Latest news with #TrumpBibles
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers agree on Oklahoma budget, could see income tax cut
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Lawmakers quickly met Wednesday afternoon to announce they agreed on the upcoming budget. The big ticket item was the income tax cut proposal. Lawmakers announced that there will be an elimination of the bottom three brackets, and the rest see a .25% cut. 'We still have three-and-a-half billion dollars in savings,' said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow). Below is a grid from the Tax Commission that displays the tax brackets. This isn't a .50% cut that the governor had been pushing for, but it is a path. 'You know, the Pro Tem had a great analogy of someone making $33,000 a year. With the flattening of those brackets, would save around $160 I think was his, was his number. And that's very meaningful for a working family in the state of Oklahoma,' said Governor Kevin Stitt. In total, the proposal for the new year's budget amounts to $12.59 billion. Things that weren't added included the Department of Education (Supt. Ryan Walters') request for $3 million in Trump Bibles to put in every classroom and the $500,000 for concealed carry training for employees. Agencies requested much more than was agreed upon. According to the budget transparency website, they had asked for $13.31 billion. Several new additions were announced that were included in this preliminary budget agreement. $250 million is to be spent on a new Veterinary Medicine school. $312 million will go to a prison purchase in Lawton. Even a new pediatric heart hospital was included in this budget agreement. Last year, the Tax Commission found that the biggest cost that hit Oklahoma revenue was the Private School Choice Tax Credit and the Grocery Sales Tax Cut. Oklahomans speak out, write letters against bill restricting statewide ballot initiatives Another question arose surrounding the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. There have been many questions around millions missing from the current budget and what will happen to their future budget. NonDoc reported this week that the budget shortfall for ODMHSAS was around $27 million, but when asked Wednesday, lawmakers said that number is closer to $30 million. That money will have to head their way soon. 'Underscoring Lawson's questions about creating certainty for a supplemental figure, House Appropriations and Budget Committee Chairman Trey Caldwell reported Wednesday that LOFT had conducted its own review and determined ODMHSAS would need closer to $30.6 million in funding to get through the rest of the fiscal year.' – from NonDoc. 'The tentative plan on the entirety of the mental health budget is to stop the bleeding,' said House Budget Chair Trey Caldwell. On Wednesday, Democrats reacted to this proposed budget agreement. 'Senate Democrats have consistently prioritized a bipartisan budget that solves real problems for Oklahomans – one that focuses on working families, not big companies and well-connected people. We've advocated for a budget that provides a great education for every student, not $50 million for vouchers with little to no oversight or accountability. We believe our budget should help make sure Oklahomans can see a doctor when they need one and not have to wait months for health care. We don't believe this budget prioritizes people,' said Senate Democrat Leader Julia Kirt. There are still several steps before this budget agreement reaches it's finalization stage but this is one of the earliest that lawmakers have come together on a preliminary budget agreement in years. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supreme Court asked to halt Ryan Walters' Bible-donation plan for Oklahoma schools
Less than a week after the Oklahoma Supreme Court paused state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters' attempt to spend millions in taxpayer money on so-called 'Trump Bibles,' the plaintiffs in that lawsuit are asking the court to stop a Bible-donation plan implemented by Walters. Walters said last week he's partnering with country music artist Lee Greenwood on a nationwide campaign to encourage donations of Bibles to Oklahoma classrooms. That announcement came after the Oklahoma Senate nixed a $3 million budget request by Walters' agency, the Oklahoma State Department of Education, to buy Bibles. A news release from Walters' agency said 'Greenwood and his network' would facilitate the donation of Bibles to state classrooms as part of a 'Bibles Back in School Campaign.' The release encouraged 'individual and corporate' partners to buy a Bible at to donate to the state Education Department. The website indicated the cost of a 'Trump Bible' is $59.99. The website tells people to give money for the Bibles because 'GOD, CHRISTIANITY AND MORAL VALUES ARE OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE.' In a filing made Wednesday, the plaintiffs in the lawsuit — known as Walke v. Walters — asked the court to issue an order prohibiting Walters and other state officials from taking any action to implement the Bibles Back in School Campaign and from otherwise distributing Bibles to public schools. 'The costs of these outlandish actions by our State Superintendent continue to climb and he shows no signs of slowing,' said Colleen McCarty, the executive director of the Tulsa-based Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, one of the legal groups representing the more than 30 Oklahomans who sued Walters. 'We're facing a budget shortfall and Oklahomans simply cannot afford these stunts for much longer. Oklahomans need a leader who will maintain the rule of law and educate our kids.' Walters responded by claiming it's "no surprise that the same left-wing groups pushing state-sponsored atheism are attacking our work to get Bibles back in classrooms. They've spent years trying to erase Bibles from our schools, and they can't stand seeing parents and educators fighting back." Walters issued a Bible-teaching mandate for Oklahoma schools last June and has been persistent in attempting to get Bibles into classrooms. But it's not just any Bible Walters is pushing. Twice, his agency has created 'request for proposals' to purchase 55,000 Bibles appeared to be written for a specific copy of the Bible: Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" edition of the Bible, which has been endorsed by President Donald Trump. That specific Bible includes all the non-biblical documents — the U.S. Constitution, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights — listed on the original request for proposals. The plaintiffs sued Walters, the state Education Department, the state Board of Education and the state Office of Management and Enterprise Services on Oct. 17 over the mandate and the attempts by Walters and the agency to purchase Bibles with public money. On Monday, the Oklahoma Supreme Court stayed the second 'request for proposals' for Bibles and another already issued for Bible-based curriculum for Oklahoma classrooms. The OMES had asked the court to order it to stop working on processing the two requests for proposals, or RFPs, from the state Education Department until the court issues a final decision. The agency had told the plaintiffs it was legally obligated to proceed with processing the RFPs until a court directive ordering it to do otherwise is issued. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Walters' Bible-donation plan for Oklahoma schools draws a challenge
