Rep. Pfeiffer: State revenue figures released

The state Board of Equalization met Feb. 14 giving us a bit of a let-down Valentine’s Day present.

The board certified the Legislature will have the authority to appropriate up to $12.3 billion toward the Fiscal Year 2026 state budget. This is about $1.1 billion less than was authorized for FY25. About $11 billion is recurring revenue, and the remaining dollars are available cash and one-time funds.

While its never pleasant to learn we have less money to spend, it’s not unexpected. We approved the largest tax cut in state history last year, slashing the state’s portion of the grocery tax; and we’ve seen flattening revenue for a while now. We still have very healthy state savings accounts. We’ve funded education at historic levels and kept other core areas of government services stable. While agencies may not get everything on their wish list this year, we’re still in great shape going into drafting the budget.

Committee work, meanwhile, continues in the House. The recent snow and ice have thrown a bit of a kink in the meeting schedule, but we’ve given ourself more time to get things through the committee process this year with our new two-step process of oversight committees. That’s proving helpful as we work to get bills ready to be heard on the House floor.

We passed our first bill on the floor recently. House Bill 1276 would require schools to adopt a no-cellphone policy for students during the school day beginning next school year. This gives districts the flexibility to select the method that best meets their needs. It’s hoped this will help improve students’ focus and academic achievement, also giving them a break from some of the harmful effects of too much social media.

We passed a companion bill in committee that would give grant funding to schools that feel they need it to implement these policies. Grants could be spent on pouches to secure phones during the day or for other methods. Some schools have already successfully adopted bans and are seeing the rewards in better student performance and interaction with their peers. 

We also passed a bill in committee that would give teachers late in their career the opportunity to earn more money. House Bill 1087 would extend the teacher salary schedule through year 35 of service, where it currently caps out at year 25. The legislation aims to encourage teachers who are eligible for retirement yet still in their prime working age to continue to teach.

Once bills pass from an oversight committee they are eligible to be considered on the House floor. This work will pick up over the next few weeks.

It’s an honor to serve the folks of House District 38. As always, if you have concerns about bills, or problems I can assist you in solving, please reach out to me at john.pfeiffer@okhouse.gov or call my office at 405-557-7332.