It has been a busy few months, and it’s hard to believe the session is already over. As Imentionedlast week, we have finally reached a budget agreement.
De s p i t e numerous disagreements, we all ultimately achieved a good budget for the people of Oklahoma. The $12.47 billion budget provides flat budgets for many state agencies, as the governor requested in his state of the Stateaddress,whilealsoaddressing theconcernsofOklahomansaround the state.
The budget agreement, which can be viewed on the House’s Budget Transparency Portal, addresses topics such as education, public safety, and infrastructure. We allocated $27.6 million for CareerTech to address its waitlist. This allocation goes beyond expanding CareerTech education; it addresses the skilled workforce shortage in our state.
We allocated funds for public safety, including pay raises for county sheriffs. Investing in the salaries of our sheriffs improves the overall quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of law enforcement in our communities. We have also allocated funds for a new OSBI headquarters building to ensure that our investigative body has the facilities and resources needed to efficiently tackle complex crimes.
We have set aside $200 million for the Rural Economic Transportation Reliability and Optimization (RETRO) Fund. This fund is dedicated to constructing, repairing, and maintaining state highways in rural areas experiencing significant economic growth.
Currently, the Department of Transportation is using RETRO funds for a major project in Love County. This project will benefit Marietta, Ardmore, and the Ardmore Airpark. The initiative involves widening I-35 to six lanes to cope with the high traffic volumes, including a significant 25% truck traffic component. Traffic in this area has increased by about 8% in recent years, highlighting the necessity of this crucial infrastructure improvement.
I appreciate all of you who called, emailed, or visited me at the Capitol this year. Representing House District 49 for the past two years has been a privilege.
Again, thank you for electing me to serve District 49. It is truly an honor and privilege to represent you at the State Capitol. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any concerns at 405-557-7383 or josh.cantrell@okhouse.gov.
Rep. Josh Cantrell, a Republican, serves District 49 Oklahoma House of Representatives, which covers Carter, Love and Marshall counties.