Rep. Duel: A Responsible, Conservative State Budget

House and Senate leaders gathered with the governor April 1 to announce an agreement on a fiscally responsible plan to fund core state services for Fiscal Year 2027, which begins July 1. This is the earliest a budget agreement has been reached in recent memory, reflecting a commitment to disciplined, proactive governance.

Legislation is still being drafted to establish clear, accountable spending limits for each agency, ensuring transparency and legislative oversight of taxpayer dollars. Those bills will run through House and Senate appropriations committees and face questions, debate and votes on the floor of each legislative chamber.

This nearly $12.8 billion budget represents a modest 1.27% increase over the current year appropriation while preserving approximately $3 billion in state savings. Importantly, this was achieved while delivering $1.6 billion in tax relief in recent years, putting money back in the hands of hardworking Oklahoma families where it belongs.

Every agency was held whole, with the Oklahoma Tax Commission voluntarily reducing its budget by $3 million. The only other reductions reflect the removal of one-time expenditures, reinforcing our commitment to ongoing fiscal restraint rather than unnecessary growth in government.

This budget prioritizes education, proposing $85 million for $2,000 teacher pay raises across the state; 23.7 million for increased health care benefits; and $80 million for reading and math programs, including efforts to improve literacy for early elementary students.

The budget also contains a number of public safety efforts: $6.75 million to fund a new Highway Patrol Trooper Academy; $1.8 million for critical operations software for the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training; $2.5 million for the District Attorneys Council’s Rural Loan Assistance Program; and pay raises for court reporters and bailiffs.

State pensioners will receive Cost of Living Adjustments ranging between 3% to 6%, honoring commitments made to those who have faithfully served our state.

We are meeting our current obligations to fund health and mental health care, but we must also confront the long-term sustainability of these programs. Medicaid expansion, approved by voters in 2020, placed these provisions in the Oklahoma Constitution, limiting the ability of future legislatures to responsibly manage costs.

As federal support declines, the financial burden on our state taxpayers will continue to grow. Without reform, this trajectory is not sustainable. For that reason, we support placing this policy back into statute, restoring the proper constitutional balance and allowing elected representatives to make adjustments as needed to protect both patients and taxpayers.

If no action is taken, the likely alternative would be cuts to provider reimbursement rates, which would ultimately reduce access to care for all Oklahomans, especially in rural communities.

This budget was developed through an open and transparent process. Throughout the interim, lawmakers studied programs and services to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used effectively. Agencies presented their requests publicly, and House budget leaders made themselves available weekly to hear directly from constituents. This process reflects our belief that government should remain accountable to the people it serves.

We still have several weeks to finalize the budget, and I will continue working to ensure it reflects conservative principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and respect for the taxpayers who make all of this possible.

As always, it is an honor to serve you. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at (405) 557-7350 or collin.duel@okhouse.gov if I can ever be of service to you.