Sen. Roger Thompson’s Press Releases

When we talk about education and appropriations, many Oklahomans think we’re only talking about K-12 schools. This week, I’d like to break down state education funding in the budget and the various agencies under the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education. While some of the entities within this subcommittee also receive federal funding, we’re going to look at the state dollars that go into education.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve looked at various issues related to our state budget, from how we use revenues from the lottery and medical marijuana, to funding for state services, including health care and corrections.  This week, we’re going to break down the actual budget process itself. 

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to look at our weekly Budget Break Down articles and for sharing your comments and questions.  One topic I’m frequently asked about is

At statehood, Oklahoma did not yet have its own prison system—inmates had to be sent to Kansas. When Kate Barnard, our first Commissioner of Charities and Corrections, uncovered the horrific treatment of Oklahoma prisoners, she worked hard to establish the construction of the state’s first prison and the establishment of a three-tiered state prison system, which included a penitentiary, a reformatory and a boys’ training school. 

OKLAHOMA CITY – In a bipartisan interim study hosted by Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, and Sen.

You know it’s a great day in Oklahoma when you’re traveling, and all you can see are orange pylons.  Even though road construction can be a bit of an inconvenience, it’s a sign that our state is investing in our greatest physical asset—our transportation system.  It means we are improving safety with modernizations and expansions that will also enable us to grow our economy, creating new jobs.  For Fiscal Year 2021, state highway funding is $814 million, with another $620 million in federal highway funds for a total of $1.5 billion for roads a

When you look at Oklahoma’s budget, it’s a little over $7.8 billion.  While many people are probably aware the lion’s share of that goes to education, they may not realize that health care is the second highest expense.  It makes up 31 percent of the total budget—some $2.3 billion in fiscal year 2021. This week, I want to break down where those funds go.

When the legislature writes the budget, the funds we appropriate come from many different revenue streams, like income taxes, oil and gas taxes, cigarette taxes and others as well—about 20 in all.  I think people are aware that oil and gas collections are still low, an

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Senate Public Safety Committee heard from law enforcement officials, Career Tech representatives and mental health experts Thursday about modernizing training for Oklahoma’s law enforcement officers

It’s often said the most important responsibility of the Legislature is to write and pass a balanced budget.  As Senate Appropriations chair, I can tell you that the budget impacts every single man, woman and child in our state.  Each week, I plan to share an article e