Governor signs budget bill

Gov. Mary Fallin has signed a $7.6 billion spending bill, signalling to lawmakers they can adjourn session nearly a month before it's scheduled to end.

Legislative leaders have said that once work on the budget was done, they could send lawmakers home for the rest of the year. The legislative session is annually scheduled to run between February and the end of May. The Fiscal Year 2019 budget goes into effect July 1.

Oklahoma's largest-ever appropriation was possible with a suite of new taxes adopted in special session. Those revenue streams come from higher tax rates on motor fuel, cigarettes and the production of oil and gas.

"The budget includes many of the priorities I have called for in my annual State of the State address to lawmakers the past three years," Fallin said in an emailed statement. "Core services of state government are prioritized throughout the budget. It provides for a teacher pay raise and additional funding for public schools as well as increased funding for mental health and corrections to implement criminal justice reform measures."

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