Senator Lawler Says Governor’s Budget Proposal Leaves State Employees Behind

Senator Daisy Lawler said Tuesday she is concerned that Governor Henry’s compromise budget proposal does not include a specific pay raise for state employees.

“The governor’s plan leaves state employees behind,” said Lawler, D-Comanche. “In a year when we have a windfall of $1 billion in new money available choosing not to give state employees a raise is unconscionable.”

Lawler pointed out that Oklahoma’s state employees are among the lowest paid in the nation. She said she supports the 5-percent pay raise proposal which the Senate funded in its General Appropriations Bill last month.

The Senator pointed out that Henry’s proposal was just that and that “no agreement on the state budget has yet been reached.”

“We must put our state employees near the front of the line as we consider our budget priorities since they take care of our most vulnerable citizens and protect our communities and our families. It would be wrong to leave them behind and I will continue to fight to make sure that our state employees are taken care of in the same manner in which they take care of the people of Oklahoma.”