FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 6, 2017

Governor Mary Fallin Statement on Moody’s ‘Credit Negative’ Outlook for the State

OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin today issued the following statement after Moody’s Investors Service issued a “credit negative” warning amid the Legislature’s inability to reach an agreement on any long-term revenue measures:

“I have warned lawmakers for the past three years that we need to address our budget’s structural deficits instead of continuing to kick the can down the road by depleting available cash and using one-time funds. Proposals to do just that will not provide enough funds for agencies to deliver essential core services for the remainder of this fiscal year.  It appears we are looking at a budget that will include drastic across-the-board cuts for all state agencies to deal with the loss of revenue. It is worth repeating what Moody’s Investors Service stated in its report: the state of Oklahoma has reduced appropriations by 5.3 percent, or $387 million, in the past three years.

“The Legislature’s inability to pass a permanent solution to our budget challenge has resulted in Moody’s, one of the nation’s top rating agencies, giving Oklahoma a ‘credit negative’ outlook, which will hurt investment by businesses that are considering to expand in or move to our state.

“There are still conversations going on between legislative leaders and my office. It’s my hope that we make progress in filling the $215 million budget hole with recurring revenue; provide long-term revenue stability; give our teachers a pay raise; and move Oklahoma on a path forward to being a great place to live, work, invest and raise a family.”

###

Web:  www.governor.ok.gov
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/GovernorMaryFallin
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/GovMaryFallin