The First Session of the 60th Legislature is officially adjourned. This session proved very productive for the people of House District 59 and all of Oklahoma.
We've cut the state income tax brackets from six to four, and those in the bottom bracket will pay zero. Everyone in the top three income tax brackets will receive a quarter-percent cut beginning in tax year 2026. We also implemented a path to zero income tax for everyone once state revenue projections are met in future years.
We voted to eliminate the state's outdated mandatory 6% markup on retail goods, saving taxpayers additional money. We also revised how excise tax is calculated on vehicle purchases, saving buyers on registration. We will continue working to find other ways to make paychecks go further for Oklahomans.
Public schools in our district will receive a portion of the $26 million added to the funding formula. CareerTech will receive $9.3 million to accommodate increased enrollment. More than $67.7 million was appropriated to higher education for the Oklahoma's Promise Scholarship, allowing more students to access college if they want to attend.
The Department of Transportation will receive $610 million directed to the Rebuilding Oklahoma Access and Driver Safety (ROADS) Fund and more than $35.6 million to reach the target ratio of $4,000 per county road mile for all 77 counties. They receive an equal amount to address county bridge reconstruction.
More than $2.355 million is appropriated for the expansion of the program to eradicate invasive woody species. This will preserve precious water resources here in our district and other areas around the state, along with helping protect us from devastating wildfires like we experienced earlier this spring.
We also passed BTM legislation (behind the meter) to accelerate new economic development for industrial projects without passing costs for needed upgrades onto ratepayers. This will incentivize natural gas electricity generation to ensure dependable, dispatchable power along with proposed renewable projects coming with both wind and solar expansion.
This allows private industry to develop and manage their own power solutions, and provides a proactive solution to help us address the bottleneck in grid connections, especially for large industrial consumers. This will alleviate pressure on our state's power grid, allowing businesses to meet growing energy demands more efficiently. With the state's abundant natural gas resources and these other projects coming alongside existing oil and gas, this should encourage more jobs and economic growth in our state.
I'm committed to work this summer and fall to listen and propose needed changes in our next legislative session. The House will hold interim studies later this summer and fall to deep dive into issues that may become future legislation, and we'll start working on our budget and new measures to introduce next year.
Please know how much I appreciate always hearing the input, ideas and concerns often shared by my constituents throughout Northwest Oklahoma. If I can help you with something, do not hesitate to reach out. You also can follow regular updates on my House Facebook page or call or email anytime at (405) 557-7407 or Mike.Dobrinski@okhous e.gov.
Mike Dobrinski serves District 59 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes Dewey and parts of Blaine, Garfield, Kingfisher and Woodward counties.