OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- After years of slashing budgets amid a downturn in the state's economy, Oklahoma's public schools and other agencies will receive boosts in spending under the largest-ever state budget approved by the Oklahoma Legislature that is making its way toward the governor's desk.
The Oklahoma Senate voted 36-8 on Wednesday for the $7.6 billion general appropriations bill , which now heads to the House for final consideration.
Lawmakers are hoping to send the bill to Gov. Mary Fallin this week and adjourn the legislative session by Friday, May 4, about three weeks early.
The bill includes nearly $500 million in new spending for public schools, an increase of nearly 20 percent for education that mostly funded teacher pay hikes and was the subject of statewide teacher walkouts.
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