Pro Tem Treat and Speaker McCall Comment on Budget Agreement

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, and House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, today released the following statements after Senate and House negotiators reached an agreement on the state’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget.

The budget agreement is the first time all meetings were hosted in public and gave Oklahomans a behind the scenes look on how the state budget is negotiated. 

Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat

“I am proud of how this process played out in a transparent manner,” Pro Tem Treat said. “It has been contentious, stressful and at times combative. But it is the legislative process that has historically been behind closed doors, never available to public view. For the first time, Oklahomans were able to see how these meetings happen behind the scenes. I appreciate my colleagues in the Senate and House who participated in this new process and my hope is that they will build upon it in the future and continue improving this moving forward. I especially want to thank Appropriations Chairman Sen. Chuck Hall, Appropriations Vice Chairman Sen. Paul Rosino and Floor Leader Sen. Greg McCortney, as well as our staff who have put in hours of work, late nights and helped get this to where we are today.

“Oklahomans deserve to know how their money is being spent and where we prioritize funding. The governor committed today that he will sign this budget and I look forward to getting it to his desk.”

House of Representatives Speaker Charles McCall

“Throughout the budget process I have empowered the House negotiating team to negotiate a budget on behalf of our body and the Oklahomans we represent,” Speaker McCall said. 

“Today’s budget agreement with the Senate is the culmination of those robust negotiations, and I want to applaud the hard work of our House negotiating team and budget staff for getting this across the finish line. The House showed our commitment to transparency and good faith throughout the process, and we are thankful that a deal was reached.”

Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Highlights

Education

• $240 million for new engineering and science facilities at OU and OSU
• $27.6 million for CareerTech to address its waitlist and admit more students
• $25 million in additional funding into the school funding formula
• $20 million for animal diagnostics lab at OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine
• $1.5 million to support educational initiatives that increase awareness about the Oklahoma City bombing and its impact

Health

• $30 million for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to increase long-term care provider rates
• $30 million expansion for OSU Medical Center in Tulsa
• $18.5 million in additional funding for the Department of Mental Health to address children’s mental health needs
• $15 million additional funding for Choosing Childbirth, to provide services to pregnant women
• $45.5 million to increase reimbursement rates for developmental disability service providers
• $3 million in new funding to get roughly 300 additional individuals developmental disability services

Public Safety

• $74 million to complete the Department of Public Safety’s new training facility in Lincoln County
• $27.5 million for new OSBI headquarters building
• $10 million in additional funding to help victims of domestic violence
• $2.85 million for OETA to replace 11 rural transmitters to ensure severe weather and public safety alerts reach all parts of the state
• $2.5 million for DPS academy to train more Highway Patrol troopers

Miscellaneous

• $350 million for the new Oklahoma Capital Assets Maintenance and Protection Fund to cover deferred maintenance at state properties, state parks and public colleges and universities
• $308 million to cover the cost of eliminating the state portion of the grocery tax
• $45 million in disaster relief to help tornado-impacted counties
• $20 million for the Governor’s Quick Action Closing Fund

The final agreed upon budget numbers will be published here.

To access the House of Representatives budget portal click here.

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Contact for Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat

Alex Gerszewski, Communications Director

Phone: (580) 541-4800 

Email: alex.gerszewski@oksenate.gov

Contact for House Speaker Charles McCall

Daniel Seitz, House Leadership Communications Liaison

Phone: (405) 962-7649

Email: daniel.seitz@okhouse.gov