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| Governor Mary Fallin |
The last pieces of Governor Mary Fallin’s legislative agenda passed and were sent to her desk today, as the historic 2011 session came to a close. While the legislature will officially declare the session over next Friday (5/27), legislative leaders have indicated that no more bills are to be considered this year.
In what was one of the most productive legislative sessions in Oklahoma history, Governor Fallin signed into law hundreds of bills, and received on her desk landmark legislation focusing on:
• Creating more and better jobs by promoting a business friendly environment
• Building a smaller, smarter government that better serves our citizens
• Fighting the federal health care law while pursuing Oklahoma solutions for better health
• Improving Oklahoma schools and delivering quality education
• Protecting children and the lives of the unborn
• Protecting gun owners and defending the Second Amendment
Governor Fallin and legislative leaders also reached an agreement on a fiscally responsible, balanced budget that closed a $500 million revenue shortfall without raising taxes. While making cuts of up to 9 percent for various government agencies, the budget agreement makes lesser cuts to areas of government dealing with core services like education, health and human services, public safety and transportation.
“At the beginning of this legislative session, I asked lawmakers to focus on legislation that would bring more and better jobs to Oklahoma, make government smaller and more efficient, and improve our quality of life,” said Fallin. “I’m happy to see they responded by sending a series of important, landmark bills that accomplish these goals. This has been a historic legislative session that will lay the groundwork for long term prosperity and job creation in Oklahoma. It was perhaps the single most productive legislative session in state history, and one which every conservative lawmaker can be proud of.”
Click here to see Governor Fallin's report about the 2011 legislative session.
