Restore T.R.U.S.T.

CONTACT:
Jennifer Monies, Press Secretary
Oklahoma House of Representatives
Office of House Speaker Chris Benge
Office: 405-962-7679
Email: jenniferm@okhouse.gov

OKLAHOMA CITY (Dec. 15, 2009) – State legislators and agency directors must partner together to weather the global recession as efforts are made to bring state expenditures more in line with declining state revenues, members of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee were told today.

The committee met today after two weeks of productive budget subcommittee meetings with agency directors to examine how budget cuts are affecting agencies and the services they offer. Agency heads were also asked to present proactive ways to save money, including possible voluntary buy-outs of state employees and streamlining.

“Our state is facing as much as a billion dollar shortfall for the current fiscal year, and many of our state agencies are working hard to help us fill that hole,” said House Speaker Chris Benge, R-Tulsa. “These budget reductions coming in such a short period of time are difficult, but the reality of the current budget situation has left us with no good options. There is certainly more work to be done to balance our state budget this year.”

So far year-to-date state collections are 28.5 percent below the prior year and 24.3 percent below the estimate. The subcommittee meetings showed that agency views of the current and coming fiscal year vary greatly... FULL ARTICLE