Governor Brad Henry signs $5.3 billion funding bill

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Gov. Brad Henry signed an omnibus $5.3 billion spending bill Monday, but said much budget work was still left for lawmakers. <br><br>House Bill 2007 is a general appropriations bill

Tuesday, March 23rd 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Gov. Brad Henry signed an omnibus $5.3 billion spending bill Monday, but said much budget work was still left for lawmakers.

House Bill 2007 is a general appropriations bill that funds all of state government for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

It includes funding increases for education, including money to pay for 100 percent of teachers' health insurance.

``Fully funding teacher health insurance is a major accomplishment and a good first step toward a competitive compensation plan for our educators,'' said Henry, who has proposed to raise teacher pay to the regional average over five years.

Henry said leaders of the Democratic legislative majority had agreed to address a number of key items in his budget plan that were left out of the general appropriations measure.

Those programs include a Tar Creek voluntary relocation plan, early childhood education, Medicaid breast and cervical cancer screenings, drug court expansions, state employee pay and tax relief.

``The money for these important programs is there,'' the governor said. ``It's just a matter of setting priorities and shifting funds to meet them. Legislative leaders have committed to do that, and I will work with them to make sure all of our objectives are realized, including a state employee pay program.''

``We all have the same priorities and will be identifying the funding it takes to make them reality,'' said Rep. Bill Mitchell, D-Lindsay, House appropriations chairman.

Senate President Pro Tem Cal Hobson said enactment of the funding measure ``provides us with the kind of a safety net we need to conclude this session in an orderly and efficient manner.''

The bill ensures agencies can operate at least at their funding level of a year ago.

In the next several weeks, some agencies will get added funding through passage of a series of ``reconciliation'' bills, leaders said.