Oklahoma

Oklahoma Senators Pass Preliminary 2025 Budget

Published

12 months ago

March 19, 2024

Press Room

Oklahoma Senators Pass Preliminary 2025 Budget

The state senate has approved the preliminary state budget for 2025.

The $12.3 billion figure is the first number that will spark negotiations between the Senate, House, and Governor.

This is a major milestone of the state senate’s push for budget transparency this year.

Each state agency got the chance to meet with state senators this year, in an open meeting, to discuss their individual budget requests. In the past, these meetings have taken place behind closed doors.

Today, senate committee chairs read line-by-line the senate resolution continuing the preliminary state budget for 2025. “Today I’m not asking for a vote on the budget this year, I’m asking for a vote of confidence that we’ve done our due diligence, that these numbers are within our balanced budget and they are our beginning numbers,” said Sen. Roger Thompson, ( R) Senate Budget Chair.

Senators have laid out a preliminary state budget of $12.3 billion. The figure includes the $300 million that the grocery tax cut will cost the state and put $1.2 billion into the state’s savings account. “It is time that we look at the need to have a balanced budget recognizing there are other needs within the state,” said Sen. Thompson.

The budget had bipartisan support on the Senate floor, but still had three ‘no’ votes from Senate democrats.

“I do however remain concerned about protecting our key investments in education, public safety and mental health, and childcare,” said Sen. Carri Hicks, (D) OKC. “I believe this budget falls short of reducing maternal mortality, tackling the housing crisis, and ending child hunger.”

Senators Julia Kirt and Carri Hicks say they don’t think the budget meets the needs of Oklahomans. “Unfortunately, agencies were artificially constrained to tell us what they really need, we did see the executive branch limited what those agencies could request so saw a lot of flat budgets,” said Sen. Kirt, (D) OKC.

But, with overwhelming support from the Senate majority, the resolution is headed to the state house where the real negotiations begin. “Now we will turn and start finding where there is agreement on the budget with the other legs of the stool between the house, the governor, and the Senate to come up with a budget agreement,” said House Speaker Charles McCall.

Highlights from Senate budget proposal:

Total Education: $5,705,903,603
Total General Government and Transportation: $1,269,769,640
Total Health and Social Services: $2,211,397,036
Total Human Services: $923,744,407
Total Natural Resources and Regulatory Services: $470,876,292
Total Public Safety and Judiciary: $1,046,702,444
Total State Agencies: $607,800,000
Total FY’24 Supplementals: $92,450,000

The full Senate budget resolution document can be read below:

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Oklahoma

South Carolina Earns Series Victory Over Oklahoma

Published

3 hours ago

March 16, 2025

Press Room

South Carolina Earns Series Victory Over Oklahoma

Oklahoma defeats South Carolina in extra innings to take the series win on the road at Founder’s Park.

South Carolina held a 5-3 lead heading into the top of the ninth inning. With victory in the hands of closer Brendan Sweeney, the Sooners were able to take advantage of a couple fielding errors by the Gamecocks and tied the game at 5 a piece. After a quick bottom half of the ninth, we headed to extra innings.

Oklahoma was up first and made the most of the opportunity. Center fielder came up to bat and really put the pressure on the home team with a solo blast out to left field. That would ultimately be too much for the Gamecocks to overcome, as the Sooners come away with the series win.

Outfielder Evan Stone had a good day in the batter’s box. He hit a triple on his opening at bat, would finish 1/3 at the plate with 1 RBI. Four Gamecocks would end the game with a RBI; Stone, Jones, Petry, and Scobey.

South Carolina sent senior Dylan Eskew to the mound to begin the final game of the weekend series. Eskew would leave game three giving up one run on one hit, to go along with three strikeouts in 41. innings pitched. He would finish the day with a 1.77 ERA.

What’s next for the Gamecocks? A midweek matchup against the College of Charleston is set for Tuesday at 6:30 pm (ET). After that, a three game series against the Arkansas Razorbacks begins Friday March 21.

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Oklahoma

How the natural beauty of Oklahoma state parks you enjoy today was preserved decades ago

Published

15 hours ago

March 16, 2025

Press Room

How the natural beauty of Oklahoma state parks you enjoy today was preserved decades ago

With nearly 40 state parks in Oklahoma today, there are wonderful places in natural settings where you can still get away and take in the outdoors.

In 1937, Oklahoma was celebrating its eight new state parks, planning guided tours by the state park commission and National Park Service. It would be an introduction for visitors to learn more about each of the parks’ unique features.

Beginning in April that year, there would be a new park featured each weekend, beginning with Beavers Bend State Park, as reported in The Daily Oklahoman:

Scenery such as many Oklahomans do not know exists in the state will be seen when the first April tour is conducted through Beavers Bend park in McCurtain County in extreme southeastern Oklahoma. Wild flowers will be in bloom then.

Specialists in natural history, drawn from the national park service personnel in the Oklahoma City regional office, will serve as guides. They will interpret the various natural features of the parks, identifying species of wildflowers, trees, and geological formations.

The new parks and their locations included Quartz Mountain, Lugert; Boiling Springs, Woodward; Robbers Cave, Wilburton; Beavers Bend, Broken Bow; Roman Nose, Watonga; Spavinaw Hills, Salina; Osage Hills, Pawhuska; and Lake Murray, near Ardmore.

The Daily Oklahoman’s readers were told to watch the newspaper for more details coming soon that would reveal exact dates for each guided tour. But in the meantime, instructions were given that included a glimpse of what people would experience:

Visitors will drive to the parks in their own cars where they will be met by the guides. The picnic facilities include running water, fireplaces, combination table and bench units, comfort stations and parking space for automobiles. The tour through the woodlands, past the waterfalls and over the streams will be on foot.

In March 1937, the complete dates for the “Sunday outings” were announced, beginning with the Beavers Bend tour on April 11 and ending with Spavinaw Hills on May 23:

Covering more than 30,000 acres, these eight parks are situated in the most interesting natural areas in Oklahoma. Set aside for the free use of all the people, the areas are being preserved in their natural state. The civil conservation corps is confining its development to making the parks accessible with roads, trails, picnic facilities, comfort stations, campsite. In several parks facilities for boating, swimming and fishing have been provided.

The conducted tours have been arranged to give Oklahomans an opportunity to become better acquainted with Oklahoma’s wildflowers, birds, trees, small mammals and geological formations.

If you visit Oklahoma’s state parks this spring, take note of your surroundings — the streams, trees, rocks, waterfalls, animals — and how actions taken almost 90 years ago helped preserve the natural experiences you can enjoy today.

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