our students has the opportunity for academic success in a 21st-century context. That means full connectivity and a device that can accommodate rigorous distance education,” said Hofmeister. “COVID-19 has pulled the curtain back on the digital divide.

With an increasing number of schools moving to blended learning environments, the time is now to close this divide so that every student can be positioned for success regardless of whether school takes place inside a building or beyond the schoolhouse walls through digital delivery of content and instruction.”
Senate approves bill to improve rural broadband access
The House and Senate have given approval to a measure that will ultimately help improve broadband access throughout rural Oklahoma. House Bill 4018 creates the Rural Broadband Expansion Act.

Leewright, who chairs the Senate Business, Commerce and Tourism Committee, said expanding rural broadband is a critical issue for the entire state. Oklahoma is currently ranked 47th in the nation in rural broadband access.

“I can tell you one of the first things companies looking at Oklahoma want to know is how is our connectivity,” Leewright said. “The importance of this issue has become even more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic as so much of our day-to-day lives has shifted to online. For businesses, health care, schools, colleges and universities and so much more, developing a workable plan to expand rural access must be a top priority. That’s what this bill is all about.”

The bill calls for the creation of a Rural Broadband Expansion Council to study rural broadband access in the state, including determining costs for improving access.

“The council in this bill includes executive and legislative branch officials, plus private sector, academic and rural stakeholders who can collectively craft
enact,” Phillips said. “Under the bill, everyone will know the rules and get a seat at the table to produce a strategic plan that makes the best use of resources in a way that gets results for rural communities that need better broadband.”

“This bill puts the expertise of all stakeholders together to craft the best rural broadband plan possible in a unified manner,” McCall said. “I thank the Senate for their strong support of this collaborative council, and Representative Logan Phillips for being the architect of this bill that will bring benefits to rural Oklahoma for years to come.”

HB 4018 will now move to the governor for his consideration
State Treasurer Press Release: Coronavirus Strikes State Gross Receipts
April Gross Receipts to the Treasury plunged by more than half a billion dollars as the coronavirus pandemic disrupts Oklahoma’s economy, State Treasurer Randy McDaniel announced.

Gross receipts in April total $1.08 billion, a drop of $502.5 million, or 31.8 percent, from April 2019.

The economic impact of the pandemic is spread across all major revenue streams, but is most evident in income tax collections due to the postponement of the April 15 filing deadline to July 15. Gross income tax receipts are down by more than 50 percent for the month.

“The state economy is clearly showing the repercussions of the novel coronavirus,” Treasurer McDaniel said. “While the resiliency of Oklahomans is a key source for enduring optimism, the near-term situation is expected to be especially challenging.”

McDaniel pointed out that gross production tax collections have yet to reflect the impact of record low oil prices. Gross production receipts in April are based on oil field activity two months earlier – in February – when oil was still more than $50 per barrel. Even so, collections this month were down by 24 percent from a year earlier.

The average price of oil during April was less than $20 per barrel. The impact of the price crash will begin to be seen in May receipts, but will be more fully realized in June collections.

Combined sales and use tax collections of $430.4 million are down by $44.7 million, or 9.4 percent, indicating a pullback in consumption during April likely due to shelter-in-place policies. Sales taxes, down by $47.3 million, are somewhat offset by a $2.6 million increase in use taxes assessed on out-of-state purchases including online sales.

Economic indicators

The unemployment situation in Oklahoma is rapidly changing. The March jobless rate was listed at 3.1 percent, but the employment survey was taken early in the month before many jobs were lost due to the pandemic.

Since March 15, the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission reports it has paid more than 430,000 jobless claims. In early March, 56,100 Oklahomans were listed as unemployed.

The Oklahoma Business Conditions Index dropped to 34.2 in April, down from 45.7 in March. Numbers below 50 indicate economic contraction is expected during the next three to six months.

April collections

April gross collections total $1.08 billion, down by $502.5 million, or 31.8 percent, from April 2019.

Gross income tax collections, a combination of individual and corporate income taxes, generated $405.8 million, a decrease of $414.4 million, or 50.5 percent, from the previous April.

Individual income tax collections for the month are $368.4 million, down by $325.1 million, or 46.9 percent, from the prior year. Corporate collections are $37.4 million, a decrease of $89.3 million, or 70.5 percent.

Combined sales and use tax collections, including remittances on behalf of cities and counties, total $430.4 million in April. That is $44.7 million, or 9.4 percent, less than April 2019.

Sales tax collections in April total $368.3 million, a drop of $47.3 million, or 11.4 percent from the same month of the prior year. Use tax receipts, collected on out-of-state purchases including online sales, generated $62.1 million, an increase of $2.6 million, or 4.3 percent, over the year.

Gross production taxes on oil and natural gas total $60.7 million in April, a decrease of $19.1 million, or 24 percent, from last April. Compared to March 2020 reports, gross production collections are down by $18.2 million, or 23.1 percent.

Motor vehicle taxes produced $53 million, down by $18.1 million, or 25.5 percent, from the same month of 2019.

Other collections composed of some 60 different sources including taxes on fuel, tobacco, medical marijuana, and alcoholic beverages, produced $129 million during the month. That is $6.2 million, or 4.6 percent, less than last April.

Twelve-month collections

Gross revenue totals $13.22 billion from the past 12 months, May 2019 through April 2020. That is $223.9 million, or 1.7 percent, below collections from the previous 12-month period.

Gross income taxes generated $4.38 billion for the 12 months, reflecting a decrease of $186.7 million, or 4.1 percent, from the prior 12 months.
Individual income tax collections total $3.86 billion, down by $193.1 million, or 4.8 percent, from the prior period. Corporate collections are $524.7 million for the period, an increase of $6.4 million, or 1.2 percent, over the previous 12 months.

Combined sales and use taxes for the 12 months generated $5.52 billion, a decrease of $15.9 million, or 0.3 percent, from the prior period.

Gross sales tax receipts total $4.79 billion, down by $89.4 million, or 1.8 percent, during the period. Use tax collections generated $729.8 million, an increase of $73.5 million, or 11.2 percent, over the previous 12 months.

Oil and gas gross production tax collections brought in $957.3 million during the 12 months, down by $151.9 million, or 13.7 percent, from the previous 12 months.

Motor vehicle collections total $778.2 million for the 12 months. This is a decrease of $12.8 million, or 1.6 percent, from the trailing period.

Other sources generated $1.58 billion, up by $143.5 million, or 10 percent, from the previous period.
Bills signed into law
To date, the following measures have been signed into law this legislative session:
  • HB 1048 by Sterling, Danny/Daniels, Julie: Relates to groundwater rights and eminent domain by requiring entities claiming surface rights through eminent domain to inform owners that they may retain groundwater rights, and imposing related restrictions on surface activity if they do.
  • HB 1230 by McBride, Mark/Weaver, Darrell: Requires the State Department of Education to list various information and details related to private schools and the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship Program on its website.
  • HB 2744 by Wallace, Kevin/Thompson, Roger: Authorizes the Capitol Improvement authority to issue bonds in an amount necessary to generate $200 MIL during FY-21 to aid in providing payment for construction projects within 8-year ODOT construction plan.
  • HB 3870 by Wallace, Kevin/Leewright, James: Raises the maximum amount that the Commissioners of the Land Office may invest from the assets of the permanent school fund from three to five percent and directs certain exchanges of undeveloped land; EMERGENCY.
  • HB 4041 by McCall, Charles/Bullard, David: Requires funeral directors to notify employees of certain exposure risks of communicable diseases and directs related agencies to provide relevant information to funeral directors.
  • SB 210 by Treat, Greg/McCall, Charles: Provides for an alternative method for certifying absentee ballots during a health emergency in effect during calendar year 2020, adjusting certain notary requirements; EMERGENCY.
  • SB 300 by Daniels, Julie/O’Donnell, Terry: Creates the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Limited Liability Act which provides for liability protections to health care providers offering COVID-19 services; EMERGENCY.
  • SB 617 by Stanislawski, Gary/Hilbert, Kyle: In the event of a revenue failure, up to 1/2 of the Revenue Stabilization Fund balance may be withdrawn to offset such revenue failure, in equal proportions to reduce or avoid reductions to agencies for FY-2020; EMERGENCY.
  • SB 661 by Howard, Brent/McCall, Charles: Permits certain public bodies to utilize remote communication for the purposes of conducting meetings and establishing quorums, within certain transparency standards, expires November 15, 2020, or upon the conclusion of the emergency; EMERGENCY.
  • SB 801 by Rosino, Paul/McEntire, Marcus: Relates to the Oklahoma Nursing Practice Act, changes requirement that certain nurses be under supervision to instead work in collaboration with a doctor; EMERGENCY.
  • SB 1053 by Thompson, Roger/Wallace, Kevin: In accordance with the Governor’s declaration of emergency by Executive Order, an appropriation from the Constitutional Reserve Fund of $201.6 MIL to the Revenue Stabilization Fund; EMERGENCY.
  • SB 1054 by Thompson, Roger/Wallace, Kevin: Extends the transfer of certain funds by OMES from the Lengthy Trial Fund to the Supreme Court Administrative Fund and the Interagency Reimbursement Fund upon request by the Administrative Director of the Courts to 2021; EMERGENCY.
  • SB 1073 by Thompson, Roger/Wallace, Kevin: Expands the authority of the Health Care Authority to spend certain money from the Health Employee and Economy Improvement Fund for the state share of the Oklahoma Medicaid program; EMERGENCY.
  • SB 1921 by Thompson, Roger/Wallace, Kevin: Makes an appropriation of $243,668,709 to the State Board of Education; EMERGENCY.
  • SB 1937 by Thompson, Roger/Wallace, Kevin: Removes certain restrictions related to FMAP rate decreases on payments by the Health Care Authority from the Rate Preservation Fund to maintain provider reimbursement rates.
  • SB 1944 by Thompson, Roger/Wallace, Kevin: Directs the Director of OMES to publish daily reports of all expenditures of funds from the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act to the Oklahoma Checkbook page of the state website; EMERGENCY.
2020 Legislative Deadlines
June 2020
June 5 | Last day to register to vote.
June 24 | Deadline to request absentee ballot by 5 PM.
June 25, 26, 27 | Early voting
  • Thursday, June 25, 8 AM - 6 PM
  • Friday, June 26, 8 AM - 6 PM
  • Saturday, June 27, 9 AM - 2 PM
June 30| Primary Election/Special Elections