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Oklahoma’s total gross receipts in May grew by $103 million compared to last year. Total gross receipts have shown year-over-year growth for 24 months in a row.

Due largely to state economic growth, Oklahoma lawmakers have been able to dramatically boost state spending. But there are indications that the days of financial largess may be near an end.

The American Legislative Exchange Council’s most recent edition of “Rich States, Poor States,” which ranks U.S. states based on economic competitiveness, showed property tax burden is one of the few areas where Oklahoma holds a decided advantage over Texas. It may not stay that way.

This year, lawmakers created the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT), which will audit agency budgets and evaluate the effectiveness of state programs and services, issuing published reports of resulting conclusions. Supporters say the office will lead to better legislative oversight and more efficient use of taxpayer dollars. But officials in other states with similar programs say private-sector watchdogs, rather than politicians, often make better use of the resulting data.

To simply increase government spending without any focus on also improving outcomes, 1889 Institute research fellow Mike Davis said, is “a terrible goal.”

The $8.3 billion appropriated budget is a near record for Oklahoma. This brings the two-year increase in appropriations to $1.2 billion.

House Democrats decried portions of this year’s budget plan on Thursday, but then voted for bills they said either provided insufficient funding or misspent money.

Urging lawmakers to spend rather than save money, Democrats painted an apocalyptic picture of Oklahoma’s future if government spending is not increased further.

A seldom-obeyed law mandating passage of a public school budget by April 1 may soon be a thing of the past. House Bill 2769, which repeals the funding deadline, has passed both chambers of the Legislature and is headed for the governor’s desk.