2008 Session Roundups: Oklahoma  The Oklahoma State Legislature
adjourned late Friday, May 23, a week earlier than
constitutionally-mandated.  Lawmakers closed the session with an
agreement on a $7.1 billion state budget for the next fiscal
year.  Overall the short 16 week session led to a mix bag of
results.  Education: Legislators showed a commitment to
education by passing a bill that earmarks $2.3 billion for
schools, a $185 million increase over last year.  This includes
a $3,000 across-the-board pay raise for all state teachers.
Ethics: Lawmakers also passed a significant ethics reform bill,
HB 2196, which bans lobbyists from making campaign contributions
during a legislative session. The bill prohibits contributions
from lobbyists to legislators - both incumbents and challengers
- from the start of legislative sessions to five days after
adjournment.  Infrastructure Improvements:   Legislators also
passed a $475 million bond package largely dedicated to
infrastructure improvements.  A majority of the